Parties and Party Systems in the New Germany (Association for the Study of German Politics)

This book examines the party landscape in the new Federal Republic, suggesting that, despite continuity in the composition of the party system, the potential for change and instability has increased significantly since unification. Party system change is addressed at both federal and state levels and each of the parties is examined against the background of the unification process. There is an analysis of voting behaviour in the all-German election of 1990 and in the longer term, showing a tendency towards electoral volatility. The book examines the formation of the party system in the eastern part of Germany out of the opposition of the old regime and assesses the potential for the consolidation of party democracy in the east.