Die CDU unter Angela Merkel – der neue Kanzlerwahlverein?

Zolleis, Udo; Schmid, Josef

doi:10.1007/978-3-658-02852-7_2

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Merkel modernised her party, promoting progressive allies and removing opponents (Resing 2013). Some pundits suggested that the CDU was becoming a mere 'chancellor voting club' (Zolleis and Schmid 2014), as pollsters showed that there was little alternative: the CDU could not retain its dominance without appealing to the increasingly post-ideological centre, even if this entailed disappointing traditionally conservative-minded supporters (Jung 2016;Jung et al 2014). At the same time as Ulrich Beck accused Merkel of domineering, de-politicisation, and harshness with European partner states, socially conservative voters regarded her increasingly as too social democratic, too progressive, and too liberal.…”

Section: Centrist Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

State Failure, Polarisation, and Minority Engagement in Germany’s Refugee Crisis

Bock¹

2018

Int J Polit Cult Soc

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Talk about a 'refugee crisis' dominated Germany's political discourse in 2015/2016. The arrival of hundreds of thousands of foreigners desiring protection shaped public and private debates. However, rather than taking the term refugee crisis for granted, this article suggests that critical experiences in Germany, and responses to them, were shaped by the failure of state institutions. In the same year, as further austerity measures were imposed on Greece, German citizens questioned the state of their own public infrastructure. Following privatisation and cuts to social services, national, regional, and local authorities lacked the capacity to respond adequately to newcomers' needs. The sight of failing state institutions contributed to a sense of crisis. Simultaneously, however, the apparent state incapacityparticularly also in Berlin, the focus of this article-opened up spaces for emergent civil society actors, including minority groups. Muslims organised in associations could perform relevance as reliable citizens and raise their public profile. Different groups also put forward alternative visions of society. At the same time, government support for asylum seekers and the greater visibility of actors in a pluralist society pushed some conservatives towards a new farright force: the Alternative for Germany party (AfD). The gaps in public administration that were revealed in 2015/2016 resulted in social polarisation left and right of centrist politics: nationalist conservatives rejected an increasingly multicultural country and found a new political home in the AfD, whereas left wingers and minority groups challenged austerity and claimed greater political representation for their views.Keywords Austerity . Civil society . Crisis . Germany . Populism . Refugees Over the course of only a few months, the so-called refugee crisis (Flüchlingskrise) and its implications upended German political discourse in the summer of 2015. Previously, the dominant topic had been Greece's new socialist government, led by Alexis Tsipras, and the Int J Polit Cult Soc (2018) 31:375-396 https://doi

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Section: Centrist Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%