German Politics and Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Eurozone Budget

This article examines selected political party positions on a Eurozone budget and fiscal transfers between 2018 and 2021. It posits that German government positions on common European debt and fiscal policy have undergone a significant but fragile shift. It must contend with continued domestic hostility before it can be said to be a lasting realignment. A great deal with depend less on the Social Democratic Party that is largely responsible for bringing it about with the support of German Greens, and more on the willingness of the Christian Democratic Union, their Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union and the German voting public to adopt a more interventionist fiscal policy as well, generating shared commitments to economic policy at home and in Europe. That has not happened yet.

Germany’s beleaguered CDU faces a crucial few months

Significance The results coincide with declining support for the CDU at the national level because of its mishandling of the latest stage of the COVID-19 pandemic and corruption scandals relating to the procurement of face masks and foreign donations. These developments could affect the choice of the CDU-Christian Social Union (CSU) chancellor-candidate, as well as the party’s performance in September’s federal election. Impacts The Greens would likely work better in a CDU-CSU government under CSU leader Markus Soeder, rather than Laschet. A CDU-Green government would be more ambitious on defence policy than previous governments. With the Greens in government, fiscal policy would become more relaxed and this could filter through to the EU level.

Culture-bound words as a method of speech strategies in german political discourse

The article is devoted to the study of culture-bound words as a method of verbal strategies of political discourse, aimed at both maintaining a positive image and verbal attacks against opponents and competing political parties. The relevance of research is due to insufficient knowledge of the lexical units with a national-cultural component from the standpoint of political linguistics. The material for the study included the speeches of the ruling parties’ leaders in Germany: Angela Merkel (Christian Democratic Union) and Horst Seehofer (Christian Social Union) in the context of the “Political Ash Wednesday” 2017. Politicians’ statements containing culture-bound words were selected by continuous sampling method. The analysis revealed that the speakers deliberately used culture-bound words in order to implement their communicative intentions. Such units illustrate non-linguistic reality; they are directly related to the values of society and influence the recipient in communication. Using the statements of A. Merkel and H. Seehofer, the author identified five speech strategies (self-presentation and discredit strategies, informationinterpretation, manipulative and agitation strategies), and also established their relationship with the use of culture-bound words.

Początki politycznej kariery czołowych polityczek CDU i CSU na poziomie federalnym w Niemczech w latach 1991–2018

The article focuses on the first steps in the political career of female politicians from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), who assumed top political positions at the federal level in Germany between 1991 and 2018. The author analyses when the female leaders of the CDU and CSU took their first parliamentary seats in the German Bundestag, when they obtained the first leading positions at the federal level, and also how many years after joining the party this took place. It is also interesting whether top female politicians took their first parliamentary seats through votes in direct districts or thanks to the party list (second votes). Do the career paths of the female politicians from the Christian Democrats fit the model of typical career paths, or do they also include those who have avoided key positions on their way to the top?

Gender political correctness in German (on the material of political leaders public performances)

The issue of gender equality is currently being studied on the basis of different languages and from various positions, most intensively from the point of view of language policy. In this case, we are talking about the choice of language tools in oral or written speech that allow to unambiguously reflect gender and the social role of the named person. The word-building capabilities of the German language, in particular suffixation and substantiation, represent a significant potential for creating gender-correct lexical units. The main objective of the study was to identify lexical means of expressing political correctness in the speech of representatives of various political parties of Germany (Christian Democratic Union, Christian Social Union, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Free Democratic Party, Green Party, Left Party, Alternative for Germany) in close interconnection with extralinguistic factors. In the research process, the continuous sampling method, semantic, contextual, and statistical analysis were used, which made it possible to identify units with a gender marking. Based on semantic attributes, the identified lexemes were classified into four groups: feminitives, gender-neutral, gender-asymmetric, and gender-symmetric units. The analysis shows the changes in the German language towards gender equality. The main tendency of this process is feminization, the signs of which are found primarily in the language of female politicians, which also reflects the national-cultural specificity of the modern German language.

Intertextuality of Political Discourse in Germany (on the Example of “Political Ash Wedfnesday”)

The article is devoted to the role of intertext in public speeches of politicians of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria within the framework of the “political ash Wednesday”. On the example of the speeches of M. Söder, A. Scheuer and M. Blume in 2018, the relationship between the type of intertext and its pretext, on the one hand, and the speaker’s intention, on the other, was analyzed. As a result of the analysis of 23 intertextual inclusions, four intentions were revealed, among which (48 %) criticism of political opponents (SDPG, “The Greens”, AfD, “Free Voters”) prevails. Quotes from representatives of these parties, political slogans, a paraphrase of the name of the eco-movement and a quote from an artist are used to express it. As the intertextual analysis showed, to verbalize the second intention (appeal to authoritative opinion and emphasize the continuity of the party course), the former chairman of the CSU F. J. Strauss is cited, while the third intention (opposing Bavaria to the rest of Germany) is implemented using a quote from the Bavarian anthem, a paraphrase of a television commercial and quotations from a literary work. In addition, the authors found that the fourth intention (emphasizing the dialogic nature of communication with ordinary people) is found only in M. Söder’s speech in the form of a retelling of his dialogues with ordinary citizens.

German parties are preparing for early elections

Subject Update on the German government. Significance Just over one year after the grand coalition between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was renewed, all three parties are preparing for its breakdown by sharpening their profiles. Impacts Conflicts between the coalition parties may deepen if deteriorating economic conditions force hard budgetary choices. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s international influence is likely to decline as her domestic position weakens. Low poll ratings could moderate the parties’ desire for early elections.

Germany’s Christian Democrats

The German Christian Democratic Party (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), known collectively as the Union, were founded in the immediate aftermath of World War II as anti-materialist Christian responses to the atrocities of the war and as buffers to encroaching Communism and Fascism. The first Volkspartei, the CDU has served as a “catch-all” party since its inception, prioritizing its inter-confessional appeal to a diverse group of both Protestant and Catholic voters throughout Germany over ideology. Over seven decades, the CDU/CSU has enjoyed enormous success, by broadly adhering to core elements of a Christian understanding of self, promotion of a social market economy, focus on family, and a Western-focused European community. The CDU presided over the first post-war German government under long-serving Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, German reunification in 1990 under Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and European stability in the face of a refugee crisis under Chancellor Angela Merkel. The CDU has evolved from a chancellor’s party centered around charismatic leadership and antipathy to Ostpolitik, to the most successful German Volkspartei and a staunch bulwark of the European community.

Bavaria elections spell trouble for German coalition

Significance The governing Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), suffered a serious blow in Bavaria's October 14 federal state elections, underscoring the wider decline of the CDU/CSU in Germany. Its setback, as well as the poor result for the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel’s junior coalition partner, will have implications at the national level. Impacts If Merkel were to fall, Bundestag President Wolfgang Schaeuble could serve as stop-gap chancellor. In 2019’s state elections, the AfD could emerge as the largest party in several eastern states. Merkel could withdraw support for the CSU’s Manfred Weber, who wants to run for the European Commission presidency.