Political Democracy of Germany - Essay Example

In the case of Germany, it was a long and slow journey to political democracy, which was because of various issues and the win over authoritarian rule did not come over night, it was a struggle that eventually bore the fruit that we see as modern-day Germany. Thus, the first German question is; why it took Germany so long to be democratic?, as it was out of a military defeat that democracy was born in Germany and this was only visible in Western Germany until 1990 when through a democratic constitution East and West Germany reunited. Though most Germans were not for the idea of democracy as they did not view it as the best option for a government, they were also not proud of their country in general. The first state in German was called The First Reich which declined in the 1300s into a loose confederation of principalities. Between the years 1618 and 1648, the protestant and catholic fought due to the division of local rulers which led to the decline of the political culture but unity was restored when a monarchy came into power.  The Kingdom of Prussia and the Prussian aristocracy also known as the Junkers served to unify the political leadership and was known for its organization and military discipline.

In 1871, the Second Reich was created under the rule of Wilhelm I, the Prussian King, who then became the emperor and he devised new ways to ensure political stability and economic growth. These included sponsoring the rise of German corporations and the industrial class and supporting monopoly arrangements to ensure an increase in investments and profit while on the other side imposing high tariffs on imported grains. It also became a military and economic power globally by the end of the 19th century and Bismarck pushed its social stability further by creating a welfare state and this resulted in growth in Germans’ pride in their country growing to the extent of being called arrogance. A difference in religious and regional views emerged and the Christian Democrats and Liberal parties started a push for representative democracy and laissez-faire. Even though there was cooptation by the welfare state, the working class was a bitter lot since no unions were allowed and it was excluded from power. The newfound sense of superiority saw the country go into an arms race with other countries like Britain, France, and the US thus leading to a seemingly more powerful Germany which led to tension between Europe and the U.S thereby sparking world war I. Germany’s aspiration to be a normal country is not a smooth process, as in many ways it will hardly be one due to its past. This is because it is not easy for people to forget Holocaust when the Germans did an unforgettable and cruel act to the Jews.

A sensitive relationship between Europe and U.S. and specifically between Germany and the U.S. grew after the WW1 and it's one of the factors that affects how the two agree on matters such as the war against terrorism. The tactic that the U.S. decided to employ to fight against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan was not accepted by Germany which advocated for more peaceful means than waged out war. Although Europe as a whole supports the fight against terrorism and they are in a somewhat good relationship with the U.S., Europeans seemingly with the U.S. policies for their own safety. From an outsider’s perspective, it may seem as though they are allies but their ties seemed weak in Munich in 2004 when former Secretary of Defense William Cohen questioned why Germany did not refuse to send their troops to Iraq to help in the struggle if they thought that it is important for Iraq to be peaceful so as to ensure the security of America and Europe. Germany instead took their troops to Bosnia and Kosovo and Afghanistan, where they serve in the NATO-commanded international force and stated that they are making their contribution to European security elsewhere.

In light of all this, a bit of stiffness in the relationship between the U.S. and Germany is still visible, for example, Germany campaigned against the war in Iraq also during the Vietnam War the protesters showed the letter S in the USA looking like a swastika. Schröder was the first European leader to speak out against the war saying that regardless of whether the United Nations sanctioned military action they would still oppose the war. However, there are visible changes, in the wake of September 2001, Germany was seen to stand in solidarity with the U.S. and dispatched their troops to Afghanistan.