To what extent has Germany's party system evolved from a multi-party system to a 2 Block system in recent years?

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Elizabeth Morrison

To what extent has Germany’s party system evolved from a multi-party system to a 2 Block system in recent years?

The German party system has evolved in recent years due to a number of historical events such as World

War 2, the subsequent division of Germany into two separate states: the German Democratic Republic and

the Federal Republic and four decades later reunification in Germany. These events have shaped the

German party system and the movement from a multi-party system to the formation of what many would

argue to be a two-block system in recent years.

The main features of the German party system have emerged out of historical developments. The events of

WW2 left Germany in a state of total devastation and destruction. Consequently there was no political

system and the economy had been destroyed. Germany was totally defeated. The allied forces (US, UK,

France and the Soviet Union) reduced the German territory and redefined the borders. As a result 2 states

emerged: the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) controlled by the Soviet Union and the Federal

Republic (West Germany) governed by the US, UK and France. The German Democratic Republic was a

Communist state therefore in order to examine the evolution of the party system one must look to West

Germany, the Federal Republic and the ways in which it evolved prior to the breakdown of the Communist

regime in the East and reunification for Germany in 1990.

The central features of the Federal Republic were based upon four key principles which had been outlined

by the United States, the United Kingdom and France. It was an important belief that all German political

lives should be de-Nazified. The second of the key principles was that Germany should be demilitarised in

order to prevent the possibility of another war being waged. It can be argued that this was considered to be

“the best means of preventing the revival of a strong, aggressive Germany.” Thirdly the allies wanted to

make Germany a democratic society therefore allowing the whole of German society to have fair

representation in government. Finally Germany was to be decentralised, power should not be concentrated

in either one person or one place in order to prevent the possible creation of another totalitarian regime. The

notion of a decentralised Germany was primarily shown through the setting up of state/regional

governments prior to the setting up of the central government four years later.

The outlines for the West German political system were not set up by the German people they were

imposed by the allies. Post WW2 many people in Germany were depoliticised, they feared political

involvement and activity, believing that it could get them into trouble. Furthermore at that time there were

more urgent and pressing problems that needed to be addressed in Germany. The majority of the population

had severe malnutrition partly due to the “influx of millions of refugees and those expelled from eastern

territories of the German Empire during the war and in the postwar period.” There was simply not enough

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food to go round. As a result of the considerable humanitarian problems in Germany the allies had a free

hand in the creation of the new constitution with little interest and input from the people. The German

constitution was drafted in 1948-49 and was called a Basic Law rather than a constitution in order to avoid

giving it a sense of permanence as the German people did not want Germany to be permanently divided.

Germany’s national parliament is elected by proportional representation on the basis of universal suffrage.

The ...

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