Primacy of politics

The primacy of politics ( Latin primatus , priority) is in political science the primacy of politics over other areas of society such as the military or the economy.

Relationship between politics and the military

Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831) described war as “a mere continuation of politics by other means”. From this sentence it was wrongly concluded that the position of the armed forces in the state must follow the primacy of civil policy. In fact, it means that every war is based on a (political) purpose that gives the war its particular form. It is irrelevant whether this political purpose is set by civil politicians, the military or warlords. Ensuring that the former is the case is the task of a constitution by means of subordination of the military to the civil executive, both legitimation through parliament and its integration into the community of values.

Before the First World War, the view was widespread that politics only had to determine the beginning of the war and had to submit to the military during the war. This view had prevailed in Germany since Bismarck's fall in 1890, so that politics in the July crisis of 1914 was determined by the General Staff. In Russia, too, the military had extensive influence on the mobilization decision.

According to Andreas Dietz , deficits in primacy could have fatal consequences (for example military dictatorship, the military as warmongers).

Relationship between politics and economy

The political scientist Hermann Adam distinguishes between four types:

• Primacy of the economy : the state should not intervene in economic activity ( economic liberalism ).
• Primacy of politics (e.g. “capitalist planned economy” under National Socialism ).
• Harmonization of politics and economy (socialist planned economy or the assumed state monopoly capitalism ).
• The interdependence of economy and politics, the norm in developed industrial societies .

Political scientist Josef Schmid makes a similar classification . He assigns planned economy, welfare state and Keynesian concepts to the primacy of politics . He contrasts this with positions based on the primacy of the economy. This includes neoclassical (state interventions mostly counterproductive) and systems-theoretical approaches (lack of control by the state). Between the primacy of the economy and the primacy of politics stand approaches that emphasize the interdependence of both areas.

Rainer Zitelmann explains that for Adolf Hitler the primacy of politics was a basic constant of the National Socialist worldview from the beginning. In a research report, the historian Michael Schneider comes to the conclusion that the contrast between “primacy of politics” and “primacy of economy”, which emerged in the discussion of the 1960s, had proven useless in NS, and that newer approaches showed the interrelationship between politics and economics . According to Astrid Gehrig, it can be assumed that there is “extensive agreement between the Nazi regime and large-scale industry” in goals such as the smashing of workers' organizations or the exploitation of occupied territories.

Ludwig Erhard defended the primacy of the state over the economy against the background of the global economic crisis, since in his eyes the "free play of forces" was already discredited by the fact that it was "not even enough to save the economy from decline."

Stefan Wolle describes that in the socialist economy of the GDR the unrestricted primacy of politics applied. This enabled decisions such as nationalization or the collectivization of agriculture to be made for purely ideological motives.

In his book The Logic of Globalization , Carl Christian von Weizsäcker points out that totalitarian regimes basically seek to subordinate all areas of life to politics. Demands in the globalization discussion for a “primacy of politics” do not, however, refer to it, but stand in the “tradition of Western democracy”. "The freedom of the citizen, even against the democratic majority," is "a necessary prerequisite for any legitimate primacy of politics". Weizsäcker is of the opinion that “in order to solve world problems”, the economy should be given the lead over politics. A far-reaching politicization of economic events under the primacy of politics ends in stagnation and ultimately in catastrophe.

literature

Military area

• Andreas Dietz: The primacy of politics in the imperial army, Reichswehr, Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr: legal safeguards for decision-making power over war and peace between politics and the military . Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2011, ISBN 978-3-16-150865-3 .

To National Socialism

• Discussion in The Argument
  • Dieter Grosser : The National Socialist Economy. 7 (1965), No. 32, pp. 1-11.
  • Timothy W. Mason : The primacy of politics. Politics and Economy in National Socialism. 8 (1966), No. 41, pp. 473-494.
  • Eberhard Czichon : The primacy of industry in the cartel of the National Socialist power. 10: 168-192 (1968).
  • Timothy W. Mason: primacy of industry? A reply. 10 (1968), No. 47, pp. 193-209.

Economy area

• Pierre Bourdieu et al. a .: New ways of regulation: From the terror of the economy to the primacy of politics. VSA, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-87975-804-2 .

Web links

• The state has the primacy of politics. (Speech by Federal Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger on June 1, 2011)

• www.transparency.de: Conference on May 32 , 2011 in Berlin: Is the state abdicating? Where is the primacy of politics? Independence and political legitimacy in the 21st century PDF, with speeches / contributions by Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, Renate Mayntz , Hans-Jürgen Papier , Michael Kloepfer , Hans-Günter Henneke , Edda Müller

See also

• War and politics
• Unity of economic and social policy

supporting documents

1. ↑ Georges, Lat. Wb. Vol. 2 Col. 1919 sv
2. ↑ Christopher Daase, Sebastian Schindler: Clausewitz, Guerilla War and Terrorism. On the topicality of a misunderstood war theory . In: Political quarterly . tape 50 , no. 4 , December 2009, p. 701-731 , doi : 10.1007 / s11615-009-0153-2 .
3. ↑ Andreas Dietz (see section “Literature”) develops the legal requirements of the primacy and uses them to measure the constitutional situation in the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the Federal Republic and the GDR. In the Bundeswehr missions abroad, he recognizes current deficits in primacy and calls, among other things, for a national security strategy as the basis for the Bundeswehr reform and future deployment decisions.
4. ^ Hermann Adam: Building blocks of politics: An introduction. Springer, 2007, ISBN 978-3-531-15486-2 , p. 215 f.
5. ^ Josef Schmid: Economic Policy for Political Scientists. ISBN 3-8252-2804-5 , p. 18 f.
6. ^ Rainer Zitelmann : Hitler: Self-image of a revolutionary. P. 247.
7. ^ Astrid Gehrig: National Socialist Armaments Policy and Entrepreneurial Decision-Making Scope , Oldenbourg, Munich 1996, p. 195.
8. ↑ Michael Schneider: National Socialist Penetration of State, Economy and Society. On the social history of the "Third Reich". In: Archives for Social History. (AfS), 31, 1991, pp. 514-557.
9. ^ Werner Abelshauser: German economic history. From 1945 to the present. CH Beck, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-406-51094-6 , p. 96.
10. ↑ Stefan Wolle: The ideal world of dictatorship. Everyday life and rule in the GDR 1971-1989. Ch. Links Verlag 1998, ISBN 3-86153-157-7 , p. 190.
11. ^ Carl Christian von Weizsäcker: Logic of Globalization . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1999, ISBN 3-525-34010-9 , p. 39.
12. ^ Carl Christian von Weizsäcker: Logic of Globalization . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1999, ISBN 3-525-34010-9 , p. 166.
13. ↑ mohr.de: content, author, list of reviews ( Memento from October 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive )