Russell J. Dalton, UC Irvine
Adenauer, Konrad, was head of the postwar CDU and guided postwar development of the Federal Republic. He served as the Federal Republic's first chancellor (1949-63)
Article 48, Article 48 of the Weimar constitution allowed the president to rule by decree during a state of emergency; this system was used to circumvent the democratic process in the last years of the Weimar Republic.
Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHT), is comparable to the Chambers of Commerce in the United States. Membership is mandatory, and several million business enterprises belong to the eighty-one district and local associations of the DIHT.
Basic Law (Grundgesetz), is the defacto constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was developed by a Parliamentary Council and came into effect in 1949.
BDA, go to Federation of German Employers' Associations
BDI, go to Federation of German Industries
Berlin blockade, was a result of the breakdown of cooperation between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union in the administration of postwar Germany. In 1948 the Soviets closed land access to Berlin through Eastern Germany, and the West responded with a massive year-long airlife to provide West Berlin with the food and materials it needed to remain independent.
Bismarck, Otto von, was chancellor of the Northern German Confederation and successful orchestrated the unification of Germany as a result of the 1870 Franco-Prussian war. Bismarck was the first chancellor of the Second German Empire (1871-1890).
Bundesrat, one house of the Federal Republic's national parliament. Its 69 members are appointed by the state governments to represent the states in national policy making. The Bundesrat has equal legislative powers to the Bundestag on policies that involve the state governments. Bundestag, one house of the Federal Republic's national parliament. The 598 members of the Bundestag are elected in a national Bundestagswahl. The Bundestag is the primary house of the legislature that must approve of all federal legislation. CDU, go to Catch-all party CDU, go to Christian Democratic Union CSU, go to Christian Social Union Chancellor (Bundeskanzler), is the head of the federal government. He is elected by the majority of the Bundestag and thus also represents a majority in that house of the parliament. Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , Citizen-action groups (Bürgerinitiativen), is an ad hoc group of interested people who
lobby decision makers on a specific policy issue such as the environment, education, women's rights, or community issues. Co-determination, is a system of co-management of a firm by workers and management.
The law requires that the supervisory board that controls a corporation include representatives of management and the corporation's workers. The size and composition
of the board varies with different types and size of the firms. Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Communist Party of Germany (KPD), was the primary communist party during the Weimar Republic.
It was banned during the Third Reich, but reemerged after World War II ended. In the East, the party was merged into the SED to give the communist control of all leftist parties.
In the West, the KPD was banned as anti-system in 1956, although in 1969 a new communist party was formed in the West (DKP) Constitutional Court, reviews the
constitutionality of legislation, mediates disputes between levels of government, and protects
the constitution and the democratic order. Constructive no-confidence vote, is a procedure by which a majority
of the Bundestag can vote to remove a chancellor if it simultaneously agrees on a successor. This procedure was used in 1982 to remove Schmidt and install Kohl as chancellor. Coordination (Gleichschaltung), was a process by which the Nazis took control of social groups, institutions and social life in Germany to ensure the Third Reich's absolute control. Currency Union, merged the Western and Eastern economies in 1990 by setting up a fixed exchange rate between western and eastern currencies. DBB, go to German Civil Servants Federation DGB, go to German Federation of Trade Unions DIHT, go to Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce DBV, go to German Farmers Association EKD, go to Evangelical Church in Germany Economic Miracle Wirtschaftswunder, a term used to describe the dramatic
growth of the West German economy and living standards after World War II. Enabling Act, was legislation passed at the end of the Weimar Republic in 1933 that provide the legislative basis for the creation of the Third Reich and the dictatorial powers of Hitler.
The formal name of the Enabling Act was Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich ("Law to Remedy the Distress of the People and the State"). Erhard, Ludwig, was the CDU Economics Minister who is widely credited with directing the postwar Economic Miracle.
He served as chancellor from 1963 until 1966. European Union (EU), originally formed as the Common Market in 1957 and then the European Community in 1973, the European Union is
a supranational organization that develops a common market, common economic policies and other common policies among its member states. It initially included 6 West Euorpean nations, and now includes 27 nations in both
West and East Europe. Evangelical Church in Germany (Lutheran church)(EKD), is the peak association for the provincial protestant churches.
