From the 1960s onwards, Joseph Beuys was actively engaged in politics. Out of his extensive concept of art and his belief that the creativity that gives form to an artwork can also affect society, Beuys' artistic and political activities became increasingly intertwined. Because the two dominant ideologies, capitalism and communism, were outmoded according to Beuys, he proposed a third way – Direct Democracy.

Die Partei EURASIA (The EURASIA Party), the first political party that he founded, in 1963, was a call for the reconciliation of “East” and “West”. In 1971, the Deutsche Studentenpartei, founded by Beuys in 1967, became the Organisation für direkte Demokratie durch Volksabstimmung (The Organisation for Direct Democracy through Plebiscite). In 1973, the Free International University was born. In 1979, Beuys co-founded Die Grünen (the Greens) and became a candidate for the European elections.

“This appeal is directed to all people in the European sphere of culture and civilization. The breakthrough into a new social future can succeed if a movement develops in the European zones which, through its regenerative faculties, levels the walls between East and West, and bridges the gap between North and South.”

Joseph Beuys, Aufruf zur Alternative (Appeal for an Alternative)