C LICKER 2 POINTS
Germany’s government is
A.
A Presidential system like the US
B.
A parliamentary system like Great
Britain
C.
Still dominated by a royal family

C LICKER POINTS
Shall we let Amanda borrow a clicker for the day?
A.
Yes
B.
No

C LICKER 2 POINTS
Germany’s government structure is
A.
Unitary like Britain or Japan
B.
Federal like the USA
C.
A confederation like the United
Nations

C LICKER 2 POINTS
Germany’s Chancellor is currently
A.
Male
B.
Female

THE FIRST OSSI –AND THE FIRST
WOMAN
• Merkel, the first woman and the first person who grew up in the former East
Germany, elected chancellor
– Part of protest movements
– Elected to Bundestag in first postreunification election
– Christian Democratic Party /Socialist
Democratic Party grand coalition
– Merkel won again with the support of the
FDP in 2009.

Knud Nielsen/Shutterstock.com

T HINKING A BOUT G ERMANY
•
The Basics
– The strongest country in Europe
– Europe’s most populous country
– One of world’s richest countries
– Europe’s most extensive social-service system
– Unification —a unique challenge
– Economy —less flexible than others
– As socially diverse as France or Britain

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
• Unification and the Kaiser’s Reich
– Middle Ages unified state until the fall of the
Holy Roman Empire, then divided until 1871.
– Prussia’s expansion led to first German state.
• Authoritarian
• Napoleonic wars consolidated smaller states in Western Germany.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE GERMAN
STATE: THE GERMAN QUESTION
• Unification and the Kaiser’s Reich (Cont’d)
– Bismarck’s rule (1815 –1898) brought all
German States other than Austria under
Prussian control.
• Historical religious disputes had left
Germany deeply divided.
• Elections without democracy
• State capitalism: Top-down modernization of military and economy make Germany a global power.
• Centralization resulted in an alienated working class .

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
• Unification and the Kaiser’s Reich (Cont’d)
– Germany pitted itself against the rest of
Europe.
– Germany torn apart after WWI.
• Left opposed the war.
• Nationalist groups blamed left and Jewish people for Germany’s problems.
• Kaiser forced into exile.
• Monarchy hastily replaced with a republic.

TABLE 6.1 German Regimes since 1871

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
and the Rise of Hitler
– Weimar Constitution transformed Germany from authoritarian to democratic overnight with authority in Reichstag.
– Proportional representation
– Coup attempts from left and right
– Reparations and depression
– Right-leaning parties looked for scapegoats.

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
• Weimar and the Rise of Hitler (Cont’d)
– During the depression support for the regime began to ebb.
– Nazis were successful in 1932 elections.
• The NSDAP had become the largest party.
• On Jan. 30, 1933, Hitler became chancellor and formed a government
• Hitler controlled a majority in the Reichstag.

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
•
The Third Reich
– Hitler began dismantling Weimar Republic within weeks of taking office.
• Trade unions and political parties were banned.
• Declared himself füehrer
• Universal military service
• Nuremberg Laws/Aryan superiority
• Use of propaganda

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
• The Third Reich (Cont’d)
– In 1936, Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland violating the Treaty of Versailles.
• In 1938, Germany annexed Austria and intervened in the Spanish civil war.
• It claimed the Sudetenland in
Czechoslovakia.

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
• The Third Reich (Cont’d)
– The Munich conference of 1938
• Appeasement — 1936–1939
• German forces occupied Czechoslovakia in
March 1939.
• Signed a nonaggression pact with the Soviet
Union in August 1939
• Invaded Poland in September 1939

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
• The Third Reich (Cont’d)
– France and Britain declared war on
Germany in Sep. 3, 1939; World War II started.
• German succeeded on battlefield for more than two years.
• In 1941, Germans attacked the Soviet Union.

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
• The Third Reich (Cont’d)
– The Soviet Union and the United States entered the war.
• The Soviet army halted the German in Stalingrad in the winter of 1942-43.
• Allied troops invaded Sicily.
• Allied planes launched an air assault on the
Germany.
– Allied D-day invasion of the beaches of
Normandy in France .

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
•
Occupation and the Two Germanys
– Restructuring of political systems
– Massive financial aid (especially in West)
– Cold War motivated integration of
Western occupation zones.
– Stalinist regime established in Eastern zone.

TABLE 6.2 German Chancellors since 194 8

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
•
Occupation and the Two Germanys
(Cont’d)
– The allied powers drafted the Basic Law.
• On August 14, 1949, the fist postwar elections were held.
• The Christian Democratic Union ( CDU )and its leader Konrad Adenauer won.
• CDU and FDP forged links with business, industrial, bureaucratic, and union elites, creating a period of economic growth.

