CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS IN THE GERMAN-SPEAKING COUNTRIES- IRE214 Maya Hadar Exam Dates! ■Final course' session => 19.12.2018 ■Exam I => 20.12.2018 ■Exam II => 07.01.2019 -Exam III => 04.02.2019 German Historical Legacy German Unification, 1862-1870 Imperial Germany, 1871-1918 The Weimar Republic, 1918-33 => Breakdown of Democracy The Third Reich, 1933-45 Divided Germany Postwar German Economy (east + west) Reunification 1990 GERMANY Nor* DENMARK Frisian Islands V O R I II S I \ e Lubeck Hamburg . •Schwerin .BALTIC SUA • Bremen Hanover NETHERLANDS Münster * POLAND O Berlin Ham * Magdeburg Düsseldorf o BELGIUM / Germany was made up of 39 independent states ■ Growing demands for unification ■ 1848 => failure of liberal bourgeois revolution Economic & industrial development induced unification (the Zollverein customs union) German Unification, 1862-1870 1864-71: Wars of Unification => ■ Germany is united under Prussian leadership Imperial Germany, 1871-1918 January 1871 => Proclaimed in Versailles First approximation to a state in the history of Germany Authoritarian government + rule of law + democratic features ■ The Bundesrat => consists of the partially sovereign states' governments (not an elected body) ■ The state's constitution consisted of a contract between the princes of previously established German states ■ No human rights' laws Imperial Germany, 1871-1918 Composed mostly of German speaking peopl Rapid industrialisation: ■ Increased prosperity + industrialization ■ Social mobility 1914-1918 => Emergence of aggressive nationalism & social unrest ■ Economic hardship & military defeat in WW1 discredited the regime ■ Monarchy collapsed Imperial Germany, 1871-1918 Prussia held three-fifths of the empire's population ■ The Prussian king was the Deutscher Kaiser (emperor), also commander of the armies of the various states First chancellor was Otto von Bismarck (1 871 1890) Flag of Imperial Germany Imperial Germany, 1871-1918 Federalism did not work well with the supremacy of the parliament (no supremacy...) ■ The chancellor could be required to explain his motives to the Reichstag but not be overthrown in any way Imperial Germany, 1871-1918 Press censorship existed, but laws were quite liberal ■ 1 869 law declared religious equality ■ Women had no say in politics + limited property rights (educational opportunities improve in 1914) ■ Anti-socialist law (1 878-1 890): Police had unlimited powers of search, socialist meetings were banned Imperial Germany, 1871-1918 Kulturkampf => series of laws that imposed compulsory civil marriage, dissolved all religious orders, and reduced the right of churches to self-govern Social Democrats developed in 1 890 ■ Got a third of the votes and became the largest party ■ Left leaning public and conservatism of northern German states => conflict WW1 1914-1918 => economic hardship Imperial Germany, 1871-1918 Sep 1918: Germany faced military collapse => end of imperial constitution => was amended to subject the military to the Chancellor Germany became a parliamentary republic Germans were ashamed of loss in WW I, devastated by the Treaty of Versailles & its reparation payments Signing the treaty of Versailles 191 9-1 923 => 'years of crisis' Central Europe, 1815-1866 • Cities * Capitals LU Boundary of the German Confederation (_I Austrian Empire fi l66 200 Mllaa Sy permission of Oxford University Press r^-J Maps on pp. 285-289 from Gormany. 1900-1870 \ Edited by Sperber. Jonathan (2004) \ Free permission, author's own material_ NORTH SEA Creation of the German Empire, 1866-1871 Kingdom of Prussia Annexed by Prussia in 1866 Joined the North German Confederation. 1867 Joined the German Empire. 1871 Annexed by Germany, 1871 0 1 CO 200 AUSTRIAN EMPIRE The German Empire, 1871-1918 NORTH SEA to France The Versailles Treaty, 1920 I Prussia j Schaunburg-Lippe I I Lippe I Mecklenburg-Sterhlitz fjg Hohenzollern I Oldenburg □ Hessen I j Waldeck j Ceded German Territory The Weimar Republic, 1919-1933 f* First real experience of democracy SPD leader Friedrich Ebert served as first President of Germany/ Provisional government established Attempt to balance German political traditions with West European democratic traditions The Weimar Republic, 1919-1933 ■ Decentralized unitary state, not federation ■ Unitary- central government h all the power ■ Federalism- sharing powers The Weimar Republic, 1919-1933 f* DAS I) I I TSCII K HKICll W . i ill .■ r. r lli|iul,lik-/.Hrill.