The EKD is a coordinating body on religious and social issues.
Politically, the EKD is the formal representative of the German Protestant churches. FDP, go to Free Democratic Party Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)(FRG), was created in 1949 as an independent, democratic state in the territory occupied by the Western Allies following World War II.
German unification expanded the FRG by adding six new states from Eastern Germany in 1990. Federation of German Employers' Associations (BDA) is a peak association of 67 separate employers associations: 14
regional organizations of employers' associations at the Land level, and 53 national trade
associations organized by economic sectors. This federation represents business in wage negotiations and social policy matters. Federation of German Industries (BDI), is a peak association for thirty-four separate
national trade associations. It is business's primary representative on matter of national policy making. Frankfurt Assembly, a national assembly that met in 1848-49 to deliberate on democratic reform in Germany. After contentious discussions, the Assembly proposed a democratic constitution in 1849 and the Kaiser rejected their proposal. Free German Youth Association (FDJ), Führer ("leader"), was the position that Hitler assumed in 1934 when Hindenberg died and he merged the authority of the offices of chancellor and president. German Civil Service Federation (DBB), is the association that represents German civil servants and public sector employees.
The DBB is a peak association for 14 different public service unions. German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (GDR), was formed in 1949 as a separate communist state in the portion of eastern Germany occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II.
The GDR continued its reign until it collapsed in early 1990, and the eastern states were merged into the Federal Republic. German Farmers' Union (DBV), is the peak association for farmers and the agricultural lobby. German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB), is the peak association for the labor unions in Germany. It
includes seven separate union organizations with nearly 7 million members. Gorbachev, Mikhail, General Secretary of the Communisty party and head of the Soviet Union until 1991. His policies of
perstroika and glasnost were instrumental in lessening East-West tensions and ultimately the collapse of the Communist bloc in East Europe. Great Depression, was a worldwide economic collapse that began in 1929.
It produced a dramatic drop in international trade, increased unemployment and declining standard of living in Germany and most other industrial societies. Guestworkers (Gastarbeiter, during the period of rapid economic growth in the 1960s and early 1970s,
German businesses recruited foreigners as temporary workers under a guestworker program. Initially drawn from Southern Europe, the program recruited a large
Turkish minority which has become a permanent feature of German society. Hindenberg, Paul von, was a general in World War I. He was elected President of the Weimar Republic as head of the conservative movement (1935-34).
He was president as German democracy failed under Weimar, and signed the Enabling Act that allowed Hitler to create the Third Reich. Hitler, Adolf, was the head of the Nazi party (NSDAP) during the Weimar Republic, and was appointed as chancellor in 1933.
He used his power to overthrow the Weimar Republic and create the Third Reich as a new authoritarian state, with himself as "leader" (Führer). Interest aggregation, this is the process by which
the interests of separate individuals and groups are aggregated together into a program of governance. Interest articulation, this is the process by which
individuals and groups express (articulate) their needs and policy preferences within the political process. Jugenweihe, . Junkers, the largely conservative landed aristocracy of Prussia and eastern Germany during the 19th and early 20th century. Kaiser, is the German term for emperor.
It is most closely identified with the Prussian monarch, who then became head of the Second Empire. Kindergeld, is direct financial support from the government to help families with the cost of raising children. Kohl, Helmut, was head of the CDU and the sixth chancellor of the Federal Republic (1982-1998). He was chancellor during the period of German unification. Kulturkampf, ("cultural struggle") refers to the Second Empires attempts in 1871-78 to limit and then diminish the social and political role of the Catholic Church in Germany. Land, the German term for the states, in plural it is Länder. Landtag, the state parliament in most Länder is called the Landtag. Maiziere, Lothar de, elected head of the East German government in the March 1990 elections and oversaw the GDR's integration into the Federal Republic. Minister president, is the chief executive of the state government, comparable to a governor in the United States. Morgenthau Plan, was an agreement by the Western Allies in 1944 on the treatment of Germany after World War II.
