A Pattern of Political Development in Germany

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The question of why liberal democracy failed in Germany, often referred to as the Germany Question, is an unfair one. Bearing a negative connotation, this question implies that Germany’s path of political development, towards absolutism and not democracy, was the wrong one. Yet, as it entered the 20th century, compared to other European powers Germany had the second largest economy, the largest population (excluding Russia) and the largest army. Some might argue that despite its lack of liberal freedoms, Germany was better off than most democracies at the time. Thus, a better question is; why did Germany develop politically in the fashion it did? In his book The Military Revolution and Political Change, Brian Downing provides arguments concerning the origins of democracy, dictatorship, and autocracy in Europe and in doing so, outlines a long-term pattern of political development within Germany that lasted throughout the 19th century. This pattern is supported with evidence from numerous other theories, and by studying this pattern one comes to understand why Germany developed politically as it did.

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries Europe was ravaged by frequent wars, and coupled with the decline of feudalism and advances in technology, this constant warring set the stage for what Downing claims to be a military revolution. As feudalism dissolved, vassals were no longer the ones fighting wars. This meant that states had to build their own armies to protect from foreign aggression and contestation. Furthermore, these armies had to be equipped with the progressive weaponry of the era, for if one power wielded new weapons, so too did the other powers need to. Downing argues that due to such circumstances, if territories were f...

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...s Craig and Dahrendorf, criticisms of the likes Berman produces, simply do not hold up. Whether Germany was set on a special path of development into the new world, as the Sonderweg theory suggests, is a different question altogether. Simply admitting that Germany did follow a distinct path, indeed unique as every state’s path surely is, should be enough.

Works Cited

Berman, Sheri E. "Modernization in Historical Perspective: The Case of Imperial Germany." World Politics 53.3 (2001): 431-62. Print.

Craig, Gordon A. The Politics of the Prussian Army: 1640-1945. London: Oxford UP, 1964. Print.

Dahrendorf, Ralf. Society and Democracy in Germany. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1967. Print.

Downing, Brian M. The Military Revolution and Political Change: Origins of Democracy and Autocracy in Early Modern Europe. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1992. Print.

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