Political Thought and German Reunification The New German Ideology [Hardcover]

How are the Germans coming to terms with (re)unification? Four issues are at the heart of this process and form the basis of this study. First, the question of the new German identity; second, the role of nationalism in the new republic; third, the role of inherited ideologies; and finally, the role of Germany in Europe and the wider world. These issues are examined in terms of transformations in the political culture in eastern Germany, metamorphoses in the political ideology and philosophy of the former West Germany, and relations with the political discourse of the West in general.Notes on the Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction; H.Williams & C.Wright A Hostile People but a Loyal Opposition: National Identity and Anti-Fascism in the GDR; M.R.Thompson 'Nostalgia' in Germany's New Federal States as a Political and Cultural Phenomenon of the Transformation Process; N.Kapferer German (Re)Unification: Habermas and His Critics; H.Williams, C.Wright & C.Bishop Truism and Taboo: the Rhetoric of the Berlin Republic; M.Zens Citizenship and National Identity in Reunified Germany: the Experience of the Turkish Minority; N.Piper The Germans and their Capital: a Plea to Continue the Debate; W.S?ss The Debate over Germany's Normality: a Normal German Debate?; T.Forsberg Human Rights Universalism and Patriotism: Kant's Political Legacy of Our Time; M.Riedel J?rgen Habermas and Manfred Riedel: Moving Beyond Nationalism; G.Cavallar Peaceful Integration in Germany; R.Rytlewski Preparing for the Political: German Intellectuals Confront the Berlin Republic; J.M?ller IndexColin Wight is Professor and Chair of Government and International Relations in the School of Social and Political Sciences, at the University of Sydney, Australia.