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
•
Building a Democratic Germany
– For 14 years, Adenauer and the CDU’s strong leadership built a strong economy.
• Adenauer, similar to De Gaulle, stabilized new regime.
– Erhard was credited for economic miracle.
• In 1966, Erhard resigned and was replaced by another Christian Democrat, Kurt Georg
Kiesinger.

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
• Building a Democratic Germany (Cont’d)
– A grand coalition
• Law for Promoting Stability and Growth in the
Economy
– A new coalition between the SPD and FDP
• Under leadership of Willy Brandt and Helmut
Schmidt , the SPD enacted modest social reforms and opened up relations with the
Communist world.

T HE E VOLUTION OF THE G ERMAN S TATE :
T HE G ERMAN Q UESTION
•
Kohl and the New Germany
– Helmut Kohl’s German politics
• Kohl was Chancellor for more than 16 years.
• He retained the social market economy.
• The country became an environmental leader.
• He skillfully guided the country among super tensions.
• He successfully engineered the reunification of
Germany.

C REATING A D EMOCRATIC
P OLITICAL C ULTURE
• Early years of new democracy were uncertain.
– Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba found substantial differences between German and British or American values, which they thought did not augur well for
German democracy.
• Still signs of rigidity in “quaint” laws.
• Economic growth provided stability.
• Gradually rising levels of participation

C REATING A D EMOCRATIC
P OLITICAL C ULTURE
• Rise of Green Party and post-materialist values are latest changes.
• Germans are anti-militarist and endorse role in international organizations .
– Germany’s new peaceful culture is one of the reasons it has not sought to assert is newfound power militarily.

C REATING A D EMOCRATIC
P OLITICAL C ULTURE
• Intense academic study finds three reasons for changes.
– Federal Republic has been an effective regime.
– Political socialization (from schools to families) has changed.
– Two generations removed from the Nazi era —the
1930s.

TABLE 6.3 Germans and Democracy
Source: Adapted from Dieter Fuchs, “Trends of Political Support in the Federal
Republic of Germany,” in Political Culture in Germany, ed. Dirk Berg-Schlosser and Ralf Rytlewski (London: Macmillan, 1993), 249.

P OLITICAL P ARTICIPATION
• The fragmented and ideological polarized parties were a major problem in the Weimar
Republic .
– The Federal Republics would have the same experience.
– CDU and SDP dominate parties, most of time in coalition with FDP.
– A new party, the Greens , has been able to overcome the 5% barrier.

P OLITICAL P ARTICIPATION
•
Parties and the Electoral Process
– The Basic Law puts political parties in a privileged position.
• The major parties play a central role in nominating important position in economy and society.
• Public funds provide about 30% of the
$100 million or more each major party spends during election campaign.

P OLITICAL P ARTICIPATION
• Parties and the Electoral Process (Cont’d)
– Article 21 in the Basic Law
• Created a dual system for electing the
Bundestag
• Half the seats are elected in 299 single-member districts.
• Voters also cast a second ballot
– Choose from lists of candidates of each party
– Seats are allocated proportionally to all parties that win over 5% of the vote
• All parties try to catch all voters

TABLE 6.4 German Election Results since 1949: Major Parties Only
This table only includes votes cast in the proportional representation half of
Bundestag elections. CDU/CSU, Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social
Union; FDP, Free Democratic Party; SPD , Social Democratic Party ; PDS ,
Party of Democratic Socialism .

P OLITICAL P ARTICIPATION
•
The Christian Democrats
– Most powerful party
– Early CDU pulled in two contradictory directions
• Adenauer forged centrist party
– Kohl and impact of unification
– Grand coalition

P OLITICAL P ARTICIPATION
• The Social Democrats
– Second strongest party
– Has not been as successful as a catch-all party
– Hampered by internal policy disagreements
– Sigmar Gabriel was chosen to head the party.
• “Siggy Pop” will be a Chancellor candidate in
2013.

P OLITICAL P ARTICIPATION
•
The Free Democratic Party
– Power broker between larger parties
– Old fashioned liberals
– It has struggled since unification and Genscher’s retirement.

P OLITICAL P ARTICIPATION
•
The Greens
– Broke 5% barrier in 1983
– Ideology based on attempt at holistic analysis of social, economic, and political issues
– Disunity has hampered its effectiveness.

