The German Polity

by Conradt, David P.

• ISBN13: 9780321159212
• ISBN10: 0321159217
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-01-01
• Publisher: ADDISON WESLEY

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures	ix
Preface	xi
Introduction	xiii
The Historical Setting	1	(18)
The First Reich	1	(1)
The Rise of Prussia	2	(1)
The Empire (1871--1918)	3	(1)
World War I and the Collapse of the Second Reich	4	(1)
The Weimar Republic (1919--1933)	5	(4)
The Nazi Third Reich and World War II	9	(3)
Foreign Occupation and National Division	12	(1)
The Formation of the Federal Republic	13	(6)
Putting Germany Back Together Again: Unification and Its Aftermath	19	(28)
Building Socialism: 1949--1961	20	(2)
After the Wall---Stability and Consolidation: 1961--1970	22	(1)
The Honecker Era: 1971--1985	23	(1)
Perestroika and the Crisis of the Regime: 1985--1989	24	(1)
The ``Great Escape'' and the Collapse of Communism	25	(3)
The Unification Process	28	(6)
The Aftermath of Unification	34	(13)
The Social and Economic Setting	47	(32)
Area and Population	47	(1)
Urbanization and Industrialization	48	(2)
The Rural Sector	50	(1)
Regionalism	51	(1)
Occupational and Class Structure	51	(2)
The Economy	53	(7)
Religious Composition	60	(2)
Age and Family Structure	62	(4)
The Educational System	66	(4)
Mass Media	70	(4)
Summary and Conclusion	74	(5)
Political Culture, Participation, and Civil Liberties	79	(42)
Political Values	80	(9)
Democratic Support in East Germany	89	(5)
Political Interest and Involvement	94	(3)
Civil Liberties and Human Rights	97	(6)
The Status and Role of Key Social Groups	103	(13)
Summary and Conclusion	116	(5)
The Party System and the Representation of Interests	121	(40)
The Party State	121	(3)
The Party System	124	(1)
The Christian Democrats	124	(7)
The Social Democrats	131	(6)
The Free Democrats	137	(3)
The Greens	140	(4)
The Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS)	144	(2)
The Representation of Interests	146	(1)
Extent of Interest Groups	146	(2)
Major Interest Alignments	148	(7)
The Churches	155	(2)
Summary and Conclusion	157	(4)
Elections and Voting Behavior	161	(26)
Electoral Mechanics	162	(1)
The Electoral System	163	(3)
Nomination and Candidate Selection	166	(2)
Electoral Politics and Campaign Styles	168	(1)
Campaign and Party Finance	169	(1)
The Pattern of Federal Elections, 1949--2002	170	(6)
Basic Orientations of the Electorate	176	(1)
Determinants of Voting Behavior	177	(2)
Voter Dynamics	179	(5)
Summary and Conclusion	184	(3)
Policymaking Institutions I: Parliament and Executive	187	(40)
Legislative Institutions	188	(1)
The Bundestag: The Main Political Battleground	188	(9)
The Bundesrat: The ``Quiet'' Second Chamber	197	(5)
Executive Institutions: Chancellor and Cabinet	202	(1)
Chancellor Democracy	202	(15)
Gerhard Schroder: A New Chancellor for a New Century	217	(1)
The Federal President	218	(3)
Summary of the Formal Lawmaking Process	221	(1)
Preparliamentary Stage	221	(2)
Parliamentary Stage	223	(4)
Policymaking Institutions II: Administration, Semipublic Institutions, and Courts	227	(32)
Development of the German Administrative and Judicial System	228	(1)
State Administration	229	(7)
Semipublic Institutions	236	(2)
Pension Reform	238	(7)
The Judiciary and the Court System	245	(10)
Summary and Conclusion	255	(4)
Subnational Units: Federalism and Local Government	259	(26)
The Development of German Federalism	259	(2)
State-Level Politics	261	(4)
The Constitutional Structure of the States	265	(8)
The Future of Federalism	273	(3)
Local Government	276	(3)
The Urban Crisis, German-Style	279	(4)
Summary and Conclusion	283	(2)
Conclusion: The Unified German Polity Faces the Future	285	(18)
A New Constitution?	286	(1)
The Stalemate Republic?	287	(2)
Policy Issues and Processes	289	(4)
Germany's New International Role	293	(7)
The German Experience and Political Development	300	(3)
Appendix: The Basic Law of the Federal Republic	303	(18)
Bibliography	321	(18)
Index	339