Deck 6: Germany

Question 1

All of the following contributed to the collapse of the Weimar Republic EXCEPT

A) the Great Depression.
B) war reparations.
C) the Treaty of Versailles.
D) a lack of a clear parliamentary majority.
E) Germany's defeat in World War II.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

The success of post-World War II democracy in West Germany is usually attributed in part to

A) reparations.
B) rapid economic growth.
C) heartfelt conversion of former Nazi officials.
D) the absence of strong labor unions.
E) cooperation between East Germany and West Germany.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Adolf Hitler gave himself the title of

A) Commander-in-chief.
B) Fuhrer.
C) Holy Roman Emperor.
D) King.
E) President.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Political parties in Germany today

A) tend to be catch-all parties like those in other democracies.
B) are rigidly ideological.
C) reflect stubborn class divisions in Germany society.
D) tend to be small, regional groups seeking coalition partners.
E) are closely tied to religious organizations.

Question 5

Germany is organized using which type of political arrangement?

A) Unitary
B) Federal
C) Confederal
D) Imperial
E) Anarchic

Question 6

The regime that governed Germany from 1933 until 1945 was called the

A) Second Reich.
B) Weimar Republic.
C) Third Reich.
D) Holy Roman Empire.
E) Federal Kingdom of Germany.

Question 7

German currency is known as the

A) Euro.
B) Deutschmark.
C) Budestag.
D) Weimark.
E) German Pound.

Question 8

Germany's economic turnaround following the end of World War II has been so surprisingly effective that it has been dubbed by experts as

A) "shock therapy".
B) Keynesian economics.
C) Voodoo economics.
D) Modell Deutschland.
E) the "German Turnaround"

Question 9

German Lander (states) are important for

A) administering most federal laws.
B) coordinating policy and law covering property rights.
C) defining German citizenship.
D) making economic policy.
E) funding government programs.

Question 10

Which of the following statements best characterizes German political culture today?

A) Most West Germans harbor strong neo-Nazi attitudes.
B) Most Germans believe in socialism.
C) Most Germans want to become a military as well as an economic power.
D) Most East and West Germans have very extreme political attitudes.
E) Most Germans accept the institutions and processes of a democratic system.

Question 11

All of the following were reasons for pessimism about the new republic after World War II EXCEPT

A) German values were changing too quickly.
B) democracy had been imposed by outsiders.
C) East Germany created a Stalinist government.
D) immigration by refugees.
E) questions about the durability of the economy.

Question 12

Religiously, Germany would most accurately be described as having

A) very few Catholics.
B) a large Jewish population.
C) a mix of Catholics and Protestants.
D) a tiny population of foreigners.
E) a strong state church.

Question 13

At the end of World War II, all of the countries occupied a zone in Germany EXCEPT

A) the United States.
B) France.
C) the Soviet Union.
D) Italy.
E) Great Britain.

Question 14

The regime that governed Germany from 1919 until 1933 was called the

A) Second Reich.
B) Weimar Republic.
C) Third Reich.
D) Holy Roman Empire.
E) Federal Kingdom of Germany.

Question 15

Adolph Hitler launched World War II in part to gain more territory for Germany, to acquire what he described as

A) holocaust.
B) lebensraum.
C) blitzkrieg.
D) appeasement.
E) détente.

Question 16

German society in the late-1800s has been described as

A) democratic.
B) decadent.
C) faulted.
D) corrupt.
E) liberal.

Question 17

When comparing the historic development of Germany, Britain, and France,

A) only France had the state and nation develop at the same time.
B) only Germany had the state and nation develop at the same time.
C) only Britain had the state and nation develop at the same time.
D) only France and Germany had the state and nation develop at the same time.
E) only France and Britain had the state and nation develop at the same time.

Question 18

To avoid the "mistakes" of the Treaty of Versailles, the occupying powers in Germany after World War II decided to

A) attach higher reparations to Germany's post-war obligations.
B) give the city of Berlin to France as compensation.
C) disarm Germany and prevent them from legally having armed forces.
D) restore the German Kaiser to power.
E) rebuild Germany and thus restore confidence in the political system.

