Disquiet on the eastern front: The Christian democratic union in Germany's new Länder
1993; Routledge; Volume: 2; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/09644009308404324
ISSN1743-8993
Autores ResumoDuring the process of unification, Helmut Kohl's CDU established itself as the major political force in eastern Germany. Yet its initial electoral successes and cohesion rested in part on the unique conditions of 1990. As Kohl's government struggled to deal with the task of rebuilding eastern Germany during the next two years, his party dropped quickly in public approval, exposing the underlying fragility of its early support. Internal issues, largely played down during 1990, also began to strain its internal unity. These included, firstly, differences between a membership drawn largely from the pre‐1989 East‐CDU, a 'bloc‐party' under communism, and post‐unification recruits who urged 'renewal' of party personnel. A second challenge lay in integrating the party's eastern and western branches, still divided by differing experiences and expectations. These tasks tested the CDU's unity in the eastern states themselves and at the federal level ‐ in the party organisation, the Bundestag and to some extent Kohl's cabinet. The CDU seemed unlikely to regain the momentum in the east it enjoyed during 1990. Moreover, whereas Kohl's CDU expanded its structures and policies eastward in 1990, by 1992 the eastern branch was beginning to exert a more substantial effect on the party as a whole.
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