Veröffentlichungsreihe der Abteilung Institutionen und sozialer Wandel des Forschungsschwerpunktes Sozialer Wandel, Institutionen und Vermittlungsprozesse des Wissenschaftszentrums Berlin für Sozialforschung FS III 98-204 The Political Culture of Unified Germany

One condition for the stability of democratic systems is the development of a political culture that is congruent with the implemented structure. As the presented data shows, in unified Germany this kind of congruence exists only in West Germany. In East Germany a majority of citizens is supporting democracy as well, but have a rather skeptical attitude toward the liberal democracy of Germany. This skepticism results partly from socialization and experiences in the state socialist system of the GDR. These lead to the preference of another normative model of democracy than the liberal democracy institutionalized in Germany. Considering the acceptance of the liberal democracy of Germany and the values underlying this model of democracy, the "inner unity" of the community of Germans remains still to be seen.