Germany: Geography

1
Germany Geography

• Flat in north mountains in south (Bavaria). Poor
  soil.
• Rhine River for transportation.
• Central "crossroads" position insecurity!
• Rich coal fields in Ruhr Silesia (now in
  Poland).

2
Germany Culture

• 38 Protestant, mostly in north
• Martin Luther led Reformation.
• 34 Catholic, mostly in south.
• Composers Bach, Beethoven, Wagner.

3
Germany History

• Holy Roman Empire ("1st Reich," 800 - 1806).
• Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Treaty of
  Westphalia estab. sovereignty, each king chose
  official religion.
• Frederick the Great conquered Silesia in 18th
  century.
• French influence during Napoleonic occupation.
• Unification of Germany in 1871 ("2nd Reich")
  after Franco-Prussian war. Bismarck ("Iron
  Chancellor").
• World War I 1914- 1918. Recriminations, chaos
  after defeat Versailles Treaty.

4
Germany Rise Fall of the Third Reich

• Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, Fuhrer in
  1934. Nazis built war industry, persecuted Jews.
• Diplomacy of bluff, 1936-1939
• Blitzkrieg Poland (1939)
• West Europe (1940)
• Balkans, N. Africa, Russia (1941),
• The Holocaust (1941 - 1945).
• Turning point Stalingrad, 1942.
• D-Day France liberated, 1944.
• Hitler suicide, 1945.

5
Germany Economic development

• Tradition of state-led development (Friedrich
  List) Customs union (zollverein) in 1834
  promoted unity.
• Bismarck pushed for military industrialization
  (coal Krupps arms factories) AND "liberal"
  social reform.
• After World War II, Adenauer led rebuilding in
  1950s. Consensus on balancing labor business
  interests, within democ. capitalist framework of
  stable money!!
• W. Germany was a founding member of EEC, 1958.
• Labor shortage led to "guest worker" program..
• Willy Brandt (Soc. Dem., 1969-1982) --
  "Ostpolitik"

6
Germany Governing institutions policy

• Basic Law of 1949 became formal constitution in
  1990.
• Federal structure to prevent centralized power.
• Parliamentary system fuses executive
  legislative.
• Chancellor (Angela Merkel, 2005) is elected by
  Bundestag must be a strong party leader.
• President (Horst Koehler, 2004) is mostly
  ceremonial.
• Bundesbank has high prestige, keeps money stable.
• Judiciary is independent, upholds constitutional
  law.

7
Germany Representation participation

• Bundestag (Federal Assembly, 669 seats 175 from
  East). Party loyalty to advance careers.
• Mixed voting system by single-member district
  (SMD) AND proportional representation (PR).
• 5 percent rule excludes small parties.
• Bundesrat (Federal Council, 69 seats) is composed
  of state officials. It can exercise suspensive
  veto.

8
German parties, legislative seats(Sept. 2005
elections)
9
Germany Politics in transition

• Gerhard Schroeders appointees were accused of
  past subversive ties to communist East Germany.
• Angela Merkel
• Can high-wage German labor compete with Asia?
• Many resent immigrants from Turkey Balkans, but
  Neo-Nazis (many from East) have been suppressed.
• Foreign policy Yugoslavia NATO expansion.
  Reluctance to use armed forces abroad, until
  Kosovo. Afghanistan!