16. POSTUNIFICATION GERMANY: THE OLD

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16. POST-UNIFICATION GERMANY THE OLD
BONN OR A NEW BERLIN REPUBLIC? 1.
Introduction 2. The constitution (Basic
Law) 3. Political parties the party system 4.
The federal system 5. Government/interest group
labour relations 6. Foreign European
policy 7. Conclusions
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• 1. INTRODUCTION
• Three (West) German questions after World War II
• How could Germany be made a stable democracy?
• How could Germany be made into a strong anti-
• Communist bulwark in the Cold War?
• How could Germany be prevented from again
• becoming or trying to become a hegemonic
• power in Europe?
• The answer mattered - for whenever Germany
• sneezes, the rest of Europe catches a cold!

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GERMAN MILESTONES 1999/2000 1. 50 years since
the foundation of the Federal Republic
(West Germany) 2. 10 years since the fall of
the Berlin Wall reunification 3. Shift
of the site of government from Bonn to
Berlin
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GOODBYE THANKS TO BONN The town of Bonn is
synonymous with the first successful German
democracy In Bonn, the foundations of this
German democracy were laid developed, in spite
of what seemed to be an impossible starting-point
The Bonn republic stands for a real
successful break in Germanys modern
history Joschka Fischer (Green), German Foreign
Minister Warum war es am Rhein so schoen? In
Hermann Schaefer (ed.), Abschied von
Bonn (Berlin Ullstein, 1999), pp. 81-82
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GOODBYE THANKS TO BONN To an important
extent, it is due to Bonn that the democratic
state founded in 1949 could become so stable
successful Bonn, on the Rhine,
symbolized Germanys turn towards the West in an
ideal manner. With its consciously modest style,
it was a convincing incarnation of a Germany that
for once for all time had rejected any
nationalistic madness, any imperialistic
posturing or any striving for hegemony. For the
young German democracy, Bonn was the right
capital city at the right time Helmut Kohl,
former Chancellor, in Hermann Schaefer (ed),
Abschied von Bonn (Berlin Ullstein, 1999), pp.
156-57
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WHY GERMANY NEEDS THE EU The political
unification of Europe is decisive for Germanys
future in peace freedom. As the country with
the most neighbours in Europe, we Germans, more
than any other nation, have a vital interest in
preventing a reversion to the power- political
rivalries of former times, to national egoisms
shifting coalitions Helmut Kohl, former German
Chancellor, in Die aufgestauten
Strukturprobleme erfordern eine Generalinventur
von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, in
Handelsblatt, 31 December 1993
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WHY GERMANY NEEDS THE EU For the first time,
this country is surrounded exclusively by
friends. We are the country in the EU with the
most neighbours. It has never happened before
that we are surrounded only by friends. If
you want to have friends, you have to cultivate
them We dont want to exchange all this for a
zig-zagging foreign policy which would
inevitably lead to a new performance of the play
of alliances counter- alliances. To prevent
this is the primary foreign policy objective of
the re-unified Germany Klaus Kinkel (FDP),
former foreign minister, in the German
Parliament, 27 May 1994
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WHY GERMANY NEEDS THE EU Germany has, thanks to
its size, its population its geography, a very
strong position in Europe. It is better for this
weight to be bound into Europe, otherwise we
would be very rapidly back to the old axis
politics, everyone knows where that
led Rudolf Scharping, then SPD chairman, now
German Defence Minister, in Financial Times, 11
April 1994
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WHY GERMANY NEEDS THE EU THE VIEW OF THE
CURRENT FOREIGN MINISTER The real solution of
the German dilemma between its strategic
potential the power of collective memory
lies in European integration. If the integration
process were to come to a halt or, worse still,
unwind, Germany would be the big historical
loser, for no country has benefited from it more
than Germany - economically, politically
culturally. In the continuation of the
integration process the relationship with France
will become more more important, for only
these two countries together can form the
motor of European unity Joschka Fischer,
foreword to Das deutsche Dilemma (Berlin Fest,
1998), pp. 14-16
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THE RIGHT FOREIGN POLICY FOR GERMANY With 80
million inhabitants, we are the most
populous state in Europe, were also economically
the strongest .. But we dont have to tell the
others all the time that were strong number
one. They know that already. Its in our interest
to behave towards other states in such a way that
they can trust us Fifty years ago, we started
off from rock bottom. Bit by bit we worked our
way upwards became a valued partner friend.
That was only possible through a great deal of
patience, sensitivity competence. If we hadnt
had our partners friends trust, German unity
would have been impossible Helmut Kohl,
interview in Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 11/12
September 1999
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THE GERMANY FOREIGN POLICY PARADOX The more we
pursue our interests multilaterally, through
Europe, the more we achieve for
ourselves Joschka Fischer, German Foreign
Minister, quoted in Josef Joffe, Es bleibt
die Bundesrepublik, in Sueddeutsche Zeitung,
3/4 July 1999
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SCHUMAN SUCCEEDED! Europe the EU is so deeply
entrenched that the current German government,
whatever else it might do otherwise, can no
longer change the fundamentals of German European
policy The train is at the platform and the
locomotive is steaming. It may be that the
locomotive travels a bit faster or a bit slower
it may even stop here there. Only one thing
can no longer happen the locomotive can no
longer be disconnected hooked up to the tail of
the train so as to pull the train in the wrong
direction Helmut Kohl, interview in
Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 11/12 September 1999
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THE BERLIN REPUBLIC WILL BE THE BONN ONE! The
political foundations on which the FRG rests to
the present day will also underpin survive the
Berlin Republic. Why? Because all the
alternatives to them are more dangerous or worse
not only the democratic realities in the
country, but also the far-reaching integration of
the country its economy into Europe no longer
allow a different strategy. The Bonn foundations
remain the right answers to Germanys principal
challenges, which are set by constants that
can hardly be altered its his- tory, its
geographic location its potential Joschka
Fischer (Green), German Foreign Minister, in
Hermann Schaefer (ed.), Abschied von Bonn
(Berlin Ullstein, 1999), p. 84
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A MEETING Once upon a time, a man went to work
and on the way met another man who had just
bought a French baguette and was on his way
home. Actually, thats all. A short story by
Daniil Charms, Russian writer (1905-1942) And
thats all of IPA .