Post-Modern Changes Of Germany Political Culture After The Reunification

Germany’s democratization process started late but developed rapidly, which is closely associated with that its political culture shifted from "authoritarianism" to "participatory" in a short time, and the value of properties and endogenous beliefs of the German nationality has played an important role in promoting the development of democracy and European integration. It will contribute to a better understanding of the current development trend of German democracy to grasp the contents and changing characteristics of Germany political culture.After German reunification, eastern and western regions were included in a same political system. Experienced a fusion and transition period, the political culture will undergo sustainable changes towards "post-modern" direction——with values changes from "materialism" to "post-materialism" as the main content, and constant inter-generational changing as the main form. In this process, the traditional authority has been weakening, and the "egoism" value that emphasis on individual autonomy, self-expression and choice will become increasingly prominent. The value of "egoism" is one of the highlights of the German political culture in the process of post-modern change. With the influence of "egoism" value, German people tend to pursue personal subjective happiness, stress the value of individual independence and self-expression, and make the protection of individual’s right to speak as a national priority development objectives with their expectations.As an indispensable part of the system, political culture and values play a "cognitive embedded" role, therefore, the political culture’s changes toward "post-modern" direction and the increasingly prominent "egoism" value will inevitably bring some impact on the development of democracy in Germany. On the one hand, "post-materialism" and "egoism" value encourage people’s active participation and expression, which lead to universal "participatory" value; on the other hand, the "collectivism" philosophy of heritage and the apathy and alienation attitude in company with "egoism" are able to be balanced as a moderate force. Thus, the process of German political culture’s change towards "post-modern" direction will also be the shaping process of "civic culture" that including both active and restraint attitude, which is conductive to a stable democratic system. In the context of "post-modern" political culture, the German democracy will continue develop towards participatory, and it also will bring a new influence for the German political system in particular political party system, such as changes in the social basis of politics and the diverse ideological distinction.