Democratization in Germany - A reappraisal

Three explanations have been offered for the successful democratization of the Federal Republic of Germany: the transformation of political culture, the allied occupation, and the recasting of institutions. These three explanations ignore that the division of Germany by the allied powers removed what earlier observers saw as the major obstacle to Germany democracy, Junker domination in the east. One of the major reasons for the success of democracy in the Federal Republic of Germany was that it no longer included the east. Evidence to support this argument is provided by disaggregating electoral data of the Weimar Republic to show that in the interwar period the west was already better prepared for democracy than the rest of Germany. The elimination of long-term socioeconomic barriers to democracy are a necessary condition for successful democratization.