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area handbook series Germany a country study Germany a country study Federal Research Division Library ofCongress Edited by Eric Solsten Research Completed August 1995 On the cover: The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin Third Edition, FirstPrinting, 1996. LibraryofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Germany a country study / Federal Research Division, : — LibraryofC—ongress ; edited byEric Solsten. 3rd ed. p. cm. (Area handbook series, ISSN 1057-5294) (DAPam; 550-173) "Supersedes the 1988 edition ofEastGermany a coun- : try study, edited by Stephen R. Burant; and the 1982 edition ofFederal Republic of—Germany : a country study, edited byRichard F. Nyrop." T.p.verso. "Research completedAugust 1995." Includes bibliographical references (pp. 545-593) and index. ISBN 0-8444-0853-0 (he alk. paper) : Copy3 Z663.275 .G47 1996 1. Germany. I. Solsten, Eric, 1943- . II. Library of Congress. Federal Research Division. III. Series. IV. Series: DAPam 550-173. ; DD17.G475 1996 96-20927 943—dc20 CIP Headquarters, Department ofthe Army DA Pam 550-173 ForsalebytheSuperintendentofDocuments,U.S.GovernmentPrintingOffice Washington,D.C. 20402 Foreword This volume is one in a continuing series ofbooks prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program spon- sored bythe DepartmentoftheArmy. The lasttwo pages ofthis book list the other published studies. Mostbooks in the series dealwith a particular foreign country, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by historical and cultural factors. Each study is written by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists. The authors seek to provide a basic understanding ofthe observed society, striving for a dynamic rather than a static portrayal. Particular attention is devoted to the people who make up the society, their origins, dominantbeliefs andvalues, their common inter- ests and the issues on which they are divided, the nature and extent oftheir involvementwith national institutions, and their attitudes toward each other and toward their social system and political order. The books represent the analysis ofthe authors and should not be construed as an expression of an official United States government position, policy, or decision. The authors have sought to adhere to accepted standards ofscholarly objectivity. Corrections, additions, and suggestions for changes from read- ers will be welcomed for use in future editions. Louis R. Mortimer Chief Federal Research Division Library ofCongress Washington, DC 20540-4840 iii Acknowledgments This edition supersedes East Germany: A Country Study, published in 1988, and FederalRepublic ofGermany: A Country Study, published in 1982. The authors wish to acknowledge their use ofportions ofthose volumes in the preparation ofthis book. The authors also are grateful to individuals in various United States government agencies who gave their time and special knowledge to provide information and perspective. These individuals include Ralph K. Benesch, who formerly oversaw the Country Studies/Area HandbookProgram for the Department of the Army. Frank LaScala reviewed portions of the manu- J. script. Margaret A. Murray of the Office of Management and Budget suppliedvaluable information. The authors wish to thank various members of the staff of the Embassy of the Federal Republic ofGermany in Washing- ton, D.C., and ofthe German Information Center in NewYork. Uwe Petry, consul in the German Consulate General in Los Angeles, provided photographs and other assistance. Monika Dorman of Northern Germany Representation in New York also provided photographs. Often helpful for specific queries were the staffs ofthe German Historical Institute, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the American Institute for Contempo- rary German Studies of TheJohns Hopkins University, all located in Washington, D.C. Special thanks for manyvarieties of assistance must also go to William Collins, Douglas Griffin, Hans Kohler, Gisela Peters, andWerner Peters. Dr. Christa Altenstetter, author of Chapter 4, wishes to acknowledge the financial support ofthe GSF Research Center for Environment and Health in Munich-Neuherberg during her sabbatical in 1992. She extends particular thanks also to Professor Dr. Wilhelm van Eimeren, director ofMEDIS; to the — organization's scientific staff Dr.JiirgenJohn, Dr. Andreas — Mielck, and Dr. Walter Satzinger for valuable suggestions; and to the MEDIS support staff. Dr. Altenstetter is also grateful to Dr. Bernd Schulte of the Max-Planck-Institut fur Ausland- isches und Internationales Sozialrecht in Munich for his coun- sel and to Dorothee Schray, M.A., Staatsinstitut fur Schulpadagogik und Bildungsforschung, likewise in Munich, for her library assistance. v Various members of the staff of the Federal Research Divi- sion of the Library of Congress assisted in the preparation of the book. SandraW. Meditz, Federal Research Division coordi- nator ofthe handbook series, made helpful suggestions during her review of all parts of the book, as did Andrea M. Savada. Tim Merrill reviewed the sections on geography and telecom- munications. Thanks also go to David R Cabitto, who designed the cover and some of the chapter art and provided graphics support; Marilyn L. Majeska, who managed editing and also edited portions ofthe manuscript; Laura C. Wells, who helped prepare the Country Profile; Andrea T. Merrill, who managed production; HarriettR. Blood and the firm ofGreenhorne and O'Mara, who prepared the topographical map; Thomas D. Hall and the firm of Maryland Mapping and Graphics, who prepared the other maps; Barbara Edgerton and Izella Watson, who did theword processing; and David R Cabitto,Janie L. Gil- christ, and IzellaWatson, who prepared the camera-readycopy. The following individuals are gratefully acknowledged as well: Vincent Ercolano, who edited most ofthe chapters; Sheila Ross, who performed the prepublication editorial review;Joan C. Cook, who compiled the index; and Marty Ittner, who cre- ated many ofthe chapter illustrations. vi