Deck 11: Germany

Question 1

Which of the following descriptions best applies to the German state of Bavaria?

A)wealthy,strongly Catholic
B)strongly Protestant,independent
C)weak in any religious affiliation,wealthy
D)working class,multiethnic

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The lower house of the German parliament is called the

A)Bundestag.
B)Bundesrat.
C)Landeshaus.
D)Volkschamber.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following statements about East Germany is accurate?

A)It was a (forced)Communist ally of the USSR.
B)It was far more affluent than West Germany.
C)It was a founding member of the European Union.
D)It became a cornerstone of the NATO alliance.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The German lower house of parliament uses what electoral system?

A)proportional representation
B)single-member district
C)mixed (between PR and SMD)
D)single-member districts within a two-round voting systems

Question 5

The reunification of East and West Germany in 1990

A)prompted the establishment of a new regime and constitution.
B)incorporated East Germany into the West German regime.
C)incorporated West Germany into the East German regime.
D)allowed for the continuation of both regimes.

Question 6

The regime established by Hitler is best described as a(n)

A)Communist dictatorship.
B)illiberal democracy.
C)theocracy.
D)fascist totalitarian dictatorship.

Question 7

With the 2017 election results,which minor party serves as the third most powerful in the Bundestag?

A)The Greens
B)The Left
C)FDP
D)AfD

Question 8

Which kingdom became the core of the modern German state?

A)Bavaria
B)Teutonia
C)Prussia
D)Berlin

Question 9

The German policy of codetermination refers to

A)consulting both East and West Germans before implementing major policies.
B)coordinating EU policies and German national policies.
C)requiring union leaders comprise half of all seats on the corporate boards of private firms.
D)devolving authority for economic policies from the federal level to state policy makers.

Question 10

Which of the following distinctions can be drawn between the CDU/CSU and the SPD?

A)The CDU/CSU is more likely to promote tax cuts.
B)The CDU/CSU was a less enthusiastic supporter of reunification between East and West Germany.
C)The SPD is a relatively young party compared to the CDU/CSU.
D)The SPD is much more likely to propose reforms aimed at reducing the welfare state.

Question 11

In which of the following ways does the Bundesrat differ from the Bundestag?

A)The Bundesrat has the power to remove the chancellor.
B)The Bundesrat is the first to deal with newly submitted legislation.
C)The Bundesrat lacks veto power over legislation,which the Bundestag possesses.
D)The Bundesrat serves as less of a check on the federal government and more of a check on the judiciary.

Question 12

The founders of Germany's current political regime sought which of the following?

A)centralized power in the national government
B)a system with fewer checks and balances
C)a better balance between the legislative and executive branches
D)a more efficient bureaucracy

Question 13

Which of the following could be considered a strong feature of German political culture?

A)support for collective well-being over individual rights
B)strong nationalism
C)postwar support for democracy as an expression of patriotic identity
D)support for a system that combines socialism with consensus

Question 14

Which of the following statements about the position of German chancellor is accurate?

A)Chancellors are elected by the upper house of the legislature.
B)Chancellors appoint and oversee the cabinet.
C)Chancellors have relatively few resources at their disposal.
D)The chancellor shares roughly equal power with the German federal president.

Question 15

Which of the following was among the short-term results of the unification of East and West Germany?

A)relocation of the capital of the German state to Bonn
B)increasing gap in per capita wealth between the two halves
C)huge spending to modernize West German infrastructure
D)massive unemployment in East Germany

Question 16

Germany's current head of government is

A)Angela Merkel.
B)Horst Köhler.
C)Gerhard Schroeder.
D)Christian Wulff.

Question 17

The Weimar Republic

A)collapsed in the face of rising Nazism in the 1930s.
B)sponsored German reunification in the 1990s.
C)fostered German industrialization in the 1890s.
D)replaced Nazi rule in the 1950s.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about political party competition in Germany is accurate?

A)The SPD is considered a catchall party;the center-right CDU/CSU is considered more exclusionary.
B)Germany's historically dominant parties reached their highest proportion of the vote in the 2013 general elections.
C)Angela Merkel has only been able to rule since 2013 through a coalition with the Free Democratic Party.
D)Parties must reach 5 percent of the electoral vote in order to hold seats in the legislature.

Question 19

West Germany's formal name during the division after 1949 was the

A)Federal Republic of Germany.
B)United Republic of Germany.
C)Free German Republic.
D)German Democratic Republic.

Question 20

The title of Germany's head of government is the

A)federal chancellor.
B)prime minister.
C)president.
D)king or queen.

Question 21

How has the legacy of Nazism and World War II shaped the development of civil society in Germany? What groups comprise the most active portions of civil society in Germany?

Question 22

What are the consequences of Germany's mixed electoral system for the political makeup of parliament and the legislative process?

Question 23

Why did the Weimar Republic fail? Were internal or external factors more significant in its eventual demise?

Question 24

Describe the core principles of the Basic Law.How was it designed to mitigate the weaknesses and failures of past governments? How well has it succeeded?

Question 25

Has reunification succeeded in Germany? Identify the primary political,social,and economic challenges that remain.