Germans Divided: The 1994 Bundestagswahl and the Evolution of the German Party System

Description

This expert analysis -- the sequel to Dalton's The New Germany Votes -- looks at how unification is affecting German electoral politics, and focuses on the 1994 Bundestag elections. The unsettling process of Unification affected voters and parties in both East and West Germany and made it very difficult for the main parties to offer coherent programmes that addressed the nation's needs. Particular attention is paid to the problems of recreating the party system in a unified state and the voters' responses to unification. In addition, the book analyzes the political and partisan events following the election to track the future course of German politics. The growing divide between eastern and western Germans in terms of their evaluation of German unification and their views on contemporary politics is also discussed. This book constitutes a comprehensive overview of the social and political forces in Germany today which are shaping electoral politics and the future of the nation.

Russell Dalton Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Politics and Society,University of California, Irvine

"This collection is a welcome addition to the now extensive literature concerned with the 1994 federal election. Many of the chapters are concerned with a detailed analysis of the individual parties, and provide a reliable guide not only to their fortunes and strategies in the campaign, but also to their prospects in the aftermath of the election. Others provide a more general perspective on the campaign itself or selected aspects, such as questions of immigration and the women's vote." Gordon Smith, LSE "a valuable contribution for all students and teachers working in this field." Political Studies