Description: In 2002 the seat of the German government will relocate from Bonn to Berlin, completing the reunification process begun in 1990.

Can German democracy endure the stresses of reunification? In this comprehensive overview of German politics, Edinger and Nacos, using the United States as a counterpoint, explain the salient aspects of the Federal Republic's political system and shed new light on the problems posed by the reunification of two very different nations.

The first part describes the basic features of German representative democracy, which developed from the legacy not only of the Third Reich, but also of the Weimar Republic. The authors examine the national emphasis on cooperation and collective responsibility, and analyze the role of the media in reshaping electoral politics. The second part addresses the most pressing problems facing Germany at the close of the twentieth century, from the challenges posed by European integration to the growing political and economic strength of its burgeoning immigrant population, and the pressures taxing its medical and social insurance programs.

Drawing upon the most up-to-date published and unpublished materials, including voting studies and opinion polls, Edinger and Nacos have crafted a work of scholarship that is destined to be essential to the study of German politics.

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