A brief history and update Germany Slide 2 The modern German
state was founded in 1870. The King of Prussia, became the Kaiser.
So the process was not a democratic one. Germany soon became the
most powerful country in Europe militarily and industrially. Slide
3 Bismarck always pursued friendly relations with Britain but under
his successors it was different. From 1898 under Admiral Tirpitz
Germany began expanding its navy. Britain, the largest naval power,
was alarmed. Furthermore Europe became divided into two armed
camps, with Germany and Austria- Hungary one side and Britain,
France and Russia on the other. The spark that ignited war came on
28 June 1914 when the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was
assassinated in Sarajevo. September 1918 General Hindenburg advised
the government that the war could not be won. The Kaiser abdicated
on 9 November and the Social Democrats formed a new government. On
11 November they were forced to sign an armistice with the allies.
Slide 4 A new constitution was drawn up but it had a fatal
weakness. It used a system of complete proportional representation.
So if a party won 2% of the vote it got 2% of the seats in the
Reichstag. This meant there was a huge number of parties in the
Reichstag, none of them ever had a majority of seats and Germany
was ruled by weak coalition governments. Worse, under Article 48
the President could ignore the Reichstag and pass laws of his own
choosing. This was called rule by decree. In 1919 the German
government were forced to sign the Versailles Treaty. Fighting in
Berlin during the German Revolution in 1919. Photo by Bundesarchiv.
Slide 5 The year 1923 was a very bad one for Weimar Germany. By
then Germany had fallen behind with her reparations payments. In
response in January 1923 French and Belgian troops occupied the
Ruhr, Germany's industrial heartland. German workers in the Ruhr
went on strike. They also held huge demonstrations. The striking
workers became heroes in Germany and the government printed money
to pay them, which led to rapidly increasing inflation. Furthermore
production of goods in Germany fell drastically. As a result the
price of goods rose very quickly. These two factors, the printed
money and the shortage of foods caused inflation in Germany to go
through the roof. Inflation became hyper-inflation. In January 1923
a loaf of bread cost 250 marks but by September it cost 1.5 million
marks. Prices rose so fast that workers had to be paid twice a day
and they had to bring baskets or suitcases to take their money home
in. Slide 6 In March 1933 Hitler persuaded the Reichstag to pass
the enabling law. This would give Hitler the power to pass new laws
without the consent of the Reichstag. The new law meant changing
Germany's constitution and that would require votes by two thirds
of the Reichstag's members. Incredibly 80% of the Reichstag voted
in favor of the law, only the Social Democrats voted against it.
The Reichstag voted to make a madman dictator of Germany. Hitler
wasted no time in introducing a tyrannical regime in Germany. After
1871 Germany was a federal state. It was made up of units called
Lander, which had once been independent countries. A governor ruled
each. However in April 1933 Hitler replace them with Reich
governors, all of who were loyal Nazis. This helped to bring the
country even more under Hitler's control. Slide 7 After World War
II Following the surrender Germany was divided into four zones,
American, British, French and Russian. Berlin, although it was
within the Russian area, was also divided into zones. Soon the
Russians and the western powers drifted apart and it became clear
that Germany was not going to be reunited. Slide 8 Germany was
divided into two parts: A liberal parliamentary democracy in the
west. A totalitarian communist regime in the east. The Russians
stripped East Germany of its resources but the Americans gave aid
to West Germany and the rest of Western Europe. This aid was called
the Marshall plan and it was paid from 1948 to 1952. Meanwhile in
1948 the three western powers introduced a new currency into their
zones. The Russians responded by blocking all land routes to West
Berlin (which was occupied by the western powers). The western
allies flew in supplies for the next 11 months until the Russians
relented. In the west a new state called the Federal Republic of
Germany was formed on 23 May 1949. At first the new state had to
cope with high unemployment. However in the 1950s and 1960s West
Germany went through an 'economic miracle'. The devastation caused
by World War II was repaired and the economy boomed. Slide 9
However in East Germany things were very different. It was called
the German Democratic Republic. Of course, it was anything but
democratic and soon a full communist regime was imposed. In 1953
there was a wave of strikes in East Germany. The Russians responded
by sending in tanks and killing many civilians. Not surprisingly
many people in East Germany fled to a better life in the west. In
1961, alarmed at the number of skilled workers leaving East
Germany, the government built the Berlin Wall. Afterwards anyone
who tried to leave was shot. Slide 10 Slide 11 In 1987 West German
chancellor Helmut Kohl welcomed East German leader Erich Honecker,
right, on a state visit. This visit was the first meeting since the
end of World War II (1939- 1945) between the heads of state of the
two Germanys. The two countries had been gradually cooperating more
since the early 1970s. Slide 12 Slide 13 . On 9 November 1989 the
Berlin Wall was opened. Following the collapse of communism Germany
was reunited on 3 October 1990. Germany then faced the task of
raising living standards in the east to the same level as those in
the west. Slide 14 An East German Flag seen in a trash heap-- not
an uncommon sight in 1990. Slide 15 Helmut Kohl Meets with the
President of the Commission of the European Community in Bonn
(September 28, 1990) On September 28, 1990, shortly after the
ratification of the Unification Treaty, Chancellor.... Slide 16