-< lliirh" 1919-1917 1925 => Paul von Hindenburg elected president (ex field marshal) Flaws => ■ President's power ■ Can dismiss Chancellor even when retained parliament's confidence ■ Can appoint a Chancellor which isn't supported The Weimar Republic, 1919-1933 f* Article 48: Notverordung (emergency decree), president can suspect civil liberties (Hitler used it) Decline of the Weimar Republic Communist Party + Nazi party grew steadily and exponentially The Weimar Republic, 1919-1933 f* ■ Decline of the Weimar Republic ■ Unstable and short-lived coalitions ■ 1 929 Depression, hyperinflation ■ 1930 onwards Germany was ruled under emergency powers of A. 48 ■ Lost popular + elite support 4 Democracy broke down The 'Third Reich', 1933-1945 1928: the Nazis had 12 seats in the Reichstag; by July 1932 they had 230 seats and were the largest party Feb 1932 => full emergency powers are granted to Hitler's government 1933 => Hindenburg appoints Hitler Chancellor Institutions of Weimar Republic dismantled The 'Third Reich', 1933-1945 About 30k political opponents prisoned National Socialists the only political party August 2, 1 933 => Hindenburg (elected president of the Weimar Republic) dies and Hitler combines the office of the President and Chancellor (full emergency powers) Economic revival in 1 930s Created jobs (unemployment dropped 6M to 0,5M) The 'Third Reich', 1933-1945 ■ Attempts to reshape German society in accordance with Nazi ideology => ■ Destruction of 'unGerman' culture ■ Abolition of trade unions ■ Police state not governed by rule of law ■ Boycott of Jewish owned business ■ Book burning The 'Third Reich', 1933-1945 Fear (e.g. The Nuremburg Laws, 1 935) November 9, 1 935—Kristallnacht ■ Mass destruction of Jewish homes, synagogues and businesses ■ About 25,000 Jews deported ■ Jews forced to wear yellow Star of David The Nuremburg Laws were antiemetic, racial laws enacted by the Reichstag. Included the Law of Protection of German Blood and German Honor and the Reichstag Citizenship Law. The 'Third Reich', 1933-1945 North Sea Copenhagei Memelj LI Amsterdam NETHEI Rhino Berlin #Hanover ^ inster Magdeburg* »Dusse^dorfe» %- Leipzig, •Cologne GERMANY * Frankfurt ad O Poznaň J/Varsaw POLAND LUXEMBOURG .~ « Reims Saarbrücken "^"W Nancy» Strasbourg FRANCE Mainz* 2 »Frankfurt a M Prag »Mannheim Nuremberg Kartsruhe * «Stuttgart Augsburg C/y0^OVAK,A Munichi Vienna AUSTRIA ^Bratislavas -^^SST to Hungary (1S3S) •Budapest »Berne SWITZERLAND ITALY .Graz YUGOSLAVIA HUNGARY r- 200 Miles 100 200 Kms Territorial Changes, 1935-39 Germany N Saarland, incorporated 1935 Rhineland. remilitarized 1936 Austria: the Anschluss 1938 Sudetenland, annexed September 1938 Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. March 1939 (dismemberment of Czechoslovakia) Protective Zone', created March 1939 Memel district, annexed March 1939 The 'Third Reich', 1933- ■ The National Socialists easily gained confidence and support due to political, social, financial vulnerability ■ Nationalist propaganda united the German people ■ WWII starts Sep 1939: Nazi Germany invades Poland ■ Soviets invaded from the East The 'Third Reich', 1933- ■ Nazi Germany later invaded Denmark, Finland, Norway, Eastern & Southern Europe, Greece, France North Africa etc. ■ Over 150k mentally and physically ill were euthanized until the practice stopped due to Catholic protests ■ Nazi Germany established work and extermination camps across Europe, especially in southern and eastern Poland The 'Third Reich', 1933-1945 June 6th 1944 => "D-Day", 156k Anglo-American + Canadian allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy (France) Battle of Normandy (June 1944 to August 1944), "Operation Overload" resulted in the liberation of western Europe from Nazi Germany By late August 1 944 all northern France was #s liberated Germany surrendered on May 7, 1 945 ■ Vila The 'Third Reich', 1933-1945 The end of WWII left Germany in ruins Morally- 4.3 million dead and missing military personnel, 350k to 500k Civilian deaths 1 Systematic destruction in Europe done in their name- collective guilt Economically: heavy damages to industry and transportation infra., poverty, black market The 'Third Reich', 1933-1945 The end of WWII left Germany in ruins 1 Socially: May 1945 => massive expulsion and displacement of Germans (e.g. from Czechoslovakia and Poland) Physically: Food scarcity The 'Third Reich', 1933-1945 ■ WW2 lasted for 2.194 days ■ 30 states, 1 1 0 million army men and women ■ Neutral — Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland ■ Over 1 1 million people in Europe killed in the Holocaust alone ■ 6 million Jews ■ 2-3 million Soviet POWs ■ 2 million Poles ■ 1 million or more Romani (Gypsies/Roma) ■ 1 0,000 or more Homosexuals Germany and the Cold War Superpowers: US + Soviet Union (China: growing power in Asia) Trend in European politics => left April 1945 => United Nations charter, Security Council, General Assembly were established 50 states Replaced the 'League of Nations' Aimed to prevent wars by providing a platform for dialogue Germany and the