Society and Politics in West Germany

Abstract

It has been stressed throughout this book that the politics of West Germany must be understood as a compound of particular historical forces — the ‘German’ aspects — and the influences that are common to all modern, industrialised societies. These factors are relevant to the political structures, processes and policies of the Federal Republic; they are also influences on the social, economic and cultural systems, and in this way have an indirect effect on the political system. Religious divisions, regional loyalties, the types and distribution of industry and agriculture, the social structure, the educational system — all are explicable by reference to Germany‘s past and to the imperatives of industrial society. All are, at times and in a variety of ways, relevant to the explanation of West Germany’s politics. It must be remembered therefore, in discussing the politics of the Federal Republic, that no aspect of politics is isolated from the influences of the past, nor from the effects of the contemporary environment, whether in terms of the policies of other states, the spread of international business enterprises, the ‘internationalisation’ of student protest, the development of the Common Market, international currency problems or whatever. Bearing this in mind, two final questions must be raised. In what directions is the West German political system developing? And is this system in fact democratic?