Parties, Opposition And Society In West Germany (rle: German Politics) (routledge Library Editions: German Politics)

Bringing together 14 volumes originally published between 1971 and 1989, this set gives a comprehensive overview of politics and society in Germany prior to re-unification. The volumes examine the political parties and structure of the Bundestag, as well as discussing the German education system, industrial relations and the media. The collection as a whole represents an invaluable insight into the historical, political and social factors that have made Germany into the major European force that she is today. In this volume, originally published in 1984, the author examines the social composition of the electorate, of membership and leadership of West German political parties, as well as their representation and finances. Kolinsky argues that while affiliation and electorates remained distinct, the social composition of party organisations became narrower and more uniform. The book examines how the parties became alienated from contemporary West German society and discusses the difficulties experienced by opposition parties in trying to develop alternative strategies, in particular those of the Green Party. Widely praised in its first edition, the second edition of The GDR was updated to cover events through the spring of 1988, examining in particular the impact of new leadership in both Bonn and Moscow and of the changing world economy on the prospects of the GDR.