Elites in Germany: Historical Change and New Challenges

This chapter analyzes the impact of social and political change on the development of German elites since the early 20th century. It shows that the regime changes Germany experienced affected the structure and outlooks of the elites in different ways. The introduction of the Weimar Republic in 1919 was characterized by a high level of elite continuity. Likewise, the democratization in West Germany after 1945 did not result in an extensive elite transformation, with the exception of the political and the media sectors. In contrast, the establishment of ideocratic regimes both after the National Socialists came to power in 1933 and the communist take-over in East Germany in 1945 resulted in the replacement of formerly autonomous societal elites by loyal followers. Germany’s unification in 1990 was unique because it was achieved by incorporating the former GDR into the well-established West German democratic order which was associated with a considerable elite transfer from the West German states. Over the last decades, two main societal trends have induced changes in the structure of political decision-making. Germany experienced a vast expansion of political personnel due to the increasing scope of state activities. It is doubtful, however, if this has fostered the formation of a political class with common interests because this sector is rather heterogeneous. The second trend is the political mobilization of ordinary citizens that has induced the formation of a large number of protest movements, increasing voter volatility, the proliferation of new parties and increased turnover in parliaments. Today’s German elites have to represent a much higher diversity of interests. So far, they have coped well with these challenges. At the same time, political polarization has considerably increased.