The German Party System: Continuity and Change

This article assesses continuity and change in the German party system since unification in 1990. From a methodological point of view, this presents a challenge, because there are at least three kinds of trends which are difficult to disentangle: (1) the direct effects of unification, (2) general longer-term trends independent of, but coinciding with, unification and, (3) indirect effects of unification (that is, for example, general trends accelerated or delayed by unification). In the absence of suitable statistical controls, it is not possible to determine the ‘net contribution’ of these different effects. Nevertheless, party and party system change in Germany since unification must be assessed against the backdrop of developments in comparable political systems in Western Europe in order to avoid conclusions based on spurious covariation.