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Federal Elections in Germany
The Social Democratic Party, the Greens, and the liberal Freedom Democratic Party—who form the new German government—might discontinue a political cycle, which has lasted for almost four decades, now faced with far-reaching ecological, economic, and social transformations. It remains to be seen what is to be expected.
The original draft text was translated by Nicole Mayer-Ahuja.
For 16 years, Angela Merkel was the chancellor of Germany. She left office on 6 December 2021. Except for a short period of seven years, between 1998 and 2005—when a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens ruled the country—the Christian Democrats (Merkel’s political party) with different alliance partners had shaped the political development of the Federal Republic of Germany for roughly four decades, including its important role in Western Europe. Their governments coincided with the hegemonic cycle in global capitalism that is commonly referred to as neo-liberalism. This cycle starts with the election of Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom (1979) and Ronald Reagan in the United States (US) (1981). The article argues that this political cycle now draws to an end—in Germany as well as elsewhere—since the neo-liberal notion of “progress” has lost its power of persuasion and the neo-liberal political economy has met with its structural limits.
The 2021 Election Results
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