Publisher's Synopsis
In the unification year of 1990, Helmut Kohl's stature appeared to invite comparison with Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic, whose imperious incumbency set the standards against which his sucessors have often been judged. This book examines the evolution of the modern German chancellorship against the background of social and political change.;The contributors, leading scholars in Germany and Britain, concentrate on a particular dimension of the chancellor's role and authority - the constitutional framework, party politics, the executive arena, foreign policy, the chancellor's staff, his relations with interest groups, and public perceptions of the Chancellor. From these angles the six chancellors are assessed, enabling the changing character of the chancellorship and the forces which have shaped it to be identified. In the final chapter, it is concluded that the forces of modern society have redefined the office, and that no German chancellor can now sustain the authority wielded by Adenauer.
