Germany

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Germany
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CHARACTERISTICS

• Affluent Economy (despite the disequilibria
  between the Eastern and the Western parts of the
  country)
• Unstable territorial limits
• Divided between 1945 and 1990.
• Difficult but successful unification process.

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HISTORY

• First Reich Charlemagne (800 AD)
• Religious divisions (Protestant Reformation 1517-
  Southern Germany remains Catholic, while the
  North shifts to Protestantism).
• Different regional versions of spoken German
• 1648 the Treaty of Westphalia divides Germany
  into 360 political entities.
• 1800s Industrial development (iron and
  steel)Working Class.

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Second Reich(1871, after the Franco-Prussian war)

• Chancellor Otto von Bismark.
• Weak liberal and democratic traditions
• Oppositional groupsSPD (Social Democratic
  Party), 1875. Oldest social- democratic party in
  the world.
• Non-German minorities and small ethnic parties
• German Catholics (turned into the Christian
  Democratic Party later on)

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Problems associated with the Late unification of
Germany.

• Difficulties to developing a modern state
• Nationalism and militarism
• Authoritarian culture
• Expansionism (Colonization in Africa) and
  engagement in wars, until WWI in 1914
• Dramatic defeat - The Versailles Treaty blamed
  Germany for the war, took out its colonies, and
  imposed the country an impossible amount of
  reparations.

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1919 The Weimar Republic

• The Kaiser was removed
• Weak parliamentary democracy.
• Lack of democratic traditions, lack of legitimacy
  (imposed by the victorious allies), catastrophic
  economic situation (1920s hyperinflation)

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1920s Growth of Nazism

• 1924- The Nazis, a very small party.Increasing
  political instability
• 1929 Depression
• 1932. The Nazis win a third of the German vote,
  and President Hindenburg names Hitler as
  chancellor in 1933.

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The Third Reich

• The Nazi Party establishes a legislative majority
  and pass legislation for Hitler to rule by decree
  for 40 years? Third Reich.
• Expansionism (Saar, Czech lands, Poland)
• 1939 Britain and France declared war
• Summer 1940 - Germany or ruled over almost all of
  Europe.
• 1941 Final Solution Death Camps (six million
  Jews and a similar amount of inconvenient
  Christians (Gipsies, Poles, others) plus
  leftists and homosexuals were annihilated.
• 1945- The Allies win the war

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A Divided Germany

• February 1945, Postdam the Allies divide Germany
  (and Berlin) into four military occupation zones.
  
• Britain, France, and the U.S. combine their zones
  and create the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)
  in May 1949.
• Self-governed since 1949. Chancellor Adenauer
  (1949-1963) (CDU). German miracle
• The Soviets create the German Democratic Republic
  (GDR) in October 1949.
• Modern Germany resulted from foreign intervention.

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Phases

• Federal Republic of Germany
• 1949-1969 Adenauer other Christian Democratic
  leaders/ Economic miracle/Parliamentary
  System/Social Welfare
• 1969-1982Social Democrats (Willy Brandt
• 1982-1990 CDU/ the Green Party

• German Democratic Republic
• 1949-1961-Socialism (the Berlin Wall)
• 1961-1970 (greater material benefits/GDR becomes
  a socialist State)
• 1971-1985 (starts opening and relies increasingly
  on the West)
• 1985-1989liberalization and attempts to
  reunification

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Problems of Reunification

• October 3, 1990 (Dissolution of the GDR)
• Imbalance (all of the FRG institutions prevail)
• Economic and social problems
• Westeners felt they had to pay for the
  integration
• Easteners did not feel their situation improved
  (many lost their property/jobs)
• Xenophobia and resurrection of neo-nazism
  (problem solved in 1992/3)

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German Strong Federalism

• 16 Länder education, police, mass media.
• Different versions of spoken German in the
  regions.
• Federal legislative powers
• State level organized Administration and Justice
  system.

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Basic Law

• Created in 1949 as a temporal document
• Through time, it became the German Constitution
• Amended several times
• Three Principles
• Germany is a Federal Republic
• Germany is a State based on the rule of law
• Germany guarantees the social welfare of its
  citizens (social welfare is seen as naturally
  provided by the State).

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GERMAN POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• Head of Government the Chancellor, elected by
  the Bundestag for four yearsPowerful.
• Selects all cabinet members (approx 20, head
  committees in the Bundestag)
• Head of State the President, chosen by a Special
  Convention (five years, two-term limit).
  Ceremonial.

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Bicameral legislature

• Bundestag 656 members (now 669) 4-year term.
  Largest parliament among democracies. Committee
  system.
• Chosen through a mixed system (5 threshold) ½
  through SMD (328), ½ through PR. PR votes
  determine of seats Corrective mechanism..
• Bundesrat (upper house) elected indirectly.
  Gvts. of the Länder (regions) send members to
  choose representatives.

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The Judiciary

• The German Judiciary is as important as the
  American Court system. In both the U.S. and
  Germany the Supreme Court reviews the
  constitutionality of laws.
• Federal Constitutional Court
• 2 Chambers (8 justices each, chosen for one
  12-year term).
• -Roman Law (codified)

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Multi-Party System.

•    Two-Plus party system German governments
  almost always consist of one large party in
  coalition with one small party.

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Parliamentary vs. Presidential
(Source Roskin)

• PARLIAMENTARY
• Coalition SELECTS AND OUSTS
• GUIDES

Prime Minister
Parties Parliament
Cabinet
Voters
Ministries
PRESIDENTIAL
President
Parliament
elect
elect
Cabinet
Voters
Ministries