The Political Economy of West Germany, 1945-85

The post-war emergence of West Germany as the dominant economic power in Europe gave rise to the mythology of the 'economic miracle' and the model policies of the 'social market economy'. This study reveals a mundane reality of class politics in which democratic institutions have become increasingly marginalised by big capital and by an unelected central bank. Economic policy has failed to halt the recent slide into mass unemployment and has reverted optimistically to the plan-less export drives of the fifties. The absence of the earlier advantages, the author claims, bodes ill for the future of 'model Germany'.

Inhalt
Preface - List of Tables - List of Graphs - List of Abbreviations - Political Economy and the Development of State Theory - The Political Economy of Germany 1918-49 and the Formation of the West German State - The 'Economic Constitution' of West Germany - The Role of the State in the Expansion of the West German Economy 1949-66 - State and Crisis Management 1966-85 - State and Economy in West Germany beyond the Eighties - 'Model Germany' or 'A Colossus on Feet of Clay'? - Bibliography - Index