Political Culture and the Politics of the Social Democratic Government

Abstract Since about the mid-seventies, the term “political culture,” previously little used in West Germany, has loomed ever larger in discussions. It appears in scholarship and journalism as well as in everyday vocabulary. It is used by “conservative” as well as “progressive,” writers. This gives the impression of a short-term “conceptual” trend. Its lack of clear contours, seems to relegate the term to an empty formula. One may ask whether previous ignorance of “political culture” was caused by West Germany being a country with a tradition of unpolitical culture and political unculture. The term, however, can be used in an analytically meaningfully way.