Germany

I. Political History

A.  Prolonged feudalism; religious wars between Catholics and Protestants

B.  17th C Prussian Ascendancy
 aristocracy, Junkers
 admin efficiency
 legalism
 Rechtstaat – state bound by law
 militarism

C.  Unification 1871

 Otto von Bismarck, chacellor
 Iron and Rye coalition
 Germany lacked social modernization – didn’t further it
 authoritarian
 kaiser retained
 taxes/military service severe
 oppressed Catholics, Social Democrats

D.  WWI
 militarism --> economic collapse
 blindly obedient public
Treaty of Versailles, reparations
 loss of territories
 defeated, exhausted

E.  Weimar Republic – 1919-1933
 first experience with democracy
 unstable – series of uprisings
 left and right extremism
 economic disaster and legislative deadlock
 1923 – inflation 26 bn%!!!!

 Tragic ending
 Depression, 1/3 unemployed
 Rise of Hitler, national socialism

F. Hitler
 comes to power through democratic processes
 country in disarray, economic disaster
 parliament, government fails to respond
 National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazis)
 34% of the vote in 1932 elections
 with Communists form “negative” majority against
 conservatives
 Hitler appt’d Chancellor by President Peter von Hindenburg

G.  The Third Reich (literally the 3rd Empire)
 Hitler given dictatorial powers in response to fire set in Reichstag
 “state of emergency”
 all aspects of society now must be “coordinated” with Nazi goals
 opposition parties suppressed, social and political groups destroyed
violent attacks on Jews, minorities tolerated, encouraged
economic boycott of Jewish businesses
Nazi platform
 stressed putting country back to work – public works projects
 rebuilt infrastructure, rearmed in violation of Versailles

H.  WWII
Reich conquers
Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, BeNeLux, France, Yugoslavia, Greece
 60 mln lives lost
 8 million in genocide; 6 mln of these Jews
 May 1945 – Hitler commits suicide
Europe liberated throughout 1945 by Soviets from the East and US, UK, Fr from the West
 Yalta, Potsdam – decide new map of Europe
 
I.  Germany occupied – UK, Fr, US, USSR
 losees Eastern territories to Poland to compensate Poles for giving  their Eastern territories to USSR
 Cold War gradually emerges

II.  A Divided Germany 1949-1990

A.  The West – 1949 Fed Republic of Germany
 Marshall Plan
 NATO
 European Economic Communities
 Economic Miracle

B.  The East – 1949 German Democratic Republic
 plundered by USSR
 Party of Socialist Unity (SED)
 Council for Mutual Economic Asst (COMECON)
 Warsaw Pact
1961 Berlin Wall erected

C.  1969-1975 Willi Brandt and Ostpolitik
 apologies; compensation; recognition
 Espionage; escapes

West German Asylum law
 Article 16 of the Basic Law - broad
persons persecuted on political grounds shall enjoy the right of asylum;  led to other unintended consequences like the“plane” people – SE Asia; Guestworkers – Turkey (turks and kurds)

II.  German Reunification
 A.liberalization in Soviet bloc initiated by Gorbachev
 Round Table talks in Poland; elections in Hungary
 Hungary opens border to Austria
 Thousands of E Germans go to Hungary, then Austria
 Seek asylum at German Embassy

B.  Regime embarrassed; announce freedom to travel Nov. 9, 1989
 wall opens; dismantled spontaneously

C. March 1990
 first free elections; CDU wins in East
  Sept 1990
 Treaty on Reunification; Basic Law open on Ger territory

D.  Commit to parity of E and W German marks, equal wage rates
 Reunification hugely expensive – tens of billions of dollars

E.  Social and Economic Problems in the East
 unemployment 15-35%
 per capita income 1/3 to 1/5 of the West
 neo-Nazism
 alcoholism, drug abuse

Pictures by Andy

III. Reunited Germany

A.  Legacies of Division
Different Political Cultures
 East more secular
 more feminist
 people accustomed to state paternalism, econ security
 weak dem values

Traditional German (Prussian) Political Culture
 authoritarian, discipline, obedience, admin efficiency

New (West) German Political Culture
 tolerance, strong belief in need for political competition/pluralism
 strong commitment to rule of law, protecting civil liberties

B.  Religion in Germany
 feudal pd – prolonged religious wars
 home of Martin Luther; birth place of protestantism

Regional patterns of religious concentration
 Catholic SW (Bavaria)  Protestant N (Evangelical Lutheran)

CDU – embraces both Catholics and Protestants
 Called the CSU in Bavaria
 

IV.  Institutions
A.  Constitutional Foundation =The Basic Law (1949)
Est’d a Federal system
division of powers between Federal and Lander (provincial) government
Bund = German for Federal

Federal Government = Bundesregierung 

16 Lander
control mass media, law enforcement, education culture, regional planning, administration of national laws, residual powers (like our reserved powers)

Each Land governed by a unicameral legislature
 Landtag – directly elected; headed by minister president (like PM)

B.  Federal Chancellor
 elected by the Bundestag
 cannot dissolve parliament, call for new elections

“chancellor democracy”
 chancellor alone responsible for policy; ministers must follow his proposals as legally binding directives

Chancellor now?

C.  Cabinet
 14 Ministries plus head of Chancellery
 appt’d by President on the rec of the Chancellor
 responsiblie for internal workings of ministry

D.  Parliament -= The Reichstag -  bicameral

Bundestag  - homepage                                            Bundestag - Wikipedia

primary legislative body
amends, evaluates gov’t legislation
                                                Half SMD, Half PR
Question Hour

**Constructive No-Confidence Vote
for vote of no-confidence to pass in the Bundestag and the govt to be dismissed – must also propose and vote in a new govt
 attempted only twice; succeeded only in 1982 Schmidt-->Kohl

Party/parties in Government as Result of 2021 Elections

D.  Bundesrat
reps Lander at Federal level
legislation comes here first but approval only need in areas of concurrent powers (about 2/3 of bills)
appt’d (usually Land level cabinet members)
6 seats for larger Lander; 3 for smaller

E.  G.  Federal President
mostly ceremonial, head of state
signs treaties, laws; appts govt, mil officials, pardons
 but with countersign of the Chancellor
 nominates Chancellor
 can call elections after no-confidence vote lost
selected by Federal Convention
=Bundesrat members plus equal number of reps chosen by the Landertag

H.  Courts
unitary system for criminal, civil
based on Roman law principles – codes, abstract
rationalist philosophy – justice served by following the letter of the law

I.  Constitutional Court
 reviews constitutionality of legis
 mediates disputes between levels of govt
 selected in equal numbers by Bundestag and Bundesrat
 can be removed only for abuse of office

J.  Parties
Die Grunen (a new Left party) - Alliance '90/The Greens

Die Linke - The Left Party (post-communist successor party)

Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) (center-left party)

The Social Democratic Party of Germany 

Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP) -  The Free Democrats (centrist, classical Liberal party)

The CDU/CSU -  (center-right Christian Democratic party) Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union

       Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) - Alternative for Germany

       Patriotische Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes - (Pegida) - Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West