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The German Polity
This thoroughly revised and updated edition provides a comprehensive introduction to contemporary Germany, one of the world’s foremost economic and political powers. During a series of profound crises over the last decade, including migration challenges, Brexit, and the Covid-19 pandemic, Germany has emerged as the undisputed leader of the European Union. One of the world’s strongest economies, it exports goods, services, and ideas around the world. In foreign policy, it has taken on a more prominent role, especially with its pursuit of soft power. Yet, as adept as German policy making has been, the challenges have produced strains that reveal the limits of German influence. Moreover, after sixteen years in power, Chancellor Angela Merkel will retire and new leadership will guide the country through the 2020s. Looking back, Eric Langenbacher traces the country’s transformation since the seminal turning points of 1945 after World War II and 1990 after reunification. Looking to the present, the author explains and assesses its major institutions, actors, and issues. Looking forward, he explores the looming economic, security, and demographic challenges Germany must address in the years to come.
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The German Polity
This thoroughly revised and updated edition provides a comprehensive introduction to contemporary Germany, one of the world’s foremost economic and political powers. During a series of profound crises over the last decade, including migration challenges, Brexit, and the Covid-19 pandemic, Germany has emerged as the undisputed leader of the European Union. One of the world’s strongest economies, it exports goods, services, and ideas around the world. In foreign policy, it has taken on a more prominent role, especially with its pursuit of soft power. Yet, as adept as German policy making has been, the challenges have produced strains that reveal the limits of German influence. Moreover, after sixteen years in power, Chancellor Angela Merkel will retire and new leadership will guide the country through the 2020s. Looking back, Eric Langenbacher traces the country’s transformation since the seminal turning points of 1945 after World War II and 1990 after reunification. Looking to the present, the author explains and assesses its major institutions, actors, and issues. Looking forward, he explores the looming economic, security, and demographic challenges Germany must address in the years to come.
This thoroughly revised and updated edition provides a comprehensive introduction to contemporary Germany, one of the world’s foremost economic and political powers. During a series of profound crises over the last decade, including migration challenges, Brexit, and the Covid-19 pandemic, Germany has emerged as the undisputed leader of the European Union. One of the world’s strongest economies, it exports goods, services, and ideas around the world. In foreign policy, it has taken on a more prominent role, especially with its pursuit of soft power. Yet, as adept as German policy making has been, the challenges have produced strains that reveal the limits of German influence. Moreover, after sixteen years in power, Chancellor Angela Merkel will retire and new leadership will guide the country through the 2020s. Looking back, Eric Langenbacher traces the country’s transformation since the seminal turning points of 1945 after World War II and 1990 after reunification. Looking to the present, the author explains and assesses its major institutions, actors, and issues. Looking forward, he explores the looming economic, security, and demographic challenges Germany must address in the years to come.
Eric Langenbacher is a teaching professor in the Department of Government at Georgetown University and director of the Society, Culture, and Politics program at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies in Washington, DC.
Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures Preface to the Twelfth Edition Introduction to the Twelfth Edition The Study of German Politics The Plan of This Book 1 The Historical Setting: Three Reichs The First Reich The Rise of Prussia The Empire (1871–1918) World War I and the Collapse of the Second Reich The Weimar Republic (1919–1933) The Nazi Seizure of Power The Third Reich and World War II Summary and Conclusion 2 From Division to Reunification The Formation of the Federal Republic The Basic Law The German Democratic Republic Building Socialism: 1949–1961 After the Wall—Stability and Consolidation Crisis and Collapse of the Communist Regime: 1985–1989 The Unification Process Summary and Conclusion 3 The Social and Economic Setting Area and Population Urbanization and Industrialization An Export-Oriented Economy The Rural Sector Regionalism Occupational and Class Structure The Economy From Economic Basket Case to Savior of the Euro The Economy’s Hidden Champions: The Mittelstand Continued Challenges The Eastern German Economy since Reunification Income Structure Capital Resources Religious Composition Age and Family Structure Family Structure The Educational System Basic Structure Mass Media The Press Television and Radio Summary and Conclusion 4 Political Culture, Participation, and Civil Liberties Political Values National Identity and the Burden of the Past Legitimacy Democratic Values, Processes, and Institutions Conflict and Competition Representation and Parliament Democratic Support in East Germany Political Interest and Involvement The General Pattern Social Capital New Forms of Political Participation: Citizen Groups and Movements Civil Liberties and Human Rights Civil Liberties Controversies The Status and Role of Key Social Groups Residents with a Migration Background Women Youth Refugees and Resettlers Political Radicals and Extremists Summary and Conclusion 5 The Party System and the Representation of Interests The Party State The Party System The Christian Democrats The Social Democrats 2017 and Beyond The Free Democrats The Greens The Left Party The Alternative for Germany The Radical Right The Representation of Interests Extent of Interest Groups Major Interest Alignments Summary and Conclusion 6 Elections and Voting Behavior Electoral Mechanics The Electoral System Nomination and Candidate Selection Criteria for Selection Electoral Politics and Campaign Styles Media Campaign and Party Finance The Pattern of Federal Elections Elections after Reunification The First Merkel Elections: The End of Two-Party Dominance? Merkel’s Republic: The 2013 and 2017 Elections Basic Orientations of the Electorate Ideology Party Preference Determinants of Voting Behavior Sociodemographic Factors Voter Dynamics Summary and Conclusion 7 Policy-Making Institutions I: Parliament and Executive Legislative Institutions The Bundestag: The Main Political Battleground The Bundesrat: The “Quiet” Second Chamber Functions Formal versus Actual Composition of Membership Expansion of Veto Power Divided Parliamentary Control Executive Institutions: Chancellor and Cabinet Chancellor Democracy The Chancellors of the Federal Republic The Federal President Summary and Conclusion The Formal Lawmaking Process 8 Policy-Making Institutions II: Administration, Semipublic Institutions, and Courts Development of the German Administrative and Judicial System State Administration Structure Personnel Pressures for Reform Semipublic Institutions The Social Security and Health Systems The Federal Employment Agency The Bundesbank The Judiciary and the Court System The Character of German Law The Judiciary Court Structure Judicial Review and the Federal Constitutional Court Summary and Conclusion 9 Subnational Units: Federalism and Local Government The Development of German Federalism State-Level Politics Unity and Diversity among German States The Constitutional Structure of the States State-Level Party Systems Electoral Politics in the States Leaders and Policies Federal-State Integration: Revenue Sharing Vertical Equalization and Tax Sharing The Future of Federalism Recent Federalism Reforms Local Government Structures and Functions Challenges to Local Government Summary and Conclusion 10 The Increase and Limits of German Power: The Federal Republic’s Foreign and European Policy The German Question Postwar Transformation Institutions and Socialization Soft Power Multilateralism The Postunification Period: A New Version of the German Question From the 1991 Gulf War to Kosovo Into the Twenty-First Century The European Union The Impact of European Integration on Germany German Federalism and Europe The Euro The Euro Crisis Recent Crises and the Strengthening of German Power The Migration Crisis Brexit The Trump Administration Summary and Conclusion 11 Conclusion: Germany’s Challenging Future The Past and Future of German Exceptionalism Insufficient Reforms? The Future of the Welfare State and the New Poverty Germany after Merkel Looking Back and Looking Forward: The German Experience of Political Development and the Future of German Power Bibliography Index About the Author