Cold War Once the common enemy was defeated => US Soviet Union rivalry Its position at the heart of Europe made it the focus of Cold War rivalries and tensions US: better economy, atomic bomb, better equipped army Soviet Union: great material losses, powerful army still Most states in central and southeast Europe were liberated by the red army => Growing power of the soviet political system in Romania, Hungary, Poland, Finland and in occupied zones (Austria, Germany) Germany and the Cold War Post 2 World Wars => Germany was at the mercy of its past 'enemies' ■ The West and the USSR had different ideas about 'what to do with Germany' ■ USSR => ■ Economically cripple Germany and destroy its industrial potential ■ Stripped its zone of factories and took reparations ■ West => ■ Rebuild Germany in order to open markets and revive a devastated Europe ■ Hallstein Doctrine: Foreign policy principle of West Germany (1 955-1 969) no diplomatic relations with DDR acknowledgers Occupation Zones of Germany The p After Vorld Var II Netherlands Hamburg Belgiumi ^ *~^~mw. Berlin £ Poland France Dividing Germany Defeat => Germany was divided to 4 sections administered by the winners (Allied powers) USA UK USSR France Dividing Germany ■ West Germany ■ Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) / Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD) ■ Government in Bonn ■ East Germany ■ German Democratic Republic (GDR) / Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR) Government in East Berlin Dividing Germany ■ Summer 1 945; Potsdam's conference => Stalin, Truman, Churchill, Attlee ■ The 4 'D' Plan: ■ Demilitarization No more than 370,000 soldiers in the army East Germany- a Nuclear Weapon Free zone ■ Democratization ■ Denazification Decartelization East Germany, West Germany End of WW2 (1 945), Germany's economy laid in ruin and both West and East Germany had to be rebuilt By 1 949, two German states with reasonable powers of self government existed Both experienced economic growth: 'economic miracle' (1950s - 1970s) ■ Both were integrated into alliances West: European Community & NATO ■ East: Warsaw Pact (USSR) Post WW2 Problems ■ Limited sovereignty ■ 36% of total government expenditures in 1 950 => occupation costs ■ High unemployment (1 950: 1 0%) ■ Almost 8 million displaced Germans had to be integrated ■ Housing shortage ■ War destructions, war invalids Reparation payments (until 1949 more than 3,4 billion $) Nevertheless... ■ Level of destruction- not as high as expected ■ American aid (Marsha/ plan) ■ Interest of Western European countries + the United States in a prosperous German economy => precondition for the reconstruction of European economy and due to the cold war ■ Skilled workforce available ■ 1 948 => successful currency reform, DM in the west (Reichsmark preceded) ■ Cooperative trade unions united under social democratic leadership East Germany, 1949-1990 ■ Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR) comprised of the Soviet zone in the Eastern part of Germany ■ Preferred Socialism over Capitalism as a means of preventing future Fascisms ■ A fully functional one party Soviet republic ■ Land reform, nationalization of some factories East Germany, 1949-1990 alamy stock photo Powerful and watchful government ■ Paternalistic welfare state ■ Secret police (Stasi) Most East Germans retreated into privacy in response to the lack of political and social liberties The Soviet occupation raised legitimacy issues Experience some economic success ■ Rapid industrialisation in the 1950s' ■ By the 1980s' become stagnant riddled with corruption & Economically lagged behind west Germany East Germany: Economy Similar economy to all other Soviet states Centrally-planned economy (CPE) ■ State-owned factories etc. ■ Everyone employed to do something, however insignificant Prices fixed administratively by the CPE- didn't necessarily reflect the product's value Entire year's economy planned in advance: rate of economic growth, utilisation of raw materials & labour, amount of imports/exports... East Germany- Economy All products consumed/used in the GDR were also produced there No private businesses (in 1 985, over 95% of the total national income was earned by state-owned enterprises) Prices kept constant by heavy subsidies from the government (80% of the cost of basic supplies) Trabant East Germany, 1949-1990 Despite problems was allegedly popular until late 1 980s End of 1 980s => increasing unrest Opening of the Hungarian border with Austrian drove many East German to the west East Germany, 1949-1990 Changing international situation & reform in the Soviet Bloc Gorbachov's refoms in 1 980s Elections + political concession led to easing of travel restriction to/from the DDR Collapsed in 1 989 West Germany, 1949-1990 Bundesarchiv. 