The Federal Republic of Germany at Fifty

Fifty years after the formation of the Federal Republic and a decade after German unification, we stand on the cusp of a new century and a new millennium of German history. At the same time EMU marks a giant stride towards European integration and the end of the Deutschmark. In this text, international scholars reflect on the dramatic transformations of Germany's past and on Germany's future prospects. Post-war democratic and economic renewal is set in the context of continuing debates about German identity. There are assessments of: all major leaders, parties and ideologies; of the still unfinished agenda of integrating East and West; of how the next generation of German leaders will interact with ageing governmental structures of the Bundesbank and the successes and failures of economic policy, the trade unions and the media; and of Germany's emerging new role in Europe and the world.