The plan called for the elimination of Germany's war-making industries, such as steel and armaments, and proposed converting Germany into a country that was primarily agricultural and pastoral in its character. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a collaborative military alliance of West European and North American nations that formed after World War II as a defense
from the Soviet bloc in East Europe. National Democratic party (NPD), National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi party)(NSDAP), was a nationalist party in the Weimar Republic that Hitler used as his political base.
It eventually provided the electoral base to overthrow the Weimar Republic and was the political base of the Third Reich. Neo-corporatism, is a system of interest groups in which interests are organized into a one or a few groups in each social sector,
these groups are often hierarchically organized, membership is often compulsory, the group is recognized or licensed (if not created) by the state, and
the group is granted a deliberate representational monopoly within its social sector. It contrasts to the pluralist system. Nuremberg International Military Tribunal, was an international military tribunal that tried leading figures from the Third Reich (and some institutions from the Reich) for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The tribunal ran from 1945 until 1949; a dozen individuals received the death penalty, several more received prison terms, and others were declared not guilty. Ostpolitik, was Willy Brandt's policy of reconciliation with the nations of Eastern Europe on the unaddressed issues following World War II and the
establishment of formal ties with East Germany. Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), Peak association, is the association that unites the separate groups in
a social sector into a single organization, such as the DGB for labor or the BDI for business. Pluralism, a system of interest groups that includes
multiple groups competing to represent the same social interests, the groups also compete against each other within the policy process,
membership in a group is voluntary, and the government's role is to provide a neutral arena for interest group activities. Competition among a many groups assures that no one group wields a dominant influence
within the policy process and that any group's influence depends on the support it can mobilize. It contrasts to the neo-corporatist system. President (Bundespraesident), is the head of state for the Federal Republic of Germany.
The president is selected by a Federal Convention every four years, and serves largely ceremonial functions as head of state. Proportional representation (PR), Reichsrat, was one house of the German national legislature during the Weimar Republic.
The members of the Reichsrat represented the German state governments. Reichstag, the parliament of Germany from the Second German Empire until the end of World War II.
The Reichstags building in Berlin is now the home of the Federal Republic's Bundestag. Second German Empire, the unified German state.
It was born and died in war, formed after the Franco-Prussian War and ending with World War II
The empire was an authoritarian state led by the Kaiser. It is also known as the "Wilhelmine Empire" and the "Kaiserreich". Social Democratic party (SPD), the Social Democratic Party of Germany was formed in 1863 as a representative of the working class.
It was part of the opposition during the Second Empire, was a governing party for much of the Weimar Republic, and has been one of the main parties during the Federal Republic.
It most recently formed the government from 1998 until 2005 with Gerhard Schroeder as chancellor. Social partnernship, is a German style of industrial relations that marks a shift from an adversarial relationship to one primarily based on mutual benefit. Examples of this
social partnership are the system of co-determination, the works councils in individual firms, and joint business-labor participation in various committees and policy-making bodies.
SPD, go to Social Democratic Party
Treuhandanstalt (Trust Agency) was created by the Federal Republic to manage and then sell off the state owned firms in East Germany. It initially had more than 8000 companies, which it sold by 1994.
Ulbrich, Walter, was the communist leader in postwar East Germany who led the construction of the communist state. He served as General Secretary of the SED from 1950 until 1971.
Value added tax (VAT), is a percentage of a product's cost that is added to the final cost to consumers. The maximum VAT is now 19 percent. It is like a sales tax in the US, but does not appear on the bill.Versailles peace treaty, was the agreement that ended World War I. It placed harsh terms on the defeated Germans, that nationalists would later use to rally public support and criticize the Weimar Republic that was created after WWI.
Volkskammer, was the parliament for the German Democratic Republic
Weimar Republic, was a democratic government formed after Germany's defeat in World War I. The Weimar Republic lasted from 1918 until 1933, when Hitler and the Nazis created the Third Reich.
This material was drawn from the "Politics in Germany" text, Wikipedia and other online databases.