"" (Mayer) This quote from Mayer introduces some interesting information as too the psychology of the German people. Not to say that they are any less/more intelligent, but does seem to beg the question of whether or not the mentality is there (Germany) for an attempt form an industrialized democracy, able to be competitive with the rest of the worlds powers. .
The question at hand is, are these people capable of living a lifestyle under a totally alien form of government and making it work for them based on the way in which they have all been raised and had their political views modeled?.
Mayer also raises the subject of what it means to be "a real German- this realism dealing with personal views across the spectrum refers to "a reality in the world of ideas in the platonic sense (Mayer)."" What this enlightenment is referred to is, Volkism, this concept implies a soul's root to nature. These deep roots felt by Germans made the more global thinking of a democratic society that much more difficult to develop in the minds of these people who did feel so close to their own personal ancestry. .
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Present day Germany is experiencing a phase of growth within the democratic philosophies and ideology. Having come a long way from the ways of thinking in the not-so distant past Germans are governed by a parliamentary democracy formed in conference with the United States and its allies. This form of government is rooted in sixteen Lander, or states, all of which possess their own powers and conduct government fairly autonomously. The legislature consists of two houses the Bundesrat and the lower more powerful, Bundestrag which elects the President who represents a certain moral authority. The real power is seen in the Cabinet and the Chancellor, which is the equivalent of a Prime Minister.
Germany has a party system comparable to that of the U.S., in the variety sense. Varied party representation is quite important in a successful democracy and Germany has five influential parties, the main two are the CDU and SDP, representing the majority of party affiliates, and the FDP, Greens, and PDS making up the rest of the party system.