Question 19

Seats in the Bundestag are assigned using what method?

A) Proportional representation
B) Single member districts
C) Proportional representation and single-member districts
D) Lottery
E) Random selection

Question 20

After the end of World War II, Germany was divided into how many zones?

A) One
B) Two
C) Three
D) Four
E) Five

Question 21

Members of the Constitutional Court are appointed by the

A) chancellor.
B) Bundestag.
C) Bundesrat.
D) both the Bundestag and Bundesrat.
E) cabinet.

Question 22

Angela Merkel's election victory was historic because she

A) had the largest margin of victory in modern German history.
B) was the first child of immigrant parents to be elected chancellor.
C) was the first former Nazi to be elected to national office.
D) she was the first woman elected chancellor.
E) won the first election held after reunification.

Question 23

The drafters of West Germany's Basic Law attempted to prevent the success of extremist parties by

A) having the Chancellor chosen by the states.
B) making terms in office short.
C) forbidding the re-election of top officials.
D) making campaigns long and expensive.
E) electing half of the lower house through proportional representation.

Question 24

West German economic policy in the 1980s

A) led American and British changes toward greater reliance on markets.
B) stripped unions of their ability to strike at will.
C) encouraged labor-management cooperation.
D) ensured that Germany's biggest banks would control economic development.
E) followed the lead of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.

Question 25

The German Constitutional Court CANNOT

A) invalidate a law as unconstitutional.
B) review laws passed by the Lander (states).
C) be made up of judges who are reappointed to the bench.
D) review laws before they are implemented.
E) exclude judges who win majority support in the legislature.

Question 26

The CDU Chancellor at the time of reunification was

A) Helmut Schmidt.
B) Hans-Dietrich Genscher.
C) Helmut Kohl.
D) Gerhard Schroeder.
E) Willy Brandt.

Question 27

The more powerful house of the German parliament today is the

A) Reichstag.
B) Reichsrat.
C) Bundesrat.
D) Bundestag.
E) Gemeinschaft.

Question 28

Evidence of the German chancellor's power includes

A) easily invoked emergency powers.
B) an article in the Basic Law that allows the chancellor to decree legislation pending approval by the Bundestag.
C) widespread authority for bureaucratic policy making.
D) authority to dissolve the Bundestag and Bundesrat.
E) a staff significantly larger than those of other European prime ministers.

Question 29

Since the end of World War II, which political party has been most dominant in German politics?

A) Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
B) Social Democratic Party (SPD)
C) Free Democratic Party (FDP)
D) Green Party
E) Left Party

Question 30

In Germany, länders are equivalent to American _________.

Question 31

The overwhelming majority of German workers belong to the __________, which represents seventeen unions.

A) Trades Union Council
B) Federation of German Labor
C) Association of German Laborers
D) Federal Association of German Employers
E) Federation of German Industry

Question 32

The perennially small Free Democratic Party (FDP) has survived as an important political force in large part because

A) of funding from the largest German corporations.
B) women have disproportionally supported it.
C) they are usually necessary to form a majority coalition.
D) of its concentrated geographic base of support.
E) it has been supported by the World War II occupying powers.

Question 33

The "constructive vote of no confidence" in Germany's Basic Law means that the legislature

A) cannot vote down a government policy proposal without approving an alternative.
B) cannot vote a government out of office unless it votes in a new government to replace it.
C) cannot vote down policy goals proposed by the government; it can only vote down specific methods of reaching those goals.
D) can delay legislation until the government considers alternatives proposed by the legislature.
E) can amend previously passed legislation to improve the way policy goals are achieved.

Question 34

What is the name for the system that, by law, requires half of the seats on the boards of directors for companies with more than two thousand employees be given to union members?

A) Concerted Action
B) Cohabitation
C) Codetermination
D) Devolution
E) Decentralization

Question 35

The term given to the German model of policy making that involves bringing labor and business together behind closed doors to reach consensus is known as

A) Basic Law.
B) corporatism.
C) codetermination.
D) federalism.
E) reparations.

