Developments In West German Politics

This book gives up-to-date assessments of key trends and issues in the Federal Republic with sufficient background analysis to make the treatment of the various topics accessible to those without detailed prior knowledge of German politics.

Dynamic technological developments in industrial production, the rise of new social movements in national politics, and great changes in the international political economy have left a deep imprint on the Federal Republic. A compelling explanation of West Germany's success in maintaining economic prosperity and political stability under such challenging conditions has continued to elude observers. Under the editorship of Peter J. Katzenstein, thirteen distinguished scholars from both sides of the Atlantic here provide an original interpretation of the political economy of the Bonn Republic during the forty years since its founding, and explore in particular its extraordinary capacity for accommodating change. Whereas studies in political economy have typically focused on one level of political action—either the shop floor, or national politics, or the international system—this innovative account analyzes the interaction of change at all three levels, bringing together case studies drawn from six manufacturing and service sectors.

Through an examination of election campaign propaganda and various public relations campaigns, reflecting new electioneering techniques borrowed from the United States, this work explores how conservative political and economic groups sought to construct and sell a political meaning of the Social Market Economy and the Economic Miracle in West Germany during the 1950s.The political meaning of economics contributed to conservative electoral success, constructed a new belief in the free market economy within West German society, and provided legitimacy and political stability for the new Federal Republic of Germany.

How can we account for the lack of large-scale policy change in West Germany despite changes in the partisan make-up of the federal government? This formulation of "the German Question" differs from the one commonly posed by students of German politics, a version usually focused on Germany's tragic confrontation with modernity and a possible revival of militarism and authoritarianism. Katzenstein here uncovers the political structures that make incremental policy change such a plausible political check against the growing force of government. This book examines in detail how West German policy and politics interrelate in six problem areas: economic management, industrial relations, social welfare, migrant workers, administrative reform, and university reform. Throughout these six case studies, Katzenstein suggests that West Germany's semi-sovereign state provides the answer to the German Question as it precludes the possibility of central authority. Coalition governments, federalism, para-public institutions, and the state bureaucracy are the domestic forces that have tamed power in the Federal Republic. Author note:Peter J. Katzensteinis Professor of Government at Cornell University, as well as a former editor of International Organization.

This book offers a view of West German social structure and political culture from a multidisciplinary perspective. Focusing on the remarkable changes that have taken place in West Germany since World War II, it provides a basis for judging what direction a united Germany is likely to take.

First Published in 1981. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

"The process of reunification of East and West Germany set in motion by the revolutionary changes of the fall of 1989 has occurred at breathtaking speed, leaving observers and scholars worldwide stunned. In Developments in German Politics expert contributors offer a timely and wide-ranging examination of key issues facing Germany in the 1990s. Superseding a previous volume, Developments in West German Politics, this new edition revises and updates that earlier work by focusing on the effects and consequences of German unification." "Part One discusses the nature of the unified state, electoral behavior, the "new" party system, and changing territorial balances. Part Two looks at Germany's new international position through analyses of foreign policy, security policy, and Germany's relationship to the European Community. Part Three examines economic, social, and environmental policy, while Part Four addresses questions of immigration and the labor market, women, and a new German identity."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved