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German politics:

German politics:. An introduction. Some key features. Remade democracy Moderate multipartyism Consensus rather than adversarial democracy Federal – but with a difference Strongly European. The Germany that might have been:. A large number of parties: polarized pluralism Unstable

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German politics:

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  1. German politics: An introduction

  2. Some key features • Remade democracy • Moderate multipartyism • Consensus rather than adversarial democracy • Federal – but with a difference • Strongly European

  3. The Germany that might have been: • A large number of parties: • polarized pluralism • Unstable • Marginally democratic – if at all • Revanchist

  4. Remade democracy • 1945 as year zero • Partition and truncation of Germany • Problem: How do you (re-) establish democracy where it did not flourish before?

  5. Shifting boundaries

  6. Shaping postwar Germany • Allied intentions • Licensing participants • The Cold War • Building institutions • Political Engineering in the west? • Cloning in the east?

  7. Shaping the Federal Republic Constitutional engineering: • Attempts to ensure democracy • Citizens’ rights up front • Attempts to ensure stability • Recourse to federalism as a source of checks and balances • Positive vote of non-confidence • Parties to shape democratic will • Possibility of banning parties which do not • Constitutional limits on the external use of force

  8. Seizing opportunities: the cold war • Joining Europe • Joining NATO • The social market economy (Ludwig Erhard) • The Marshall Plan and the economic miracle (wunderwirtschaft • Result: • a Germany embedded in Europe and the west

  9. FRG & DDR • But also a Germany embedded in the east • FRG: explicitly federal • DDR: centralized command economy

  10. FRG: Making democrats Making participants Dealing with the past Silence Education Historians’ debate DDR: Doing it their way: Remake the economy: build socialism and you solve the problem Remaking political culture

  11. Parties and political forces • 1949 as the ‘last election of Weimar’ • 5% threshold & its impact: • Use of MMP, double vote • Smaller parties eliminated or absorbed • FRG ends up with three party system • (later four, then five parties)

  12. Consensus democracy: • FRG a system with strong, generally effective leaders • Also a system in which it is difficult for any single actor to assert his or her will • Coalition government as the norm • Fact of federalism: (16 provinces or laender) • Leander built into the federal political system via the Bundesrat (Federal Council) • Enjoy collective veto over all legislation affecting the laender • Inclusion of organized interests in policy processes • Both encourage a politics of consultation & quiet negotiation – working it out beforehand

  13. Reunification

  14. Reunification and its impact • A moving train? • Absorbing the east: • 5 newly created laender accede to FRG • Institutions continue • East colonized • Ossies v. Wessies

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