Question 36

The Bundesrat has _________ members, who are chosen by their respective state governments.

A) 40
B) 53
C) 12
D) 69
E) 68

Question 37

In contrast to the members of the United States Supreme Court, appointees to the German Constitutional Court tend to be more ideologically __________ due to their need to attract support in both legislative houses in order to have their nominations approved.

A) liberal
B) conservative
C) moderate
D) radical
E) extreme

Question 38

The agency primarily responsible for coordinating the reunification of East and West Germany was

A) the Bundesbank.
B) the Bundestag.
C) the Bundesrat.
D) the Treuhand.
E) the BASF.

Question 39

To aid its post-World War II recovery, Germany relied on millions of dollars from the Marshall Plan, and also

A) substantial loans from the Soviet Union.
B) an influx of cheap labor from China.
C) a decline in population.
D) an influx of cheap labor from East Germany.
E) substantial loans from China.

Question 40

Agricultural and business interests have close ties to which political party in Germany?

A) Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
B) Social Democratic Party (SPD)
C) Free Democratic Party (FDP)
D) Greens
E) Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS)

Question 41

Postwar Germany has been both economically prosperous and democratic. How are those two conditions related to each other? Did Germany become democratic because it was prosperous, or vice-versa? Why? Use specific examples to illustrate your arguments.

Question 42

Germany became a unified country and began developing democratic institutions later than most other West European countries. How did that contribute to Germany's difficulties during the twentieth century?

Question 43

In the post-World War II Germany, the first chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, centralized power into the office of the chancellor to such a degree that Germany became known as a __________.

Question 44

How many major political parties does Germany have? How many minor ones? What affects the number of parties and how they compete with each other? What role do the Free Democrats (FDP) play in German politics?

Question 45

The __________ Act provided the legal basis for the entire Third Reich.

Question 46

How did the end of World War I lead to Hitler's rise to power and the start of World War II? How did the occupying powers attempt to avoid repeating the "mistakes" that occurred after World War I? How has that impacted German politics today?

Question 47

What was the impact of the occupation of Germany after World War II? How did it contribute to the Cold War? What are the implications for current conditions in Germany and Europe?

Question 48

The constitutional provision that only allows a __________ vote of no confidence means that a government cannot be voted out unless a new government is voted in.

Question 49

Polls have shown in recent years that __________ of the electorate in Germany can be classified as postmaterialist.

Question 50

What is Germany's role in the European Union and the Eurozone generally? How has Germany reacted to the Eurozone/sovereign debt crises in other European countries? What alternatives does Germany have going forward? What would you recommend they do? Why?

Question 51

The lower house of the German legislature is the __________.

Question 52

The first extremist right wing party to win seats in the Bundestag since the 1950s is: A) CDU
B) The Greens
C) AfD
D) FDP
E) SPD

Question 53

What changes in German political culture made democratization possible so soon after the demise of the fascist regime in 1945? What impact have those changes had on the German political system in place today?

Question 54

Of all the major European countries, Germany has had the most successful Green party and the largest group of postmaterialist voters. How would you explain that? What difference has that made in German political life?

Question 55

At the end of World War II, Germany's capital city of Berlin fell into the zone controlled by the __________.

Question 56

How does federalism work in Germany? How do German states/lander compare to subnational units in the other countries we have studied so far? How has this relationship helped or hurt German development in the post-World War II era? Be as specific as possible.

Question 57

Much earlier than the Labour Party in Britain, the SPD abandoned __________ in order to achieve electoral success.

Question 58

The German population rate is declining, leading to a growth in the aging population. What impact might this have on the economy of the country? What might its impact be on the political structures?

Question 59

Germany's comprehensive energy policy is known as: A) Energiewende
B) Climate change
C) The German Paris Accord
D) Sustainability
E) Free market environmentalism

Question 60

During the Middle Ages, Germany was home to the Holy Roman Empire, also known as the __________ Reich.

Question 61

Hauss and others argue that decision making is more cooperative in Germany than in other countries he includes in Comparative Politics.  Do you agree? Why (not)?