• Type of democracy- parliamentary
• Head of State- president
• Head of Government- chancellor
• Legislative branch- bicameral, Bundesrat (citizens of the states elect members of this house, elected to represent the interests of each state), Bundestag (selects the chancellor, appointed by individual states and not voted on by general population)
• Executive branch- Chancellor elected by Parliament, limited to 2 consecutive 5-year terms, head of military, takes care of day-to-day business of the nation
• Role of citizen- voting age 18 but can vote in state elections at 16, vote for Bundestag members, elect representatives to the European Parliament
• Personal freedoms- religion, expression, equality, press, protection of the family
• Structure of economy and standard of living for citizens- strong market economy, 4th largest economy in the world in terms of GDP, largest economy in Europe, high standard of living due to high literacy rate
German names
Boy- Hans, Stefan, Heinrich, Klaus, Friedrich, Wilhelm, Wolfgang
Girl- Gertrude, Helga, Miriam, Ursula, Gabriele, Gisela, Hildegard, Ingrid
Homework: write a letter to your "pen pal" including ALL of the above information about Germany's government and economics as if you are a German student