P OLITICAL P ARTICIPATION
• The Party of Democratic Socialism/Left Party
– Descendant of Stalinist party in DDR
– Uncertain future
• The Far Right
– Visible, but not effective; has not come close to
5% barrier
•
The Stakes of 2013
– Merkel’s popularity has dropped since the 2009 election; garnered little support from German voters who resent paying off deficits elsewhere in the eurozone.

P OLITICAL P ARTICIPATION
•
Interest Groups
– Large, unified labor union movement
• Federation of German Labor (DGB)
– Umbrella organization representing 17 unions
• Two large business groups participate in politics.
• Chambers of commerce and industry also active.
• Major groups have close ties to parties.

T HE G ERMAN S TATE : A S MOOTHLY
F UNCTIONING D EMOCRACY
•
Chancellor Democracy
– Fusion of executive and legislative power in chancellor and cabinet
– Article 65
– Constructive vote of no confidence procedure offers stability.
– Chancellor’s large staff provides opportunity for wide oversight, can develop expertise.

FIGURE 6.1 Policy-Making Processes in Germany

T HE G ERMAN S TATE : A S MOOTHLY
F UNCTIONING D EMOCRACY
•
The Bundestag
– Power is limited like that of UK’s parliament.
• Constructive vote of no confidence does offer real power at times of gridlock.
• Powerful committee system provides leverage.
• Party groups play essential roles in functioning of legislature.

T HE G ERMAN S TATE : A S MOOTHLY
F UNCTIONING D EMOCRACY
•
The Bundesrat
• Gives states direct representation in government
– States select representatives
– Can only delay legislation that would not have direct impact on the state
– Must approve all legislation affecting states
– Convenes “Mediation Committees” when two houses disagree

TABLE 6.5 Bundesrat Delegations: November 2010

T HE G ERMAN S TATE : A S MOOTHLY
F UNCTIONING D EMOCRACY
•
The Federal System
– Basic law divides power between states and federal government, unlike Britain and France, which are unitary states.
– States have power for policy in wide range of areas.
– States administer most national laws and programs.
– Careers of many leaders started in the state governments, unlike Britain and
France.

T HE G ERMAN S TATE : A S MOOTHLY
F UNCTIONING D EMOCRACY
•
The Civil Service
– Long tradition of powerful senior civil servants
– De-nazifying the bureaucracy
– Decentralized —90% are state employees.
– In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the SPD government passed a law to restrict entry of alleged radicals into the civil service at all levels.

T HE G ERMAN S TATE : A S MOOTHLY
F UNCTIONING D EMOCRACY
•
The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC)
– Judges have clear political identity.
– Hears cases involving the constitutionality of state and federal laws
– Can review laws passed without other legal proceedings

T HE G ERMAN S TATE : A S MOOTHLY
F UNCTIONING D EMOCRACY
•
Corporatism
– Government and key interest groups work together through informal arrangement.
– Germans have most fully adopted corporatist practices in economy successfully.

T HE G ERMAN S TATE : A S MOOTHLY
F UNCTIONING D EMOCRACY
– Concerted Action (1966 –1977)
– Strong informal ties between bureaucracy and business community
– Wide consensus on economic policy between business and labor
– Codetermination gives workers meaningful role on boards of large companies.
– German banks play large role in setting economic policy until changes that antedated economic crisis.
– Non-economic issue groups are not represented in the corporatist system.
– Bundesbank

P UBLIC P OLICY :
M ODELL D EUTSCHLAND
•
The Social Market Economy
– Economy grew very rapidly due to several reasons:
– Marshall Plan aid
– Government played major role in economic growth since 1945.
– Most globally-oriented European economy
– Continuity of government policy under
Kohl —an important feature
– Challenge of reunification
– Agenda 2010 has offered needed flexibility to businesses.

P UBLIC P OLICY :
M ODELL D EUTSCHLAND
•
Unification
– Significantly slowed economic growth
– Transition has been expensive and a culturally difficult task.
– Kohl incorporated East Germany into the
German State through Article 2 instead of
Article 146, but the German government was reactive rather than proactive.
– Treuhand faced challenges with privatization.
– Political and social challenges

T HE M EDIA
• Quality newspapers have relatively small circulations.
– Each have clear political leanings like Britain and
France.
• Germany has more locally-produced television options than Britain or France
– The most popular private station (SAT 1) has been more supportive of the CDU than the state-owned ones (ARD, ZDF).

CONCLUSION: WHAT’S NEXT?
• Whoever wins will face two major issues:
– First, it will have to maintain the economic upswing of the last few years, which is by no means guaranteed.
– Second, it will still have to deal with continued fallout from the crisis in the eurozone.

D ISCUSSION
• How does Germany’s troubled history still affect its political culture and the rest of its political life?