Power point presentation

Germany Sheridan Hapsic, Sam Ellsworth, Aarianna Lewis, and Brianna Pollard

POLS 3331- Comparative Politics September 11, 2018

Geographic ● Capital: Berlin

● Area: ○ Total: 357,022 sq km

■ Roughly the size of Montana ■ 6th largest country in Europe

○ Land: 348,672 sq km ○ Water: 8,350 sq km

● South- Tall, sheer mountains; North- Sandy, rolling plains; West (urbanized)- Forested hills; East- Agricultural plains

● Borders 9 countries ○ Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark,

France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland

Demographic ● Population

○ 82.67 million (2016)

● Ethnic Groups ○ German 91.5% ○ Turkish 2.4% ○ Other 6.1% (Largely of Polish, Italian,

Romanian, Syrian, and Greek)

● Religious Groups ○ Roman Catholic 29% ○ Protestant 27% ○ Muslim 4.4% ○ Orthodox Christian 1.9% ○ Other 1.7% ○ None or members of unrecorded

religious groups 36% (2015)

Economic

https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/deu/#Exports

● Largest economy in EU

● 3rd largest economy in the world

● Diverse economy (exports & imports)

● Supply chain with neighboring EU countries

Leadership ● Angela Merkel- Chancellor

● CDU

● Frank Walter-Steinmeier-

President

● SPD

Electoral Process

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn45xqlK0uA

● Complex, but fair

● Proportional Representation

● Ability for minority parties to be represented in the Bundestag

Political Parties

1) CDU (Christian Democratic Union)

- Christlich Demokratische Union Deutchlands

- Formed in 1945

- Was significant after World War II to show the harsh break away from traditional German political

parties that were present.

- This party appeals to nearly everyone, such as its founders, Catholics, Protestants, Trade Workers,

etc. This tactic is used so that the party has more power in government.

First Party Leader: Konrad Adenauer

Current Party Leader: Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany)

2) SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany)

- Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands

- Formed in 1981

- Socialist Party that represents the unions and the working class, and their interests.

- When they first began, they were vastly different from the CDU and pushed Marxist views.

- They now participate in German government by focusing on domestic and foreign policy, and appealing

to the middle class.

- Current Party Leader: Andrea Nahles

3) FDP (Free Democratic Party)

- Initially advocated for free enterprise.

- Formed in 1948

- Now appeals to both the CDU and the SPD. Their economic policies are the same as the CDU, and their

liberal programs, social and foreign, appeal to the SPD.

- Current Party Leader: Christian Lindner

4) The Greens - Die Grunen

- Formed in 1980

- Brought together environmental groups to form a party.

- Changed their name in 1990 after the GDR collapsed. Coined the name, “Party of Democratic

Socialism.”

- In 2007, changed their name to Die Linke (“The Left”) after leftists from the West joined their party.

- Current Party Leader: Joschka Fischer

5) AfD (Alternative for Germany)

- Alternative für Deutschland

- Formed in 2013

- Critical to the relationship of Germany and the EU

- Far-right political party for Germany

- Current Party Leader: Alexander Gauland

Current Key Political Events http://www.spiegel.de/international/topic/german_politics/

● Immigration and the AfD ○ Impact on Merkel’s re-election campaign

Public Administration Bodies - There are quite a few public administration bodies in Germany. We have

chosen to highlight the primary ones along with Education and

Healthcare.

- Other major bodies include: Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and

Energy, Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Federal Ministry of

Food and Agriculture, Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens,

Women and Youth, Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital

Infrastructure, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation

and Nuclear Safety, and Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and

Development.

Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF)

- Olaf Scholz

- Authority of all finance & budgets

including policy

- Hugely influential in EU

- Dominant over other bodies dealing

with finance & taxes

Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI)

- Horst Seehofer

- Internal security

- Constitutional order

- Civil protection against terrorism &

natural disasters

- Legislation firearms & explosives &

passports & identity cards

- Administrative question

- Sports

- Joint Anti-Terrorism Center

E-Government Act: Federal Ministry of the Interior and the IT Planning Council - Enacted summer of 2013.

- Act designed to make government administrators more accessible to

individuals and business and generally more efficient.

- Most-all government agencies are able to access information provided to

just one agency and share a database.

