Political terminology in Germany

thumb|The Law, between Justice and State Power, allegory by [[Dominique Antoine Magaud (1899)]]Rechtsstaat (; lit. "state of law"; "legal state") is a doctrine in continental European legal thinking, originating in German jurisprudence. It can be translated into English as "rule of law", alternatively "legal state", state of law, "state of justice", or "state based on justice and integrity". It means that everyone is subjected to the law, especially governments.

Denazification () was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by removing those who had been Nazi Party or SS members from positions of power and influence, by disbanding or rendering impotent the organizations associated with Nazism, and by trying prominent Nazis for war crimes in the Nuremberg trials of 1946. The program of denazification was launched after the end of the war and was solidified by the Potsdam Agreement in August 1945. The term, in the hyph

thumb|250px|Willy Brandt (left) and [[Willi Stoph in Erfurt 1970, the first encounter of a Federal Chancellor with his East German counterpart, an early step in the de-escalation of the Cold War]] Neue Ostpolitik (German for "new eastern policy"), or Ostpolitik () for short, was the normalization of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or West Germany) and Eastern Europe, particularly the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany) beginning in 1969. Influenced by Egon Bahr, who proposed "change through rapprochement" in a 1963 speech at the Evangelische Akademie Tutz

one-Germany policy during the Cold War

political party in Germany

thumb|right|250px|Official poster from the Wochenspruch der NSDAP series, 16 February 1941. The inscription reads: "The Führer is always right".|alt=Blank poster with German-languge text.

Weltpolitik (, "world politics") was the imperialist foreign policy adopted by the German Empire during the reign of Emperor Wilhelm II. The aim of the policy was to transform Germany into a global power. Though considered a logical consequence of the German unification by a broad spectrum of Wilhelmine society, it marked a decisive break with the defensive Realpolitik of the Bismarckian era.

hypothetical successor to Nazi Germany

thumb|267x267px|Meeting of the Isselburg City Council, [[North Rhine-Westphalia, 2011]] In the Germanosphere, a Stadtrat (city council) is a collegial body appointed to represent or administer a city, or a member of such a body. Similar terms are used in Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Sweden, and other democratic countries. In some German states, Stadtrat also refers to a department head within a city administration.

motto of the former National Socialist organization, the Schutzstaffel

German political term

type of governing coalitions in Germany

19th-century event

thumb|The Holy Roman Empire in 1789 thumb|right|The German Confederation (1815–1866) still included a number of very small states.

' (), meaning Middle Europe', is one of the German terms for Central Europe. The term has acquired diverse cultural, political and historical connotations.

political alliance between socialists or social democrats and greens or agrarians, in various countries

right|thumb|Approximate location of Mittelafrika in medium blue and dark blue, with pre-existing German colonies in dark blue. Possible inclusions (Portuguese colonies) are shaded light blue. right|thumb|Alternative planning in 1918, including the takeover of French colonies in Western and Central Africa right|thumb|German claims in Africa in 1917 (British Interpretation of Hans Delbrück's claims) right|thumb|Further German claims in Africa in 1917 (after Delbrück)

thumb|Emperor Wilhelm II in 1915. His speeches stating that he no longer knew any parties set the tone for the . '''''' (, ) was a political truce between the German Empire's parliamentary parties during World War I. They agreed not to criticise the government's handling of the war, to keep their disagreements out of public view and to postpone elections until after the end of the war. In addition, three major associations of trade unions promised not to strike. The informal agreement was seen as proof of Germany's national unity in waging what was presented by the imperial leadership as a def

coalition governments in Germany consisting of the CDU/CSU and SPD

phrase by German chancellor Angela Merkel

German political and economic term

German philosophy idea

Prussianism comprises the practices and doctrines of the Prussians, specifically the militarism and the severe discipline traditionally associated with the Prussian ruling class.

form of German political coalition government

Nazi slogan that, due to the loss of German colonies (Treaty of Versailles), the Germans had become a people without Lebensraum

Coalition government formation

political term in Germany and Austria