POSC 215Part III
Kesselman, pgs. 157-164, C:CP17-15
Representation & Participation
True/False Questions
1. Like most parliamentary regimes, Germany “fuses” power, in that the executive branch derives directly from the legislative branch.True or False
2. Besides creating multiple parties, the system of proportional representation in Germany weakens political parties by eroding party loyalty. True or False
3. The German Constitutional Court ruled the 5 percent clause constitutional for European (not national or state) elections, and this had a big effect on the 2014 elections to the European Parliament.True or False
4. The executive branch in Germany introduces most legislation and must initiate all federal budget and tax legislation.True or False
5. In the German system, committees will generally invite participation and testimony by supporters of proposed legislation; opponents are traditionally excluded from the process. True or False
6. Only the Bundestag can initiate legislation. The Bundesrat is not allowed to do so. True or False
7. If the Bundesrat rejects a bill by a two-thirds vote passed by the Bundestag, all the Bundestagneed achieve is an absolute majority to override. True or False
8. The party controlling the majority of state governments can have a significant effect on what legislation is passed in the German government system. True or False
9. The Bundesrat introduces a significant amount of legislation, but its administrative responsibilities are minimal.True or False
10. The CDU/CSU alliance has been a consistent advocate of European integration since Konrad Adenauer’s leadership in the early postwar period.True or False
11. During the early years of the Weimar Republic, the SPD became the leading party with a working majority. True or False
12. Out of power from 1982 to 1998, the SPD largely failed to formulate attractive alternative policies, though it governed many states.True or False
13. Chancellor Merkel’s support for nuclear energy served her party well in the 2011, believing that the future is cheap reliable energy. True or False
14. The FRG is one of the few countries in western Europe that has not had a far-right and/or neo-fascist party gain seats in its national legislature.True or False
15. In 2013, the FDP generated the most seats in its history, compelling the CDU/CSU to offer a slew of cabinet posts in the Merkel government. True or False
16. Germany voter turnout rates are less than 40 percent, reflecting the apathetic nature of the country’s electorate. True or False
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Germany has an electoral system whereby about half of deputies are elected from direct constituencies and the other half are drawn from closed party lists referred to as: a) balanced legislative system, b) staggered electoral system, c) mixed member system, d) combo electoral structure.
2. In Germany the lower house, the Bundestag, consists of how many seats? a) 515, b) 614, c) 713, d) 756.
3. The European tradition in which parties are allotted seats in the legislature based on the percentage of popular votes they receive: a) unit rule, b) complimentary allocation, c) proportional representation, d) equitable distribution.
4. During a German election, if a party’s candidate wins a seat in the Bundestag as an individual member, his or her party is allotted: a) one less seat from the party’s slate elected via list voting, b) one more seat from the party’s slate elected via list voting, c) two less seats from the party’s slate elected via list voting, d) two more seats from the party’s slate elected via list voting.
5. The Germany’s electoral system of allocating roughly half the seats in the Bundestag by proportional representation and half by a single member district results in: a) the smaller parties winning virtually all the district seats, b) the smaller parties having no say in forming a government, c) the two larger parties winning virtually all the seats based on proportional representation, d) the two larger parties winning virtually all of the district seats.
6. How has Germany and its legislatures avoided the wild proliferation of parties that plagues some democracies, such as Italy and Israel, where coalitions are extremely difficult to form and sustain? a) by penalizing parties with financial citations that cannot muster a three percent vote, b) by requiring parties to receive at least 5 percent of the nationwide vote to get a seat, c) by requiring lists of candidates who were elected multiple times in previous elections, d) by requiring parties pay an exorbitant public fee to be able to run candidates.
7. What is the primary purpose for debating a bill in the Bundestag that has come out of committee? a) to allow the opposition an opportunity to respond, b) to educate the public about the major issues of the bill, c) to provide interest groups an opportunity to voice their concerns, d) to rectify any problems by amending the bill.
8. In areas that directly affect the states, the Bundesrat can veto any bill passed by
the Bundestag: a) contested legislation, b) rejected proposal, c) consent veto, d) absolute veto.
9. How many members comprise the Bundesrat (upper chamber) representing the 16 Lander state governments? a) 57, b) 69, c) 72, d) 83.
10. In policy areas with no direct effect on the states, the ability of the Bundesrat to slow down legislation when it votes against a bill passed by the Bundestag, compelling it (the lower chamber) to vote a second time: a) suspensive veto, b) constructive veto, c) productive veto, d) beneficial veto.
11. The constitutional guarantee that political parties have a privileged place in German politics, including generous subsidies for building party organizations: a) party unity, b) party democracy, c) party stability, d) party political system.