- Public service number

- Electronic Identity & De-mail

- What does this mean for citizens?

Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV)

- Katarina Barley

- States are largely responsible

for dealing with crime &

justice

- Mainly looks at legality

relating to core parts of the

constitution

- Investigates other bodies

Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg)

- Ursula von der Leyen

- Commander in Chief during peace

- Supreme military command

Federal Foreign Office (AA) - Heiko Maas

- Deals with foreign policy

- Relationship with EU - Is the EU membership advantageous

for Germany?

Education: Federal Ministry of Education and Lander Ministry of Education

- Parents’ Council

- Verbeamtet (similar to tenure-less

competitive)

- State funded kindergarten 2-6 (Montessori

or Reggio Emilia)

- 99% literacy over age 15

- Illegal to homeschool

- Federal mostly deals with funding, legality,

and vocational framework/requirements

Healthcare: Federal Ministry of Health

- Jens Spahn

- Maintaining effectiveness &

efficiency of system

- Quality

- Manufacture & production laws

- Disability

- Must have insurance in Germany.

- If you make under a certain amount, you must utilize the “sickness funds.”

- Prices are regulated. - Private insurance makes the

market competitive. - Many who could opt out

of the sickness funds and be privately insured choose to stay.

Healthcare: Federal Joint Committee - Regulations from health care bills (legally binding for the publicly insured)

- Working with legislators

- Largely insurers

Immigration- “Mother of All Problems” ● The number of people who immigrated to Germany exceeded

the number of those who emigrated by roughly 500,000 in

2016.

○ In 2015, the migration surplus had been 1.14 million.

■ Chancellor Angela Merkel has dismissed efforts

to cap the amount of refugees seeking

protection in Germany, a move that placed her

at odds with several allied lawmakers.

Immigration- Defining Issue in 2017 election - AFD’s central issue which won 13% of

the vote, pulling votes from other

parties. - What kind of pressure does this place on

politicians?

- Seehofer wants to turn away those

registered as an immigrant with another

country.

- Merkel thinks this will largely go against

policies of the EU.

“While Merkel maintains a public

approval rating of 50%, this has

fallen substantially from the

roughly 70% she enjoyed before

her 2015 decision to open

Germany’s borders. Seehofer’s

approval rate sits at 43%.” - TIME

“We have to go for collective efforts, for

multilateralism. We have to try to shape

globalization along with others. That’s

what I’m advocating.” - Angela Merkel

Historical Influences - Guilt complex from the Holocaust that many of the newer generation

are ready to move past, but the effects are still very much present and

influences their immigration and foreign policies.

- CDU represented a big change from the previous fascist regime.

- Even with their difficult past, they are still the primary power at the EU.

- They also value elevating others, as evidenced by many of their social

programs.

Aging Population

https://www.bloomber

g.com/news/articles/20

18-05-23/how-

germany-is-defusing-a-

demographic-time-

bomb

- Germany needs

immigrants due to their

limited exiting labor

market and aging

population.

East vs. West ● In 2014, 75% of East Germans

said they considered their

country's reunification a

success.

● Only 50% of Western Germans

agreed. ○ West more advanced and more

profitable.

○ View East as a burden.

Sources https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/downloads/EN/publikationen/2014/federal-public-service.pdf?__blob=publicationFile

https://international.commonwealthfund.org/countries/germany/

http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan023309.pdf

https://www.oecd.org/governance/observatory-public-sector-innovation/countryprofiles/germany/

https://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/EN/FederalGovernment/Ministries/BMI/_node.html

https://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/EN/FederalGovernment/Ministries/_node.html

https://www.indexmundi.com/germany/demographics_profile.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html

http://www.spiegel.de/international/topic/german_politics/

http://germanculture.com.ua/germany-facts/german-geography/

https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany

Sources Continued https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/deu/#Exports

http://brussels.gmfus.org/publications/populism-history-and-identity-german-politics-and-foreign-policy

http://time.com/5314776/angela-merkel-germany-crisis-migration/

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1015203/germany-immigration-eu-migrant-crisis-angela-merkel-horst-seehofe

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/10/03/germany-reunified-26-years-ago-but-some-divisions-are-still-

strong/?utm_term=.8aec57023de9