Developments in West German Politics

Transcription

1 Developments in West German Politics

2 Developments in West German Politics Edited by Gordon Smith William E. Paterson Peter H. Merkl M MACMILLAN

3 Selection and editorial matter Gordon Smith, William E. Paterson and Peter H. Merkl 1989 Individual chapters (in order) Peter H. Merkl, Gordon Smith, Simon Bulmer, Gordon Smith, Peter Pulzer, Russel J. Dalton, Stephen Padgett, Kenneth Dyson, Steen Manyen, William E. Paterson, Simon Bulmer, A. James, Me Adams, Eva Mckinsky, William E. Paterson, Andrei Markovits and Christopher S. Allen, Gerard Braenthal, William E. Paterson and Gorda Smith, 1989 All rights reserved, No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended), or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 3~ Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 1989 Published by MACMILLAN EDUCATION LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world Phototypeset by Input Typesetting Ltd, London British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Developments in West German politics. 1. West Germany. Politics I. Smith, Gordon II. Paterson, William E. (William Edgar), III. Merkl, Peter H. (Peter Hans) ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI /

4 Contents List of Maps, Illustrations and Tables Preface Notes on the Contributors Glossary of Party Abbreviations and Political Terms Introduction 1 The German Search for Identity Peter H. Merkt Geographical Uncertainties and Dilemmas Agonies of German Cultural Identity The Great Historians' Debate A Patriotism of the Constitution? The Political Relevance of Identity The New Paradigm xi xiii xiv xviii Part One: The Governmental System 2 Structures of Government Gordon Smith The State Without a Centre Subordination of the Traditional State The Basic Law as a Structure The 'Cooperative' Constitution Constitutional Jurisdiction Parliament and Government The Bundestag The Bundesrat German Corporatism 3 Territorial Government Simon Bulmer The Relevance of Federalism The Institutions of West German Federalism Explaining the Evolution of Federalism v

5 vi Contents The Tensions of Federalism Lander-Lander relations Bund-Lander relations Joint tasks Bund-Lander-EC links Summary The Finances of Federalism North-South Problems Lander, Bund and the EC The Future of German Federalism 4 Political Leadership Gordon Smith Leadership Selection The Adenauer Model Constitutional Factors Dimensions of Political Leadership The Chancellor and the Electorate Party Management Government and Coalition Coordination Foreign Policy Evaluating Chancellors Part Two: Politics and Society 5 Political Ideology Peter Pulzer The Revival of Ideological Conflict The Quality of Political Life The Demand for Democratisation Doubt and Disillusionment The Environment, Terror and Peace Conservative Counter-attacks National Identity Sober Rationality and Pragmatic Reflection 6 The German Voter Russell J. Dalton From Stabilisation to Volatility Social Cleavages and Political Change Electoral Politics in Flux Models of Electoral Change The Evidence of Realignment The Evidence of Dealignment Consequences of Electoral Change Appendix: Survey Data

6 Contents vii 7 The Party System Stephen Padgett Aspects of System Change The Party System Before 1982 The Party Landscape After the Wende Parties in Flux The SPD The Christian Union Parties The FDP The Greens The Decline of Party Democracy Party Finance The Party System in the Lander End of the 'Frozen' Party System? Part Three: Economic and Social Policy 8 Economic Policy Kenneth Dyson 148 Key Themes of the 1980s 148 From Modell Deutschland to Standort Deutschland 152 Th~ Party Political Context of Economic Policy 155 Power and Influence in the Policy Process 160 Corporate Stability and International Pressures The Politics of Welfare Steen Mangen 168 The New Policy Climate 168 The German Welfare System: Funders and Providers 169 Social Policy in the 1980s: A Strategy of Retrenchment 174 Current Party Positions on Welfare 176 The CDU-CSU 176 The SPD 178 The FDP 179 The Greens 180 Political Issues in Health Provision 181 Present Health Proposals 182 The Crisis of Pensions 184 Problems of the 'Welfare Mix' 187 Part Four: Germany and the World 10 Foreign and Security Policy William E. Paterson The Security Imperative The Federal Republic and NATO