6 146 Bild-F038788-0006 Foto: Schaack. Lothar | 22. Januar 1973 ■ Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD) comprised of the Allied zones in the west and south of Germany ■ Rooted in Western democratic ■ Free market traditions West Germany, 1949-1990 ^^^^^^ Asserts the exclusive right to represent the entire German nation ■ Did not establish/maintain diplomatic relations with states that recognize the German Democratic Republic (DDR) Rapid economic recovery in the 1950s => Prosperous society => Stable 5 party republic West Germany, 1949-1990 ■ Growth in civic life and political participation ■ Prosperity helped the republic gain the support of its citizens ■ Protests in the 1960s' and 1970s' yet the system itself wasn't challenged West Germany, 1949-1990 During the cold war: West Germany was a stable democracy, firmly entrenched in Western Europe Expended human, political + economic rights ■ Expanded civil liberties to women and homosexuals ■ Increased political opportunities West Germany- Economy ■ Since its creation in 1 949, the FRG has played an important role in the world economy ■ After the Nazi experience, an economy free of state domination and intervention was needed ■ Consistently among the most important trading nations in the world ■ Often derived a higher share of its GDP from exports than any other major state DER MARSHALLPLAN West Germany- Economy The West German economy recovered at an amazing rate in the 1 950's => 'economic miracle' due to: ■ Massive aid for investment and reconstruction of Europe: American funding (the Marshall Plan) Small and medium-sized companies provided the basis for West Germany's economic prosperity West Germany- Economy The large influx of refugees to West Germany (over 1 1 millions from East Germany and former German areas in Europe) was a significant addition to the workforce- highly skilled workers, prepared to work hard for a low wage ■ Later "guest workers" (Gasfarbe/fer) came over from Italy, Spain and Turkey to further support the workforce West Germany- Economy Mixed economy => the government took an active part in its reconstruction and development but not total control- a free enterprise system remained Introduction of a new stable currency => the Deutsche Mark = > second most important currency in the world after the US dollar West Germany- Economy 24,000 West Germany Japan Spain East Germany ON Year CO ON co on Growth rate of industrial production was 25.0% in 1 950 and 1 8.1 % in 1951 Growth continued at a high rate for most of the 1 950s By 1 955, West Germany had made an amazing economic recovery Wages and salaries rose over 80% between 1 949 and 1 955, catching up with growth West Germany- Economy, 1950s First decade: the 'economic miracle' 1 951 => Founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), forerunner to the EEC and the EU => strengthened Germany's economy even further through increased trade with member nations 1 957 => Bundesbank: West Germany's new central bank West Germany- Economy, 1950s By 1 960, industrial production had risen to 2.5 times the level of 1 950 and far beyond what Nazi Germany reached in the 1 930s (all of Germany) GDP rose by 2/3 Number of persons employed rose from 1 3.8 million (1 950) to 1 9.8 million (1 960), unemployment rate fell from 1 0.3% to 1.2% West Germany- Economy, 1960s Second decade: consolidation and first signs of troubles 1 960s => The West German economy did not consistently grow Hard to keep up such a pace Supply of labour from East Germany was cut off by the Berlin Wall (built in 1961) The Bundesbank was worried about possible overheating and slowed the pace of growth several times Overheating of an economy occurs when its productive capacity is unable to keep pace with growing aggregate demand. Boom periods are often characterized by such overheating West Germany- Economy, 1970s In the 1 970s, the West German state assumed an ever more important role in the economy: Developing an extensive social welfare system Protecting/supporting some sectors and industries Growth did not reach the levels that it had attained in the 1 950s' Overall: Decline in the growth rate since the 1 950s' Upturn in unemployment since the 1 960s' Gradual increase in inflation West Germany- Economy, 1970s Global economic statistics => West German share of total world production had grown from 6.6% in 1 965 to 7.9% by 1 975 Productive capacities of both East Germany and West Germany exceeded the absorptive capacity of their respective domestic markets- surplus ■ Twelve years later (1 987), world production share had fallen to 7.4% Rapid growth of Japan and other Asian states West Germany- Economy, 1980s ■ Forth decade: new policies and a more stable global environment enabled economic