German Democracy: From Post-World War II to the Present Day

When the former allies of World War II divided Germany into two provisional states, no one would have predicted that this would last for nearly half a century and that, sixty years later, Germany would emerge as a key player in Western politics. Gert-Joachim Glaessner explains this historic transformation. Themes covered include the development of the FDR and GDR during the Cold War, the politics of Westernization, the controversies of West Germany's role in NATO and European integration. Demonstrating how Germany went from political pariah to a model of modern liberal democracy, Glaessner offers a concise overview of the German political system in the post-war period.