ALFRED MARQUART groups into account. Parties and other political groups are, of course, interested in the CAG's; a recent poll taken by the INFAS Institute in Godesberg showed that 2 million Germans were in CAG's whereas only 1.8 million were in political parties. According to the poll, 34 °lo of the persons questioned were interested in participating in a CAG, whereas only 12°/o showed interest in joining a political party.( 16) This is of significance not only for the parties represented in Parliament (CDU/CSU, SPD, FDP), but also for the German Communist Party (DKP, Moscow. oriented) and the Maoist parties. All of them would like, each in their own way, to integrate CAG action into their own activities or to capitalize on CAG's by joining them in their work. "Political parties, the most important units of political action, are including CAG action in their strategic considerations. The FDP, for example, which likes to be known as the "CAG Party", has developed the first, rudimentary, strategies for integrating this new form of political influence. "(17) The CDU, too, has realized that "we are living in the era of citizen's initiative groups". It has sent out a call to its members to join CAG's or to found their own: "Become the head of a CAG.... Take the reins in your hands and keep them there ... make it clear that the real solutions can only be found and carried out with the support of a political party".( 18) Their main goals are to decrease the influence of left wing and critical citizens on the one hand and to integrate the movement into their own political strategy on the other. That they do not really wish to give any power or influence to the CAG's can be clearly seen in the CDU paper "Union in Germany": "Positive cooperation with the citizen's initiative groups can only be envisaged if they realize that the order of our state only allows power to be exercised by the constituted organs of the federation, the provinces, and the communities ... what the state and the citizens need now is to understand that the CAG 's must limit themselves to (16) DerSp/egel,21.3.1977,p.34. (17) Troitsch, Bilstein: "Biirgerinitiativen", Gegenwarlskunde 3/72. (18) Regiebuch 3: Mitgliederinitiativen CDU, p. 26. 72
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