Government and Politics of Contemporary Berlin

ISBN-13: 9789401184243 / Angielski / Miękka / 1963 / 119 str.

Elmer Plischke

Opis

Berlin lies more than 100 miles behind the Iron Curtain within the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany. It is not, however, part of that zone. It is a separate political entity for which the four major allies of the war against Nazi tyranny are jointly responsible. Its special status stems from the fact that it was the capital not only of Hitler's Third Reich but of the German nation formed in the latter half of the 19th century. In essence, the four major allies agreed to hold Berlin, as the traditional capital, in trust for a democratic and united Germany. United States, Department of State Berlin-I96I (1961) The division of Germany, and with it the bifurcation of its one-time capital - Berlin - has produced one of the foremost political contro versies of the mid-twentieth century. There has long been a "German problem," and volumes have been written concerning the history and culture of the country, the Nazi era and World War II, the Allied occupation, and recent political and economic developments in Ger many. Yet, the "Berlin problem" - as part of the broader German question - is historically of the current era.

Spis treści

1. Introduction.- Berlin Divided—A City of Contrasts.- Governmental Heritage.- Early Postwar Developments Under Allied Occupation.- Complexity of Governance.- 2. Allied Governmental Authority.- “Statement of Principles” for Berlin.- The Allied Kommandatura.- 3. Constitutional System.- Temporary Constitution of 1946.- Abortive Constitution of 1948.- Division of Berlin.- Constitution of 1950.- Amending the Constitution.- 4. Governmental System.- Electoral Law.- The Legislature.- The Executive.- Executive-Legislative Relations.- The Judiciary.- Government of East Berlin.- The Berlin Bezirke (Boroughs).- 5. Politics and Elections.- Political Parties.- Communist Party (KPD).- Socialist Unity Party (SED).- Social Democratic Party (SPD).- Christian Democratic Union (CDU).- Free Democratic Party (FDP).- East-Christian Democrats and East-Liberal Democrats.- Minor Parties.- Early Elections.- Elections Since 1950.- 6. Legal and Political Status of Berlin.- Legal Prerogatives of World-War-II Allies.- Legal Status of the Kommandatura.- Berlin and the West German Federation.- Legal Status of Berlin in West German Federation.- Problem of the Capital of the West German Federal Republic.- Other Aspects of Berlin Relations with West Germany.- East Berlin and the East German Republic.- Concluding Statement.- Berlin—Pawn of the Powers.- Appendices.- Selected Bibliography.- Charts and Tables.- 1. Allied Control of Germany and Berlin, 1946.- 2. Allied Kommandatura, 1951.- 3. Allied Kommandatura, 1961.- 4. Structure of Berlin Government Following 1946 Elections.- 8. Structure of East Berlin Government, 1961.- Table I. Berlin Election Results.- Appendices.- 1. Protocol on Zones of Occupation in Germany and Administration of Greater Berlin, September 12, 1944—Excerpts.- 2. Agreement on Control Machinery in Germany, November 14, 1944—Excerpts.- 3. Quadripartite Statement on Zones of Occupation in Germany, June 5, 1945.- 4. Quadripartite Statement on Control Machinery in Germany, June 5, 1945—Excerpts.- 5. Allied Agreement on Quadripartite Administration of Berlin, July 7, 1945.- 6. Kommandatura Order No. 1, July 11, 1945.- 7. Declaration by Western Commandants to Continue Operation of Kommandatura, December 21, 1948.- 8. Statement of Principles for Berlin, 1949.- 9. Instrument of Revision of Statement of Principles, 1951.- 10. Allied Declaration on Berlin, May 5, 1955.- 11. Kommandatura Letter Approving Constitution of 1950.- 12. Berlin Constitution of 1950.