German Basic Law The idea for the creation of the Basic Law came
originally from the three western occupying powers. In view of the
Nazi usurpation of Germany's prewar Weimar Constitution, they made
their approval of the creation of a new German state conditional
on: a complete rejection of the ideology that the German people are
a master race (Herrenrasse) an unequivocal commitment to the
inviolability and inalienability of human rights. The Weimar
Constitution, which had gone so wrong was uppermost in everyones
mind: There are no emergency powers such as thoseused in the
Reichstag Fire Decree of 1933 The constitutional position of the
federal government was strengthened, The government now depends
only on the parliament. To remove the chancellor, the parliament
has to engage in a constructive vote of no confidence
(Konstruktives Misstrauensvotum). The new procedure was intended to
provide more stability than under the Weimar Constitution, where
extremists on the left and right would cooperate to remove a
chancellor, without agreeing on a new one, creating a leadership
vacuum. Conscious of their responsibility before God and man,
Inspired by the determination to promote world peace as an equal
partner in a united Europe, the German people, in the exercise of
their constituent power, have adopted this Basic Law.. Slide 17
After the second world war (1939-1945), Germany was divided into
two parts. A liberal parliamentary democracy in the west. A
totalitarian communist regime in the east. The Political Structure
of Germany Germany was reunified on October 3rd 1990 after the end
of the Soviet Unions hegemony in central and eastern Europe. Slide
18 Germany is a federation consisting of 16 states or Lander.
Lander have their own constitutions, governments and parliaments.
Lander are primarily responsible for policing and education, as
well as for the implementation of most federal policies. Slide 19 A
directly elected lower house (Bundestag) An upper house (Bundesrat)
(representatives of the state governments.) Slide 20 The head of
the executive, is elected by the Bundestag and can only be brought
down by the election of a successor. (Constructive No Confidence) A
"grand" coalition government of the two main parties was formed
after the general election in September 2005. In the 2005 election
Merkel narrowly defeated Chancellor Gerhard Schrder, winning by
just three seats, and after the CDU agreed a coalition deal with
the Social Democrats (SPD), she was declared Germany's first female
chancellor. Merkel is also the first former citizen of the German
Democratic Republic to lead the reunited Germany and the first
woman to lead Germany since it became a modern nation- state in
1871. Slide 21 The current government is composed of a coalition of
the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its sister party, the
Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Social Democratic Party of
Germany (SPD). The opposition parties represented in parliament are
the Free Democratic Party (FDP), the Left Party and the Green Party
Slide 22 In contrast to Weimar, political parties are explicitly
mentioned in the constitution. Parties are obliged to adhere to the
democratic foundations of the German state. Parties found in
violation of this requirement may be abolished by the
constitutional court. Basic Law stipulates that parties' "...
internal organization must conform to democratic principles", which
precludes extremist parties with anti-constitutional agendas like
the communists (KPD), right-wing conservatives (DNVP) or the Nazis
(NSDAP). Political Parties in Germany Since 1945, three parties
have dominated German politics: the Christian Democratic Union
(CDU), with its southern sister party the Christian Social Union
(CSU) on the right, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) on the
left. The Free Democratic Party (FDP), a much smaller, liberal
party, would often enter into coalition with either the CDU/CSU or
the SPD. In the 1980s, the Greens emerged as a political force.
They have been junior partners in the two SPD-led governments of
1998 and 2002. For the 2005 elections a new Left Party comprising
former communists and disaffected SPD supporters fielded
candidates. Slide 23 The CDU was the most important party in West
Germany in the period after the second world war, and is now one of
the two main parties, together with the SPD. CDU foreign policy is
based on strong support for both the Atlantic alliance and for
European integration. The CDU is somewhat divided on economic
policy but is strongly influenced by the concept of the "social
market" developed in the 1950s by Ludwig Erhard, then minister of
finance, which sets out a dominant role for the market alongside
state intervention to prevent social hardship. CDU foreign policy
was forged by the first federal chancellor, Konrad Adenauer. It is
based on strong support for Nato and European integration. Under
Helmut Kohl, the party presided over German reunification. Slide 24
The CSU, the sister party of the CDU, is represented only in
Bavaria, where the CDU does not compete in elections. The CSU takes
a more conservative stance than the CDU on social issues such as
abortion and immigration, reflecting the strong Roman Catholic
traditions of Bavaria. It has also been more reluctant to back
liberal positions on economic policy questions. The CSU vehemently
defends the powers of the states vis-a-vis the federal government
and is more sceptical about EU integration than either the CDU or
the SPD. Slide 25 The SPD abandoned its commitment to Marxism in
1959, approving a new party strategy, (the Bad Godesberg
Programme). Internal divisions between left-wing and centrist
factions and a shift to the left contributed to its failure to win
elections between 1983 and 1994. A return to the centre under
Gerhard Schroder played an important role in the SPD's election
victory in 1998. Though there is still a substantial section of the
party that wants to retain its left-wing tradition and is therefore
unhappy with the current policies of the coalition government.
There are also divisions within the SPD over how close an ally of
the US Germany should be. Formed in the late 19th Century, the SPD
was originally a Marxist party. It became the biggest political
party in Germany in the years of the Weimar Republic, in 1919-33,
before being forced into exile during the Nazi period. Slide 26 For
almost 50 years the FDP enjoyed the position of king-maker by
forming coalitions with the large parties, the CDU/CSU and the SPD,
between 1949 and 1998. Following reunification, the FDP found it
difficult to establish itself in eastern Germany and was also
weakened in western Germany, but a period in opposition at the
federal level, which resulted in some rejuvenation, has allowed it
to regain some of its former strength in western Germany. A liberal
party in the European rather than the US sense (meaning free-trade
and less government involvement) the FDP generally believes in
limiting government interference, but there are internal divisions
on law and order issues. Slide 27 Founded as a party at the federal
level in January 1980, started to have a major influence on the
political scene by placing environmental issues squarely on the
political agenda. During the 1980s and the early 1990s the Greens
often suffered from infighting between radical and moderate
factions, with the latter winning out and leading the party into
coalition with the SPD in 1998. Initially, the party's focus was on
environmental and anti- military issues, but its agenda gradually
widened and now encompasses a full spectrum of the political
agenda. Slide 28 THE LEFT PARTY The Left Party is a new political
alliance formed earlier this year combining the Party of Democratic
Socialism (PDS) with the new Labour and Social Justice Party
(WASG). The parties have a joint manifesto and have agreed not to
compete against one another in any district. This is easy since PDS
supporters are mainly in the east and WASG supporters in the west.
Germany has a 5% threshold for proportional representation in
parliament-- so such mergers make electoral sense. Left Party
politicians have capitalized on Germans' frustration over high
unemployment figures and social welfare cuts. Slide 29 Other
Parties: There are three far-right parties: the nationalist German
People's Union (DVU), the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD)
and the Republikaner. The NPD and DVU enjoyed some success in state
elections in 2004, when the NPD won 9.2% of the vote in Saxony and
the DVU 6.1% in Brandenburg after agreeing they would not field
candidates in competition with each other. The government tried but
failed to ban the NPD in 2003. None of the far-right parties are
represented in the parliament and are not likely to reach the 5%
threshold in this election. Red Dawn is a Communist paper Slide 30
Elections coming up later this year! There will be parliamentary
elections September 27th. current chancellor, Angela Merkel, will
run against her foreign minister (and vice-chancellor) Frank-Walter
Steinmeier. Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and
Steinmeiers Social Democratic Party (SDP) are normally rivals, and
the Grand coalition government they formed in 2005 was awkward from
the start, made even more so by the current financial crisis., Each
partner yearns to form a government with a more congenial smaller
party: the CDU with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the SDP
with the Greens. Slide 31 The Left Party could turn out to be an
important factor in the next election! Todays Left Party is the
result of a 2007 merger between ex-communists from the old East
Germany, still its stronghold, and disgruntled western Germans,
many of them trade unionists. Exploiting popular anger over
economic reforms and stagnant living standards, it has grown in
western Germany mainly at the expense of the SDP. In recent
elections it has entered the legislatures of four of western
Germanys ten Lnder (states). In an August 2009 election in
Saarland, home of its populist leader, Oskar Lafontaine, it may
finish ahead of the SDP for the first time in a western state. In
Thuringia in eastern Germany it could lead its first state
government. The Left Party is accumulating power without
respectability. It is a foe of NATO and the independence of the
European Central Bank. Slide 32 The Federal Court of Justice of
Germany ( Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) is the highest court in the
system of ordinary jurisdiction in Germany. It is the supreme court
(court of last resort) in all matters of criminal and civil law. A
decision handed down by the BGH can only be reversed by the Federal
Constitutional Court of Germany in rare cases when the
Constitutional Court rules on constitutionality (compatibility with
the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany). Slide 33
Germany uses a mixed electoral system: Both a party list AND
districts are used to create the Bundestag. Voters in Germany have
two votes, one for a candidate in their constiuency and another for
the list of a party within one of Germany's sixteen states. The
vote which normally defines how many seats a party gets in the
Bundestag is the second vote (party vote). But due to the extreme
complexity of Germany's Mixed Member Proportional voting system,
voters could actually have "negative vote", as constitutional
lawyers call it. This is mainly caused by overhang seats, which
occur when a party gains more seats by winning constituencies than
they would actually be entitled to according to the Percentage of
second votes they get. Ballots for voting machines are designed to
look like the old paper ballots, but people still worry that they
can be maniupulated.
