An A-level standard essay arguing that the statement that political stability was the key feature of West German government and politics from is true to a limited extent.
How far do you agree that the key feature of the German government
and politics between 1945 and 1989 was political stability?
A politically stable nation generally refers to a nation in which; there are no
political coups, revolutions or civil wars, there is a secure government
providing respect for the existing political order and, consequently, the risk of
political upheaval is considerably low. During the years 1945-1989 Germany
undeniably experienced periods of such political stability, with elected
governments not only completing their terms but being reelected with
increased majorities and levels of support for extremist groups remaining
considerably low. However, it must be noted that the country also experienced
periods of political turbulence in which protestors with radical views resorted to
violence which spiralled into terrorism. For this reason, I think that political
stability cannot be named the key feature of German government and politics
during 1945-1989, but instead highlighted as one of the key features along
with political instability and the growth of alternative political movements as a
result of disillusionment with mainstream politics.
The best example of Germany’s political stability can be seen in the years
1949-1966. In 1949, the foundations for a politically stable democracy were
laid through the adoption of a new constitution in Germany, the ‘Basic Law’.
This new constitution ensured that; parties had to achieve a minimum of 5% of
the national vote to qualify for a seat in parliament, the President could not
give Chancellors the power to rule by emergency decree and the role of
President was largely ceremonial. Here, the Basic Law essentially ironed out
constitutional issues that had undermined democracy in 1920s Germany,
demonstrating that the country had learnt from its mistakes and the Federal
Republic of Germany (FRG) would be a more politically secure nation going
forward. Evidence for Germany being a politically stable nation in the years
following 1949 can be seen in the FRG’s ‘economic miracle’, popular social
and economic policies, and integration into the Western Bloc. Germany’s
economic growth was remarkable: the average calorie intake of a West
German increased by over 2,000 between 1945 and 1955 and between 1950
and 1960 the number of cars in the FRG rose from 500,000 to over 4 million.
This economic miracle particularly contributed to the political stability of West
Germany, as democracy became associated with increased material well
being. The CDU stayed in power for 17 years, of which Konrad Adenauer
served as chancellor for 14, so evidently opposition to the government and
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