Germany at fifty-five : Berlin ist nicht Bonn? / edited by James Sperling.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Sperling, James.

Series:

Issues in German politics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political culture--Germany.

Political culture.

Germany.

Germany--Politics and government--20th century.

Politics and government.

Germany--History--Unification, 1990.

History.

Physical Description:

xxvii, 563 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Manchester ; New York : Manchester University Press ; New York : Distributed exclusively in the USA by Palgrave, 2004.

Summary:

Germany at fifty-five questions whether the Berlin Republic is simply a larger version of the postwar Bonn Republic. A common problem explored in each chapter is distinguishing the elements of continuity from the elements of change in the political, economic and foreign policies of the Berlin Republic.

The introductory essay compares the Weimar, Bonn and Berlin Republics in order to address the query, Berlin ist nicht Bonn? The subsequent chapters provide the foundation for better understanding of the current and future trajectory of German politics, particularly the policies of the red-green coalition elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. Topics covered include the founding of the Berlin and Bonn Republics, the continuing legacy of national socialism for the conduct of Germany's foreign relations and evolving national identity, the evolution of Germany's democratic political culture, the changing nature of the German party system in both form and content, the process of institutional innovation and policy adaptation, and Germany's role in the European Union, eastern Europe, NATO, and the world. The conclusion treats the Reformstau as a three act play, drawing a parallel between the travails of Chancellor Gerhard Schroder and those of the title character in the recent film, Run Lola Run.

Germany at fifty-five will make a valuable contribution to reading lists for courses on German or European politics. It will also appeal to the general reader interested in the developments that have taken place in Germany over the last decade or who desires a better understanding of where Germany may be going in the future.

Contents:

1 Berlin ist nicht Bonn? Continuity and change in postwar Germany / James Sperling 3

Part I The origins of the Bonn and Berlin Republics

2 The origins of the Bonn Republic / Karl H. Cerny 39

3 The origins of the Berlin Republic / Mary M. McKenzie 58

Part II The legacies of National Socialism

4 Legacies of divided memory and the Berlin Republic / Jeffrey Herf 83

5 A three-dimensional view of German history: the weight of the past in Germany's relations with Jews in Germany, Israel and the Diaspora / Lily Gardner Feldman 112

6 Restitution and the Berlin Republic / Andrew Baker 136

Part III The evolving political culture of the Berlin Republic

7 Public opinion and political issue divides / Robert Rohrschneider, Dieter Fuchs 155

8 'Girl power': women, politics and leadership in the Berlin Republic / Joyce Marie Mushaben 183

9 Social movements in the Federal Republic / Alice H. Cooper 206

10 Neo-nazism in comparative perspective: no longer Germany's problem? / Leonard Weinberg 227

Part IV Political parties in the Berlin Republic

11 German party system change / William M. Chandler 243

12 The dynamics of party support in Chancellor-democracy: Schroder and his SPD / Clay Clemens 259

13 The PDS and the party systems in unified Germany / David F. Patton 283

14 Elections in the Lander, 1990-2002 / Arthur B. Gunlicks 302

Part V Institutional change and policy innovation

15 Post-unification German military organisation: the struggle to create national command structures / Thomas-Durell Young 325

16 Evolution of the German Bundesbank: from Bank deutscher Lander to regional bank of the European Central Bank / Karl Kaltenthaler 348

17 Standort Deutschland revisited / Michael Huelshoff 369

18 Tax reforms and Modell Deutschland: lessons from four years of Red-Green tax policy / Achim Truger, Wade Jacoby 387

Part VI The foreign policies of the Berlin Republic

19 The 'German Problem' reconsidered: the impact of unification on the European order / Stephen F. Szabo 411

20 Germany and Poland: beyond the past? / Arthur R. Rachwald 429

21 Germany and the future of European integration / Emil J. Kirchner 450

22 Community breakdown? Germany, NATO and the guns of September / Mary N. Hampton 474

23 Run, Gerhard, Run; or, Is the Reformstau real? / Peter Merkl 497.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [523]-557) and index.

ISBN:

0719064724

0719064732

OCLC:

56468033