7 viii Contents Between Deterrence and Detente 194 The Intermediate Nuclear Forces Debate 194 Nuclear Difficulties 196 The INF Treaty and the Singularity Debate 197 The European Alternative 200 Ambiguities of Ostpolitik 201 The Kohl Government 203 The Thaw in Eastern Relations 204 The Making of Foreign Policy 206 Helmut Schmidt 206 Helmut Kohl 207 Future Uncertainties The European Dimension Simon Bulmer 211 Significance of European Integration 211 The Europeanisation of West German Politics 212 External aspects 213 Internal aspects 215 The Federal Republic as an 'Ordinary' EC Member 217 West German Interests in the EEC 219 Economic interests 219 Political interests Political Style and Policy Coherence New Developments in German European Policy Inter-German Relations A. James McAdams 229 Transformation of a Relationship 229 The Development of Inter-German Ties 231 The Expansion of Inter-German Detente 235 Domestic Change in the FRG 237 Differences Among the Parties 240 The Future of Inter-German Relations 243 Part Five: Current Issues 13 Generation and Gender Eva Kolinsky The Makings of Democratic Conformity Conformity and Negative Integration From Conformity to Diversity Self-realisation and Protest Agendas of Protest From the Left The Protest Culture of the Right Social Opportunities and Political Orientations

8 Contents ix Gender, Politics and the Participatory Culture 259 Organisation or Participation? Environmental Politics William E. Paterson 267 The Organisation of Environmentalism 267 The Emergence of the Greens 271 Governmental Policy 273 The SPD-FDP governments 273 Environmental policy of the Kohl government 275 The Politics of Nuclear Energy 276 Growth of the anti-nuclear movement 277 The Wyhl effect 278 Impact of the anti-nuclear movement Blocking Mechanisms 280 The licensing system 280 The Courts 281 After Chernobyl 282 The Politics of Chemicals Control 283 The changing political climate 284 The Greens 285 The 1987 Federal election and control of the chemical industry 286 Four Stages - And the Future The Trade Unions Andrei S. Markovits and Christopher S. Allen 289 A Brief Overview of the Post-war Era 290 Proliferation and Intensification of Trade Union Problems 295 The Unitary Trade Union Movement 295 Unions as Voluntary Membership Associations 296 The 'Juridification' of Industrial Relations 297 The Dual System of Worker Representation 298 Intra-union Rivalries and Clashes 299 Organised Skilled Workers- Unorganised/Unskilled 300 Persistent Unemployment 301 Proliferation of New Technologies 303 New 'Alternative' Lifestyles 304 Strained Relations: Unions and the SPD 305 The Future Public Order and Civil Liberties Gerard Braunthal 308 Guarantees of the Rechtsstaat 308 Concept of 'Militant Democracy' 309 Controversy Over the 1972 Decree Against Radicals 310

9 x Contents Government Surveillance Agencies 313 Political Protest as Confrontation 315 Terrorism and Anti-terrorist Legislation 317 Treatment of Minorities: Immigration and Political Asylum 319 Societal Norms and Radical Protest Germany in the 1990s William E. Paterson and Gordon Smith 323 A Look Back to Modell Deutschland 323 Changes in the 1980s 325 Challenges to the Volkspartei 326 The 'Electoral Shocks' of A Changing International Context 328 The 1990s and 'Political Stability' 330 Guide to Further Reading 332 Bibliography 338 Index 352

