Politik im Büro — Politics at the Office

How Germans Argue About Politics

Germans often take pride in a Streitkultur, a culture of debate in which people argue hard about substance and still keep working together. Talk shows, newspaper op-eds and dinner tables can be full of sharp disagreement, and directness in a political argument is not usually taken as a personal insult. At work, the norms are more cautious. Many people avoid party politics in the office, and some workplaces have explicit or unspoken rules about it, though the cafeteria is often treated as neutral ground. Interrupting is considered rude in a serious discussion, and Lass mich bitte ausreden is a common and accepted way to hold the floor. German governments are almost always coalitions. Two-party coalitions of the two largest parties are called grand coalitions; three-party coalitions have become more common as the number of parties in parliament has grown. Coalition partners negotiate a detailed written agreement, the Koalitionsvertrag, before forming a government, which is one reason why coalitions of very different parties can still hold together for a full term. Worries about polarization and an increasingly harsh tone in campaigns are a regular subject of public debate.