What do you think?
Rate this book
Launching the Grand Coalition: The 2005 Bundestag Election and the Future of German Politics
This edited volume, which brings together the leading experts in German politics from around the US and Germany, combines rich descriptive data with insightful analyses regarding one of the most dramatic and important election years in postwar Germany. A variety of more specialized issues and perspectives is addressed, including the transatlantic relationship, EU policy, voting behavior and far Right parties. This book will be essential reading for students of German, European and comparative politics.
212 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2007
2 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 6, 2026
Disappointed in the lack of actual analysis on the 2005 Federal Election results themselves. The previous book also published by Berghan on the 2002 Federal Elections went into painstaking detail on the campaign strategies of each of the main political parties whereas this book mainly references it in passing.
The books large considerable focus on Merkel may in hindsight seem fair but this steers the book into semi-autobiographical territory rather than actual election analysis. Ironically the book has a dedicated chapter speculating what Merkel’s EU is going to be but then spends most of the page count summarising Schröder’s red-green coalition’s relations with the bloc.
That being said I did really enjoy the chapters on the forming of the Grand Coalition itself and the performance of far-right parties. Both remain particularly relevant as the CDU-SPD are locked in yet another Grand Coalition with the main differences being the SPD being significantly weaker and the main opposition consisting of a far-right party that has proven to have staying power.
That being said I intend on reading the next book on the 2009 Federal Elections by the same author. There are scant readily accessible books out there pertaining to German federal elections.
The books large considerable focus on Merkel may in hindsight seem fair but this steers the book into semi-autobiographical territory rather than actual election analysis. Ironically the book has a dedicated chapter speculating what Merkel’s EU is going to be but then spends most of the page count summarising Schröder’s red-green coalition’s relations with the bloc.
That being said I did really enjoy the chapters on the forming of the Grand Coalition itself and the performance of far-right parties. Both remain particularly relevant as the CDU-SPD are locked in yet another Grand Coalition with the main differences being the SPD being significantly weaker and the main opposition consisting of a far-right party that has proven to have staying power.
That being said I intend on reading the next book on the 2009 Federal Elections by the same author. There are scant readily accessible books out there pertaining to German federal elections.
Displaying 1 of 1 review