A Country Study: Germany

• Germany
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Table A. English Equivalents of Selected German Place-Names
• Table B. Selected Abbreviations
• Country Profile - Visit new updated Profile (PDF)
  • Country
  • Geography
  • Society
  • Economy
  • Transportation and Telecommunications
  • Government and Politics
  • National Security
• Introduction

• Chapter 1 - Historical Setting: Early History to 1945 (Eric Solsten)
  • Early History
  • Medieval Germany
    • The Merovingian Dynasty, ca. 500-751
    • The Carolingian Dynasty, 752-911
    • The Saxon Dynasty, 919-1024
    • The Salian Dynasty, 1024-1125
    • The Hohenstaufen Dynasty, 1138-1254
    • The Empire under the Early Habsburgs
  • The Protestant Reformation
    • Martin Luther
    • Resistance to Lutheranism
    • The Peace of Augsburg
  • The Thirty Years' War, 1618-48
    • The Counter-Reformation and Religious Tensions
    • Military Campaigns
    • The Peace of Westphalia
  • The Age of Enlightened Absolutism, 1648-1789
    • Austria and Prussia
    • The Smaller States
  • The French Revolution and Germany
  • The German Confederation, 1815-66
    • Economic and Political Trends Toward Unification
    • The Revolutions of 1848
    • The Restoration
  • Bismarck and Unification
  • Imperial Germany
    • Political Parties
    • The Economy and Population Growth
    • The Tariff Agreement of 1879 and Its Social Consequences
    • Bismarck's Foreign Policy
    • Foreign Policy in the Wilhelmine Era
    • World War I
  • The Weimar Republic, 1918-33
    • The Weimar Constitution
    • Problems of Parliamentary Politics
    • The Stresemann Era
    • Hitler and the Rise of National Socialism
  • The Third Reich, 1933-45
    • The Consolidation of Power
    • Foreign Policy
    • The Outbreak of World War II
    • Total Mobilization, Resistance, and the Holocaust
    • Defeat

• Chapter 2 - Historical Setting: 1945 to 1990 (Bruno F. Steinbruckner)
  • Postwar Occupation and Division
    • The Establishment of Occupation Zones
    • The Nuremberg Trials and Denazification
    • Political Parties and Democratization
    • The Creation of the Bizone
    • The Birth of the Federal Republic of Germany
    • The Birth of the German Democratic Republic
  • West Germany and the Community of Nations
    • Rearmament and the European Defense Community
    • Social Market Economy
    • Ludwig Erhard and the Grand Coalition
  • The Ulbricht Era, 1949-71
    • Consolidation of the New State
    • Planned Economy
    • The Warsaw Pact and the National People's Army
    • The Berlin Wall
    • The "Socialist State of the German Nation"
  • The Social Democratic-Free Democratic Coalition, 1969-82
    • Willy Brandt
    • Ostpolitik
    • Helmut Schmidt
    • The Student Movement and Terrorism
    • The Greens
  • The Christian Democratic/Christian Socialist-Free Democratic Coalition, 1983-
  • The Honecker Era, 1971-89
    • The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
    • The New East German Constitution and the Question of Identity
    • Relations Between the Two Germanys
    • The Peace Movement and Internal Resistance
    • The Last Days of East Germany
  • Opening of the Berlin Wall and Unification
• Chapter 3. The Society and Its Environment (David E. McClave)
  • Physical Setting
    • Topography
      • North German Lowland
      • Central German Uplands
      • Southern Germany
      • Alpine Foreland and the Alps
    • Drainage
    • Climate
    • The Environment
  • Population
    • Historical Background
    • Fertility
    • Age-Gender Distribution
    • Mortality
    • Population Distribution and Urbanization
    • Immigration
      • Foreign Residents
      • Ethnic Germans
      • Asylum-Seekers
    • Ethnic Minorities
  • Women in Society
  • Marriage and Family
  • Housing
  • Religion
    • Postwar Christianity
      • Roman Catholicism
      • Protestantism
      • Free Churches
      • Orthodox Churches
    • Judaism
    • Islam
  • Social Structure and Social Mobility
    • Social Structure
      • The Elite
      • The Self-Employed
      • Salaried Employees
      • Civil Servants
      • Workers
      • The Poor
    • Social Mobility
  • The Search for a New National Identity

