This book examines the 2025 German Federal elections. On the 7th November, 2024, Chancellor Scholz dismissed his Finance Minister, thereby ending the first Federal government led by a three-party coalition. The Chancellor failed to secure sufficient support in a confidence vote and fresh elections were scheduled for February. This attracted significant scholarly and popular comment, much of which discusses them under the rubric of a 'crisis'. There is, however, precedent for governments collapsing and there are distinct parallels with the FDP exiting the government with the Social Democrats in 1982. The government also fell via a standard constitutional mechanism that has been used on five occasions by Chancellors. In our view, then, early elections do not amount to a crisis, real or impending, but are a symptom of broader stresses engulfing the German polity. Our volume argues that the election shows the degree to which the German polity is under stress. This combines strained international relations and changes to established military and security alliance structures with a polarised electorate and an increasingly fragmented space in which political parties compete. The book makes this argument by analysing the election in 27 chapters grouped into six parts. Part One consists of a single chapter introducing the volume. It draws parallels with the collapse of the SDP-FDP government in 1982, analysing the tensions within the 'Ampel' coalition, the shift in the political mood of voters and changing fortunes of the parties at Land elections. Parts Two through Five are prefaced with thematic introductions setting the scene for more detailed chapters. Part Two turns to the international context. A thematic introduction lays out how the international order is placing new demands on German foreign policy and generating domestic contestation about Germany's role in global affairs. Chapters then follow on Germany's international relations with the United States, Russia, China, the EU, and Israel. Part Three focuses on domestic issues, with a thematic introduction setting out the areas of salience followed by separate chapters on security, the economy, the welfare state, climate change, industry, and immigration. Part Four examines the parties, with a thematic introduction setting out the changing party landscape, followed by chapters on the Union, the SPD, the FDP, the Greens, The Left Party, BSW and the AfD. Part Five turns to the contest itself. A thematic introduction examines the effectiveness of the party strategies, laying the ground for chapters about the debates, voting behaviour and coalition formation. Part Six consists of a single chapter concluding the volume. This volume will appeal to undergraduate and graduate researchers, along with scholars of German, European and comparative politics.
This book examines the 2025 German Federal elections. On the 7th November, 2024, the first Federal government led by a three-party coalition came to a close. This volume argues that the failure of the coalition was symptomatic of broader stresses engulfing the German polity. The book makes this argument in six parts. Part One introduces the volume. Part Two turns to the international context, with a thematic introduction laying out how the international order is placing new demands on German foreign policy followed by chapters on Germany’s international relations with Russia, the USA, the EU and Israel. Part Three focuses on domestic issues, with a thematic introduction prefacing analysis of major areas of salience including immigration, the economy, climate change, social policy, security, and industrial policy. Part Four turns to the parties, with a thematic introduction analysing the changing party landscape, followed by chapters on the political parties themselves. Part Five turns to the contest itself, examining the effectiveness of the party strategies, the debates, voting behaviour and coalition formation. Part Six concludes the volume. This volume will appeal to undergraduate and graduate researchers, along with scholars of German, European and comparative politics.
