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Viele in Deutschland schienen zu glauben, die Forderung ruhig zu bleiben und Einschränkungen des eigenen Lebens auf ein Minimum zu vermeiden, gehörten zu einer offenen Gesellschaft.

I do not understand the bolded parts sentence structure

For me "die Forderung" seems not to be a object of verb "bleiben" reaming possibility is to be a subject though I do not encounter "subject + zu" structure

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    @ughitudhi I t means "the claim for keeping calm"
    – πάντα ῥεῖ
    Mar 15, 2020 at 20:13
  • 1
    Why a downvote? No reason for doing so.
    – Nico
    Mar 15, 2020 at 20:17
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    @πάνταῥεῖ it's not a claim but a demand.
    – infinitezero
    Mar 15, 2020 at 21:27
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    I upvoted, and the answer. There is, though, a little logic problem in the phrase: "die Einschränkung ... auf ein Minimum ... zu vermeiden" makes no sense, "beschränken" oder "befolgen" instead of vermeiden would be a better choice, depending on intention. Just sayin' ...
    – user41853
    Mar 15, 2020 at 22:16
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    It would be helpful to be more specific, i.e. explaining which words of the phrase you understand and what your attempt to understand the whole phrase leads to; where it doesn't fit.
    – user unknown
    Mar 16, 2020 at 0:01

1 Answer 1

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When a German verb that takes complements is nominalized like this, then the resulting noun takes the same complements. Hence,

die Forderung[,] ruhig zu bleiben

=

the demand to keep calm.

(This mostly works for verbal complements only. An accusative object would not transfer to the noun form.)

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    Other examples include "Die Wahrscheinlichkeit zu stürzen" or "Die Warnung nicht aufs Eis zu gehen". (probability to fall / warning not to go on the ice)
    – infinitezero
    Mar 15, 2020 at 21:01

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