10 List of Maps, Illustrations and Tables Map 1 The Federal Republic of Germany and the Lander xx mustrations 6.1 The decline of tradition 6.2 Indicators of partisan change 6.3 The trend in class voting, The trend in religious voting, The trend in values voting, The triangular party system 7.2 Electoral arithmetic of a two-bloc party system Tables 2.1 Composition of Bundesrat and Land governments Legislative competences of the Federation and Lander Chancellors and coalitions The strength of partisanship, Results of Bundestag elections, The decline in CDU-CSU and SPD share of the vote Health and welfare: policy-makers, funders and providers The social insurance system: major agencies Retrenchment strategies in pensions and health, Political opportunity structures in France, Sweden, West Germany and the United States Periodisation of post-war shifts in the political economies of Western Europe Membership of DGB unions, 1983 and xi

11 Preface Developments in West German Politics is intended to bridge the gap that exists between the approach adopted by texbooks and the material that is often available only in journal articles or in Germanlanguage publications. In this book we have sought to give the reader 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. A distinctive feature of this venture is the cooperation of specialists in German politics from both sides of the Atlantic. We should like to thank our contributors for their commitment and cooperation and our publishing editor Steven Kennedy for the enthusiastic encouragement he has given to this project throughout. We are also grateful to the secretarial staff in the Government Department of the London School of Economics for the generous help they have given. Gordon Smith William Paterson Peter Merkl xiii

12 Notes on the Contributors Christopher S. Allen is Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Georgia, specialising in political economy and comparative European politics. He is co-author of European Politics in Transition (1987), and he has contributed to Industry and Political Change in West Germany (edited by P. J. Katzenstein, 1989) and to The Political Power of Economic Ideas: Keynesianism Across Nations (edited by P. A. Hall, 1989). Gerard Braunthal is Professor Emeritus of Politcal Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is the author of numerous books and articles on West German politics, including West German Social Democrats, : Profile of a Party in Power (1983). Simon Bulmer is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester. His publications include The Domestic Structure of European Community Policy-Making in Germany (1986), The Federal Republic of Germany and the European Community, with W. Paterson (1987), and he is the editor of The Changing Agenda of West German Public Policy (1989). Russell J. Dalton is Professor of Political Science at Florida State University at Tallahassee. Among his publications are: Germany Transformed: Political Culture and New Politics (1981), Electoral Change in Advanced Industrial Societies: Realignment or Dealignment? (co-editor, 1984), and Citizen Politics in Western Democracies (1988). Kenneth Dyson is Professor of European Studies at the University of Bradford. Besides writing on German politics, his publications on European affairs include: The State Tradition in Western Europe (1981), The Politics of the Communications Revolution in Western Europe (1987), and Combatting Long-Term Unemployment in Western Europe (1989). Eva Kolinsky is a Senior Lecturer and Director of German Studies at Aston University. She is the editor of Opposition in Western Europe (1987), and she is the author of Parties, Opposition and xiv

13 Notes on the Contributors xv Society in West Germany (1984) and Women in West Germany Life, Work and Politics (1989). A. James McAdams is Professor of Political Science, Princeton University. He specialises in the politics of the German Democratic Republic and inner-gt?rman relations. He is the author of East Germany and Detente: Building Authority after the Wall (1985). Steen Mangen is Lecturer in European Social Policy, London School of Economics. His recent publications include Mental Health Care in the European Community (1985), and 'The Politics of Reform: Ten Years of the Italian Psychiatric Experience', (forthcoming). Andrei S. Markovits is Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Boston University. He is the author of The Politics of the West German Trade Unions (1986) and has written widely on trade unions and social democracy, including The West German Left: Red, Green and Beyond (forthcoming). Peter H. Merkl is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His extensive publications on German and West European politics include: Political Violence and Terror: Motifs and Motivations (1986), When Parties Fail... Emerging Alternative Organizations (1988), with K. Lawson, and The Federal Republic of Germany at Forty (editor, 1989). Stephen Padgett is a Lecturer in Politics in the Department of European Studies, Lougborough University. He is the co-author of Political Parties and Elections in West Germany (1986) He has a number of publications on the West German SPD and European social democracy; and he is currently conducting research into the West German electricity supply industry. William E. Paterson is Reader in German Politics at Warwick University. Besides his writings on German politics, he also specialises in aspects of European politics. Among his recent publications, he is co-editor of The Future of Social Democracy (1986), and he is co-author of The Federal Republic of Germany and the European Community (1987), as well as Government and the Chemical Industry: A Comparative Study of Britain and West Germany (1988). Peter Polzer is Gladstone Professor of Government and Public Administration and fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. He is the author of The Rise of Political Anti-Semitism in Germany and Austria (1988) and Political Representation and Elections in Britain (1967). In 1988 he was Eric Voegelin Visiting Professor at the University of Munich. Gordon Smith is Professor of Government, London School of

