Page 215 - The Making of the German Post-war Economy

188 THE MAKING OF THE GERMAN POST-WAR ECONOMY

23 In the course of the three generations, Germany has tried various electoral
systems. To replace the absolute majority system, which since 1871 had served
in the appointment of delegates to the German national parliament,
proportional representation was introduced for elections to the Reichstag after
World War I. In the discussion after World War II on the establishment of
parliamentary representation, the opponents of the system of proportional
representation charged that from 1918 to 1933 it had furthered the rise of
numerous splinter parties and pressure groups, many of which in the course
of time achieved parliamentary representation. The National Socialists’ rise to
power was also, in part, blamed upon certain aspects of proportional
representation, which had progressively narrowed the foundations for the
establishment of workable government coalitions. The adherents of
proportional representation, on the other hand, stressed the inequities in
majority vote. Regarding the electoral system for post-war Germany, see
Golay, J. F., The Founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, Chicago, 1958;
Beyme, K. v., The Political System of the Federal Republic of Germany, Aldershot,
1983.
24 Clay, L. D., Decision in Germany, Garden City/ New York, 1950, p. 88.
25 Regarding particular election dates, see appendix 14, p. 172.
26 Regarding the administration of the British zone of occupation, see appendix
3, p. 154.
27 Vogelsang, T., Die Bemühungen um eine deutsche Zentralverwaltung 1945/46, in: VfZ
18 (4), Munich, 1970, p. 514.
28 Deuerlein, E., Die Einheit Deutschlands. Ihre Erörterung und Behandlung auf den
Kriegs- und Nachkriegskonferenzen 1941-1949. Darstellung und Dokumentation,
Frankfurt am Main/ Berlin, 1957a, p. 114.
29 For a geographical illustration of the Bizone, see appendix 4, p. 155.
30 Kettenacker, L., l.c., p. 27.
31 For exact wording of the Bevin-Byrnes agreement, see Pünder, T., Das
Bizonale Interregnum. Die Geschichte des Vereinigten Wirtschaftsgebiets 1946-1949,
Waiblingen, 1966, pp. 383-387; AV BRD, vol. 2, Documents on Germany, Munich,
1979, pp. 195-199; Institut für Zeitgeschichte (IFZ), NL Wilhelm Hoegner, ED
120/133. Regarding the then American Deutschlandpolitik see also Gimbel, J.,
Byrnes’ Stuttgarter Rede und die amerikanische Nachkriegspolitik in Deutschland, in:
VfZ 20, 1972, pp. 39-62; Idem, Byrnes und die Bizone – Eine amerikanische
Entscheidung zur Teilung Deutschlands?, in: Benz, W.; Graml, H. (eds.), Aspekte
deutscher Aussenpolitik im 20. Jahrhundert, Stuttgart, 1976, pp. 193-210;
Kreikamp, H.-D., Die amerikanische Deutschlandpolitik im Herbst 1946 und die
Byrnes-Rede in Stuttgart, in: VfZ 29, 1981, pp. 269-285.
32 Potsdam Agreement, Economic Principles, para. 11-19, in: Stolper, G., l.c., p.
267. Certainly, international power struggles and political interests were
additional arguments that led to the setting up of the Bizonal economic
authorities. However, it is not part of this book to analyse those. For
comprising depictions, see Benz, W., Von der Besatzungsherrschaft zur
Bundesrepublik. Stationen einer Staatsgründung 1946-1949, Frankfurt am Main,