This book explores the German idea of federalism denoting 'diversity within unity'. Historians, linguists and political scientists examine how federalism emerged in the Holy Roman Empire, was re-shaped by nineteenth-century cultural movements, and was adopted by the unified state in 1871 and again after 1945. The myth of federalism as a safeguard against totalitarianism is tested in regard to the Third Reich and the GDR. The book concludes with an outlook on German federalism's future in Europe.

Autorentext

ALON CONFINO Associate Professor, History Department, University of Virginia, USA MARY FULBROOK Professor of German History, University College London MARTIN DURRELL Henry Simon Professor of German, University of Manchester CHARLIE JEFFERY Professor of German Politics, University of Birmingham ANTHONY NICHOLLS Professor of Modern History, University of Oxford JEREMY NOAKES Professor History, University of Exeter WOLFGANG RENZSCH Professor of Politics, Otto-von-Guericke Universität, Magdeburg HAGEN SCHULZE Professor of History, Free University Berlin JOACHIM WHALEY Lecturer, German Department, University of Cambridge

Inhalt

Foreword: H.Schulze Notes on the Contributors Introduction: German Federalism in Historical Perspective; M.Umbach Federal Habits: The Holy Roman Empire and the Continuity of German Federalism; J.Whaley History and Federalism in the Age of Nation-State Formation; M.Umbach Federalism and the Heimat Idea in Imperial Germany A.Confino Political Unity and Linguistic Diversity in Nineteenth-Century Germany; M.Durrell Federalism and the Nazi State; J.Noakes Democratic Centralism and Regionalism in the GDR; M.Fulbrook Federalism from Cooperation to Competition; C.Jeffery Challenges and Perspectives of German Federalism; W.Renzsch German Federalism in History: Some Afterthoughts; A.J.Nicholls Index