Blackwell Reference Online

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Petra Kelly was a seminal figure of the European peace and ecology movements . She helped to found the German Green Party (Die Grünen) in 1979. Born Petra Lehmann in Bavaria, her name changed to Kelly after her mother married an American in 1958. The family moved to the United States in 1959, and Kelly later studied political science at American University's School of International Service in Washington, DC. She later returned to Europe and in 1971 received a master's degree in political science from the University of Amsterdam. During her years in the US, the non-violent civil rights movement left a lasting impression. Also, her sister Grace's death from eye cancer in 1970 exemplified what she later called the “cancerization” of the world from nuclear pollution. In 1972 Kelly engaged in environmentalist activity and joined Willy Brandt's Social Democratic Party. She left the party in 1979 to protest its energy policies and went on to become spokesperson for a citizens' initiative called the Bund Bürgerinitiativen Umweltschutz (Citizens Initiative for Environmental Protection). She collected over S million signatures to protest the stationing of Pershing II and Cruise Missiles in Europe. In the 1970s, by means of the electoral route, the Green Party, with environmental positions, steadily gained power in the local and state elections. Kelly, along with green and left activists ... log in or subscribe to read full text