Page 26 - The Making of the German Post-war Economy

PREFACE

The phenomena of increasing so-called economic globalisation,
Europeanisation with the quest for a European social contract, and
German unification have called into question the much praised German
triad of democracy, market economy, and welfare state. Mainly free
market capitalism exerts pressure on the Social Market Economy, which
has been Germany’s distinguished ‘Third Way’ of regulatory policy
between centralist socialism and unbridled capitalism. Although intended
to be a flexible system able to adapt to changing economic conditions, the
model is undergoing a major revision. Thus, sixty years after its entry into
force, the economic and socio-political concept is once more subject to
debate. Unlike then, today parties across the political spectrum adhere to
the Social Market Economy and the so-called Ökonomisierungsdebatte
(debate on the (ir)reconcilability between social responsibility and capitalist
profit seeking) in politics and public alike is on corporate governance and
the form of capitalism. Whereas today the discussion in the Bundestag
centres on capitalism versus capitalism, the debate in the first post-war
parliament and progenitor of the German Bundestag, the Economic
Council, in the years of German economic reorganisation was on
capitalism versus socialism.
In view of the continuing debate regarding the reformation of the
economic system, it is interesting to examine the public debate and
opinion at the time of the formation of the Social Market Economy.
Although there is considerable literature on German post-war history, the
communication of policy, public opinion and civil engagement during the
period of economic and political reconstruction have been largely
neglected in academic research. This study on the economic
reconstruction of post-war West Germany traces the development of
ideas about economic and socio-political publicity, and their gradual
absorption by mainstream politicians, officials and the general public