12. In 2005 a group of former left-wing Social Democrats who believed Schröder’s reforms undermined social democracy along with members of the East German Communist Party formed: a) the German People’s Union, b) the National Democratic Party, c) the Eco Party, d) die Linke.
13. The far right political party of Germany which emphasizes nationalism and aggression toward immigrants and ethnic minorities: a) Free Democratic Party, b) the National Democratic Party, c) the Union of Republican Socialists, d) The Party National Unity.
14. What were the most significant historical accomplishments of the long Kohl regime in Germany? a) expansion of the welfare state, economic decentralization, b) reinforcing of a strong central authority, elimination of hooligans attacking religious minorities, c) adoption of a new constitution and permanent reaffirmation against nuclear weapons, d) reunification and greater European integration into the EU.
15. The 2009 election enabled Chancellor Merkel to form her preferred coalition with the: a) FDP b) SPD, c) die Linke, d) Greens.
16. In the election of 2013, Merkel’s CDU/CSU Party fell short of capturing an absolute majority in the Bundestag by? a) 5 seats, b) 11 seats, c) 21 seats, d) 29 seats.
17. Ostpolitik refers to: a) government subsidies provided to key industries, b) socialized health care system, c) a policy developed to promote contact and commerce with the SovietUnion and its communist allies, d) a commitment made never to develop weapons of mass destruction.
18. The Social Democratic Party of Germany was founded in 1875 in response to: a) threats on the newly formed German state by the French, b) the growing unrest among the Junker movement, c) rapid industrialization, d) stabilize the right-wing forces that were on the verge of disbanding.
19. What percentage of the vote was the SPD able to obtain from 1949 to the early 1960s? a) 25%, b) 30%, c) 42%, d) 53%.
20. What happened to the SPD as a result of the 1959 party conference? a) It emphasized its primary reliance on Marxism, restructuring its party platform, b) It disassociated itself from the working class, c) It focused more on becoming a "catchall all" party attempting to broaden its support from labor to the middle class and Christians, d) It essentially became yet another conservative party, similar to other center-right parties in West Germany.
21. The Greens are a) professional entrepreneurs, industrialists, and small land-owners, b) local artisans, small business owners, and rural farmers, c) intellectuals, public employees, private sector workers, and militarists, d) ecological activists, rural farmers, anti-nuclear activists, and small bands of Marxist-Leninists.
22. What has helped make the Left Party (die Linke) have a growing base of support where it receives nearly 25 percent of the vote in the state of the old East Germany? a) its opposition to the NATO treaty, b) its opposition to cuts in social spending, c) its rejection of continued EU integration, d) its support for giving legal status to illegal migrant workers.
23. Why could the Free Democratic Party's (FDP) swing so easily with the two major parties? a) it embraces 2 ideologies, economic liberalism and social liberalism, b) it has its base of support from the most powerful unions, c) it has refused to ally itself either of the 2 major parties of Germany, serving more a spoiler role, d) it’s alliance with the fascist far right parties against immigration would provide the votes to its place in coalition governments.
Fill-in Questions
1. Representing a hybrid system, voters in Germany are asked to:
a) cast ____ votes on their ballot: the first for an individual candidate in a voter’s local ______
b) and the second for a list of national/regional candidates grouped by ______affiliation.
2. What are the drawbacks of a tradition of strong, unified parties in the Bundestag?
a) New members must serve long stints as ______and
b) ______legislators have ____chances to make an impact.
c) Many leaders have preferred to serve their political apprenticeship in _____ or ______government, where they have more visibility.
3. The Bundesratexercises the following power:
a) it can exercise an absolute veto on ______to the constitution as well as all _____ that affect the fundamental interests of the ______,
b) such as ______, territorial integrity, and basic administrative functions.
4. Until the early 1980s, Germany had a "two-and-a-half" party system,
a) comprised of the moderate left ______Democratic Party),
b) the moderate right ______Democratic grouping,
c) and the small, centrist _____ Democratic Party.
5. The CDU/CSU:
a) have dominated postwar German politics, governing, usually in ______, from 1949–1969, 1982–1998, and since 2005.
b) have united Catholics and Protestants in ______, catchall parties of the center-right.
c) championed the social ______economy
d). Their social policies in the decades after World War II were ______, but they sponsored the considerable expansion of the German ______state.
Answers
True/False Questions
1. True
3. False
5. False
7. False
9. False
11. False
13. False
15. False
Multiple Choice Questions
1. c
3. c
5. d
7. b
9. b
11. b
13. b
15. a
17. c
19. b
21. d
23. a
Fill-in Questions
1. a) two, district, b) party
3. a) amendments, laws, states, b) taxes
5. a) coalitions, b) confessional, c) market, d) paternalistic, welfare
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