recovery 1 982 => the government owned about $25 billion worth of assets (railroads, oil companies, largest national automobile producer etc.) ■ Late 1 980's => the economy grows more rapidly: GDP rose to 3.7% in 1 988 and 3.6% in 1 989 (highest in the decade) => international leadership as a economic power, alongside Japan and the USA ■ Unemployment rate dropped to 7.6% in 1 989 despite influx of foreign workers German Reunification Oct 3rd, 1990 German Reunification Oct 3rd, 1990 ■ October 1 990 => Unification under the formal title 'Federal Republic' Germany ('Bundersrepublik Deutschland') ■ Thought to be impossible (politically, socially) Political union was achieved peacefully and smoothly A functional federal republic was created German Reunification: Economy ■ July 1, 1 990 => the economies of the 'two Germanys' became one ■ First time in history that a capitalist and a socialist economy united ■ High wages + high social benefits system, developed by West Germany has been carried over into united Germany ■ Treaty of Unification expanded the number of Länder to 1 6 (5 new eastern Länder: Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia) ■ Increase in seat allocation in the European Parliament from 81 to 99 MEPs between 1986-1994 German Reunification: Economy ■ 1 993 - Germany registered a negative growth rate of 1.2% Meanwhile in the East... ■ High demand for West German products (seen as better quality)- decline in domestic consumption of Eastern products ■ Standard of living rose 20% from 1 990 to 1 993 => West Germany went into a boom, East Germany into a depression Issues involved with Reunifications "But much remains to be done. For the most part, the societal and political elites in the east have remained western "imports/' often leading to resentment and feeling of inferiority among large segments of the population. "Second-class citizen" remains a term often used in the ongoing debate over the true extent of the success of German unification ..." " ... the German government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl seriously misjudged the economic implications of unification, not only initially but well into 1 992. The government's decision to rule out tax increases to finance unification..." "One problem was that unification took place so quickly. It was next to impossible to make a reliable estimate of the financial transfers needed by the new eastern states before the end of October 1 990, by which time the legal framework of unification had already been established" Together again: the fiscal cost of German unity Reunification and the German Economy ■ Further reunification Issues: ■ Conversion rates from East German Mark to Deutsche Mark ■ Deindustrialisation of the East, leading to an unemployment rate of 20% ■ Large dependent population in the East ■ Confusion over property rights ■ Cost so far => approximately 1.5 trillion Euro ■ Solidarity pact calls for the transfer of another Euro 1 56 billion by 201 9 Reunification and the German Economy Important! ■ German Reunification as a precursor to Eastern enlargement of the EU: German reunification was symbolic of European unification and paved the way for the Central and Eastern European expansion in the 2000s Perception of Germany Since 1 945, Western Powers' perception vis a vis Germany was: 1 946-49 => Containing Germany ■ 1949-89 => Containing the USSR, through Germany's integration into Western Europe ■ Since 1 989 => Asking Germany to help maintain Western diplomatic and military presence in troubled regions Achieve a stable European economy Combat terrorism (post 9-1 1) Germany's New Role ■ Embedded European power ■ Biggest exporter in the world ■ EU countries absorbs 70% of German export ■ Greatest contributor to the EU, 1 /3 more than Possesses all of the four components of economic dominance: Control over raw materials Control over markets Control over sources of capital Competitive advantage Important Highlights German Industrialization was 'restarted' following WWII Germany's economic problems in the early 1990s stemmed from the vast differences between the economies of West and East Germany Germany seized opportunities during the cold war (joining NATO) Remarkable achievement in: Postwar economic development Postwar democratic consolidation Important Highlights Became embedded in Europe and 'the West' Following the Marshall Plan and the economic miracle Due to its social market economy Reunification changed Germany's relations with the EU and paved the way for Central and Eastern Enlargement DER MARSHALLPLAN Next Session ■ German nation building ■ Mid 19th century rise of German Nationalism ■ The creation of the Second Reich ■ Post WW2 division of Germany German Reunification Thank You For Your Attention! Questions???