Germany’s 1998 Election: Schröder, SPD’s New Center & Unification’s Legacy
The 1998 German Election and the SPD’s New Center
The results of the 1998 elections marked the victory of a renewed Social Democratic Party (SPD), ending Helmut Kohl’s 16-year chancellorship. Unlike previous candidates with more sharply defined left-wing profiles, Gerhard Schröder, an ambitious politician, succeeded with a message where ideology was diluted and image took precedence over rhetoric. With a very high turnout (82.3%), the electorate delivered two clear messages: oust Kohl and redefine social ideology with an appeal to the center.
Schröder, after his stunning victory in his stronghold of Lower Saxony, became the flagship figure for this shift in Germany. The SPD’s new political line required not only a carefully crafted image but also the displacement of the traditional occupants of the center ground (Kohl’s Christian Democrats). The new political space blurred traditional lines, reinventing the ‘New Center’.
The ‘New Center’ slogan sought reinforcement from the British ‘Third Way’ paradigm. The centrist international movement, known as the ‘Third Way,’ bolstered the German initiative. This led to the Chancellor’s proposal to transform the Paris-Bonn axis into a Berlin-Paris-London triangle. The reasons were significant; beyond the unique Franco-German relationship, there was a lack of alignment between Schröder and the French Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin, whose ideas seemed outdated to the German Social Democrats.
The main SPD policy proposals could be summarized largely as continuity. Key elements shaping the Social Democratic message included:
- Increased emphasis on national policies (contrasting with Kohl’s internationalism).
- Guarantees regarding internal security (combating organized crime).
- Fighting unemployment while maintaining existing macroeconomic strategies.
- Upholding foreign policy commitments.
The leftward aspect of this new phase manifested in two ways. First, voting patterns showed a consolidation among traditionally left-wing parties (losses for the CDU were not offset by gains for far-right parties).
Coalition Politics and the Berlin Republic
Second, it involved a break from the traditional German party structure, with the Greens entering government possibilities at the federal level and the ex-communist PDS (Party of Democratic Socialism) at the state (Länder) level. The governing coalition between the SPD and the Greens marked a new era in Germany’s federal government post-1998, a configuration already seen at municipal and Land levels. Government pacts involving the PDS also became a reality, notably in Berlin, leveraging the party’s significant influence in the eastern part of the city.
The new German Republic, which regained Berlin as its capital in 2000, reinforces key socialist principles and influences policy direction within the European Union. While economic disparities persist between the former East and West Germany, differences in political culture are narrowing. The ‘Berlin Republic,’ the era following unification, reflects the legacy of the GDR’s authoritarian past. This is evident in lower trust in liberal democratic institutions and a greater appreciation for social justice elements characteristic of former East German discourse. Creating common ground is the primary challenge for coexistence in this new phase.
The Bonn Basic Law
Germany’s new constitution, adopted as the Basic Law (Grundgesetz, GG) and entering into force in 1949, was directly influenced by the failure of the Weimar Republic and the subsequent rise of Nazism. Mandated by the victors of World War II, the future German constitution aimed to reconcile domestic development with the principles of liberal parliamentary democracy.