Elitenwandel im Prozess der deutschen Einigung : (Ostdeutsche politische Eliten im Vergleich, 1990-2008) = Elite Change in the Process of German Unification : East German Political Elites in Comparison, 1990-2008

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

German unification has paved the ground for an almost unique political experiment: the formation of a political elite in a post-communist society, yet within a consolidated democracy whose institutions and procedures were largely transferred to the Eastern parts of the unified country. The simultaneity of transformation (democratization and marketization) and unification structurally distinguishes the post-communist developments in East Germany from those elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe.
Against this particular background the paper explores the pace, mode and consequences of elite change in unified Germany, or rather of the elite formation in the Eastern part of the country since the autumn revolution in 1989. It argues that elite circulation was both extensive and rapid and that it was spurred by the impact of the West German political parties. The availability of West German politicians led to a confined but substantial import of political elites - a phenomenon hardly visible in other post-communist countries.
In an institutional setting largely developed along Western blueprints, elite integration has continued rather smoothly, despite some apparent divergence between East and West German elites. While horizontal integration has expanded, vertical integration is increasingly challenged, with fierce anti-elite rhetoric gaining ground in reaction to allegedly non-responsive and exclusive political elites. At the same time, the integration among the elites is not reflected in the public attitudes of East and West Germans. In the final section the paper, therefore, discusses the challenges to political elites in Germany some two decades after the fall of the Berlin wall. It also speculates about whether and to which extent German experiences can provide useful information or even lessons to be learned for other countries facing unification.
The article is based on biographical and career data for East and West German MPs and ministers since unification. In addition, it makes use of attitudinal data from the two largest parliamentary surveys conducted in 2003 and 2007 by the Collaborative Research Centre 580.