Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Germany is the most populous country in Europe, with 81million inhabitants. Since 1990, it has been a federal republic consisting of 16 states. Until then the country had been separated into two states as a result of World War II (1939–1945). Next to the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), established in the western occupational zones, there existed the German Democratic Republic (GDR) on the territory of the former Soviet zone of occupation. Through reunification in 1990, five new federal states were added. Germany is a parliamentary democracy with a multi-party system. The administrative authorities are divided between the federal government and the federal state governments. This division of power is also of great importance for the German media system. According to the typology of Hallin and Mancini (2004) , Germany is located in the area of the “north European or democratic corporatist model”: characterized by high newspaper circulations, external pluralism of the press, a great level of professionalization among journalists, and state regulation particularly with regard to the public broadcasting system. Germany is regarded as the birthplace of the modern mass media. In the city of Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1450 (→  Printing, History of ). And it was in Germany, at the beginning of the seventeenth century – after several preliminary stages ... log in or subscribe to read full text