14 xvi Notes on the Contributors Economics. He is co-editor of the journal West European Politics, and he has written extensively on comparative European themes, especially Politics in Western Europe (1989). Among his publications on German politics are Democracy in Western Germany (1986) and, as co-editor, Party Government and Political Culture in Western Germany (1982).

15 Glossary of Party Abbreviations and Political Terms Party Abbreviations AL CDU csu DKP FDP KPD NPD NSDAP SED SPD SPV SRP Alternative Liste (Alternative List) Christlieb Demokratische Union (Christian Democratic Union) Christlich-Soziale Union (Christian Social Union) Deutsche Kommunistische Partei (German Communist Party) Freie Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party) Kommunistische Paftei Deutschlands (Communist Party of Germany) Nationaldemokratische Party Deutschlands (National Democratic Party of Germany) Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) National Socialist German Workers' Party) Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (Socialist Unity Party of Germany) Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic Party of Germany) Sonstige Politische Vereinigung (Alternative Political Association) Sozialistische Reichspartei (Socialist State Party) Other Abbreviations APO Ausserparlamentarische Opposition (extraparliamentary opposition) xvii

16 xviii Glossary BBU Bund fiir Biirgerinitiativen und Umweltschutz (Federal Association of Citizens' Initiatives and Environmental Protection) BOA Bundesvereinigang der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbande (Federation of German Employers' Associations) DBV Deutscher Bauem-Verband (German farmers' association) DGB Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (federation of German trade unions) FGDO Freie Demokratische Grundordnung ('free democratic basic order') FGR/FRG Federal German Republic (West Germany) GDR German Democratic Republic (East Germany) MdB SDS Mitglied des Bundestages (member of parliament) Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentbund (German socialist students' federation) Political Terms Bund Bundesbank Bundesland Bundespost Bundesrat Bundestag Bundeswehr Deutschlandpolitiek Kaiser Land (plural Lander) Landtag (plural Landtage) Ostpolitik Reich Reichstag Statistiches Bundesamt Verfassungsschutz Westpolitik Federation Federal Bank Federal constituent state Federal postal service Upper house of Federal parliament Lower house of Federal parliament Federal armed forces Inner-German Policy Imperial ruler Federal constituent state Land parliament Policy towards the East Imperial (or Nazi) state Imperial parliament Federal Statistical Office Office for Protection of the Constitution Policy towards the West

17 National boundaries Lander borders NORTH SEA SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN LOWER SAXONY,...,.J,,..., (."".. '-"") 1 I I._ \ J > ~, ' -, NORTH RHINE - WESTPHALIA.)-,,-\../ ~'..,~- I Dusseldorf ~, ~! I BONN..., /_,,.- r-' I 1 HESSE --- I,..f,...l Hanover ".J \ I RHINELAND -,..1. PALATINATE \ W!esbaden )... -"".... e I ( Mamz ~ 1 ' ( \ t.,:'--:,_'"\... ~,,~ ).._... (... Saarbrucken 1 v- -~ ~/ I ) t' " FRANCE... \ \ Stuttgart ~"'_,\ I _, ~~ (_... I \ I I a WEST EAST BERLIN GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC BAVARIA Munich MAP 1 The Federal Republic of Germany and the Lander XX