Research Article

The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany

Volume: 23 Number: 1 June 6, 2024
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The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany

Abstract

The main thrust of this article is to examine the evolution of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands – SPD)’s Europhile position since German reunification from a broader ideological perspective. To this end, this study rests on the field research that entails 16 semi-structured interviews with high-profile SPD political elites and archival research on key official party documents. Based on this analysis, the main argument of this study is that the SPD encountered a growing tension between idealistic and domestic views of European integration since 1990. Under the impact of the post-reunification domestic problems and Chancellor Schröder’s assertive European policy line, the German Social Democrats’ ideology-driven doubts about European integration increased at the expense of their idealistic pro-Europeanism. Over time, this tension led to the greater prominence of ideological pragmatism in the SPD’s official European Union (EU) narrative, rendering Europe a politically and ideologically salient issue for the party.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Because this research required interviewing adult human participants, it was reviewed and approved by the University of Cambridge Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) Ethics Committee on 4th May 2021.

Thanks

The first version of this paper was presented at the International Conference of "Democracy, Rule of Law, and Protection of Human Rights in the European Union” held by the Jean Monnet Chair at the Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Georgia on 30th September 2023. I am grateful to the chair and participants of the panel for their constructive comments.

References

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  4. Berger, Stefan, and Thomas Welskopp. “Social Democracy in Germany.” In The Cambridge History of Socialism, vol. 2, edited by Marcel van der Linden, 47-68. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022.
  5. Blair, Tony, and Gerhard Schröder. “Europe: The Third Way/Die Neue Mitte”. Working Documents No. 2. Johannesburg: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) South Africa Office, 1998.
  6. Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, no. 2 (2006): 77-101.
  7. Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. “(Mis)Conceptualising Themes, Thematic Analysis, and Other Problems with Fugard and Potts’ (2015) Sample-Size Tool for Thematic Analysis.” International Journal of Social Research Methodology 19, no. 6 (2016): 739–743.
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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

European Union

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

February 12, 2024

Publication Date

June 6, 2024

Submission Date

October 6, 2023

Acceptance Date

December 7, 2023

Published in Issue

Year 2024 Volume: 23 Number: 1

APA
Tekiner, U. (2024). The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany. Ankara Avrupa Çalışmaları Dergisi, 23(1), 163-195. https://doi.org/10.32450/aacd.1372477
AMA
1.Tekiner U. The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany. ARES. 2024;23(1):163-195. doi:10.32450/aacd.1372477
Chicago
Tekiner, Uğur. 2024. “The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany”. Ankara Avrupa Çalışmaları Dergisi 23 (1): 163-95. https://doi.org/10.32450/aacd.1372477.
EndNote
Tekiner U (June 1, 2024) The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany. Ankara Avrupa Çalışmaları Dergisi 23 1 163–195.
IEEE
[1]U. Tekiner, “The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany”, ARES, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 163–195, June 2024, doi: 10.32450/aacd.1372477.
ISNAD
Tekiner, Uğur. “The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany”. Ankara Avrupa Çalışmaları Dergisi 23/1 (June 1, 2024): 163-195. https://doi.org/10.32450/aacd.1372477.
JAMA
1.Tekiner U. The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany. ARES. 2024;23:163–195.
MLA
Tekiner, Uğur. “The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany”. Ankara Avrupa Çalışmaları Dergisi, vol. 23, no. 1, June 2024, pp. 163-95, doi:10.32450/aacd.1372477.
Vancouver
1.Uğur Tekiner. The German Social Democratic Party Between Idealistic Pro-Europeanism And Domestic Ideological Priorities In The Post-Reunification Germany. ARES. 2024 Jun. 1;23(1):163-95. doi:10.32450/aacd.1372477
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