The Federal Republic of Germany

1
The Federal Republic of Germany

• The German Electoral System

presented by Rainer Heufers Friedrich Naumann
Foundation
2
The Federal Republic of Germany

• Presentation Overview
• Introduction Geography, Economy History
• The Political System
• The Electoral System
• Legislation on Political Parties

3
The Federal Republic of Germany

• Introduction to Germany
• Geography, Economy History

4
Germany
Population 82 million
Capital Berlin
National language German
President Johannes Rau
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder
Federal Republic 16 States
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Geography/Climate

• Germany is divided into
• The North German Plain
• The Central Upland Range
• The Southwest German Central Upland Scarps
• The South German Alpine Foreland and
• The Bavarian Alps
• Climate is determined by its location in a
  climatic zone of temperate weather conditions
  with frequent weather changes. There is
  precipitation all the year round. Progressing
  from the northwest to the east and southeast, the
  maritime climate gradually changes into a more
  continental climate. The annual mean temperature
  is around 9C.

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Rivers Urban Settlements

• Major rivers are the Danube, the Elbe, the Oder,
  the Weser, and the Rhine.

Largest city Berlin 3,471,418
Other large cities Hamburg, 1,703,800
Munich, 1,251,100 Cologne,
963,300 Frankfurt, 656,200
Essen, 619,600
Dortmund, 601,500 Stuttgart,
592,000 Düsseldorf, 573,100
Bremen, 551,000
Hanover, 526,400 Duisburg,
536,500
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Land Use
30
Agricultural Land Uses
47
Forest
6
8
9
Lakes, Rivers other green areas
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Buildings paved areas
Roads
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Natural Resources Industrial Location

• Coal
• Coal
• Salt
• Large industrial area
• Oil

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Economy

• Germany has the world's most technologically
  advanced economy after the US and Japan.
• Balanced distribution of economic development
  across regions.
• Balanced income distribution across society.
• Regulation of the labour market and a costly
  social system reduce the overall competitiveness
  of Germanys economy.
• The integration and upgrading of the eastern
  German economy remains a costly long-term problem
  (annual transfers from the west amount to roughly
  100 billion).
• Political and economic integration of Europe
  brings opportunities and challenges to the German
  economy i.e. with the adoption of the common
  European currency, Germany no longer has its own
  currency, and thereby less control over the
  economy, as the Bundesbank is no longer able to
  set interest rates.

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GDP by Industry 1999
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History 1945-1961
West Germany (US, French British zones)

• East Germany
• (Soviet zone)

Occupation zones
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Berlin Wall 1961-1989

• 1961
• Construction of Berlin Wall
• 1969
• Social Democrat (SPD) Willy Brandt becomes
  Chancellor
• Seeks better ties with USSR and East Germany
• 1989
• Mass exodus of East Germans
• Berlin Wall torn down

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Reunified Germany

• 1990
• Reunification
• First All German Election
• (12th electoral term)
• CDU/FDP coalition
• (3rd term of Chancellor Kohl)
• In 1991 Parliament names Berlin the new capital
• 1994
• General Election
• (13th electoral term)
• CDU/FDP coalition
• (4th term of Chancellor Kohl)
• 1998
• General Election
• (14th electoral term)
• SPD/Green Party coalition
• 2002
• General Election for 15th electoral term