• Chapter 4 - Social Welfare, Health Care, and Education (Christa Altenstetter)
  • Social Insurance and Welfare Programs
    • Historical Development
    • Provisions of the Social Welfare System
      • Social Insurance
      • Unemployment Insurance
      • Accident Insurance
      • Social Assistance
      • Other Social Benefits
    • Current Social Welfare Issues and Outlook for the Future
  • National Health Insurance and Medical Care
    • Development of the Health Care System
    • Health Insurance
    • Health Care Providers
    • Remuneration of Health Care Providers
    • Current Health Care Issues and Outlook for the Future
  • Education
    • Historical Background
    • Educational Policy Making and Administration
    • Educational Finances
    • The Education System
      • Elementary and Primary Education
      • Junior Secondary Education
      • Senior Secondary Education
      • Vocational Education and Training
      • Tertiary or Higher Education
    • Education in the New Länder
    • Current Education Issues and Outlook for the Future

• Chapter 5 - The Domestic Economy (W.R. Smyser)
  • Patterns of Development
    • History
    • The Social Market Economy
    • The Economic Miracle and Beyond
    • Unification and Its Aftermath
    • Structural and Technological Questions
  • The Role of Government and Other Institutions
    • The Federal Government Role
      • The Chancellor
      • The Minister of Finance and the Minister for Economy
      • The Bundeskartellamt
    • Land and Local Governments
    • Government Subsidies
    • Government Expenditures and the National Debt
    • The Associations
  • The Culture of German Management
  • Labor and Codetermination
    • Labor
    • Codetermination
  • Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
    • Agriculture
    • Forestry
    • Fishing
  • Industry
    • Manufacturing
    • Energy and Natural Resources
  • The Financial System
    • The Bundesbank
    • Banking and Its Role in the Economy
    • Nonbank Financing
  • Other Services
    • Transportation
    • Telecommunications
    • Tourism

• Chapter 6 - International Economic Relations (W.R. Smyser)
  • Germany in the World Economy
    • Germany in World Finance and in the Group of Seven
    • The Deutsche Mark as an International Currency
  • Germany in the European Economy
    • Germany in the European Community
    • The European Single Market
    • Germany and the European Union
    • Germany in the European Monetary System
    • Germany and the European Monetary Union
  • Foreign Trade and Investment
    • Trade Philosophy and the Trade Balance
    • International Investment in and by Germany
  • Foreign Aid

• Chapter 7 - Government and Politics (Karen E. Donfried)
  • Constitutional Framework
    • The Constitution
    • Federalism
  • Government Institutions
    • The President
    • The Chancellor and the Cabinet
    • The Legislature
      • Bundestag
      • Bundesrat
    • The Judiciary
    • The Civil Service
    • Land and Local Government
  • The Electoral System
  • Political Parties
    • Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union
    • Social Democratic Party of Germany
    • Free Democratic Party
    • The Greens
    • The Republikaner and the German People's Union
    • Party of Democratic Socialism
  • Extraparty Political Forces
    • Business and Industry
    • Labor Unions
    • The Churches
    • Agriculture
    • Citizens' Initiative Associations
  • The Mass Media
    • Newspapers
    • Radio and Television
  • Political Developments since Unification

• Chapter 8 - Foreign Relations (Jeffrey Gedmin)
  • Major Foreign Policy Goals and Strategies
    • Early Developments
    • Postwar Developments
    • Unification
    • Foreign Reaction to Unification
    • Postunification Developments
  • Foreign Policy Formulation
    • Institutional Framework
    • Domestic Influences on Foreign Policy
      • Foreign Policy Positions of the Political Parties
      • Public Opinion
    • The Out-of-Area Debate
  • International Cooperation
    • North Atlantic Treaty Organization
    • Western European Union
    • Eurocorps
    • European Union
    • Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
    • United Nations

• Chapter 9 - National Security (Jean R. Tartte)
  • Military Tradition
    • Early History
    • Prussia's Emergence as a Military Power
    • The German Military in Two World Wars
    • Creation of the Bundeswehr
  • Strategic Concerns and Military Missions
  • The Armed Forces
    • Command and Control
    • Army
      • Equipment
      • Franco-German Brigade and Eurocorps
    • Navy
    • Air Force
    • Training
    • Reserves
    • Morale
  • Integration of East German Armed Forces
  • Defense Budget
  • Military Justice
  • Uniforms, Ranks, and Insignia
  • Citizens in Uniform
    • Personnel Policies
    • Service Obligations
    • Benefits
  • Defense Production and Export
  • Foreign Military Relations
  • International Military Missions
  • Internal Security
    • Federal Police Agencies
    • Land Police Agencies
    • Criminal Justice
    • Incidence of Crime and Incarceration
    • Dissidence and Terrorist Activity

• Appendix. Tables
• Bibliography
• Glossary