Germany as the EU's reluctant hegemon? Of economic strength and political constraints

Abstract

This article explores the growing perception, prompted by the eurozone crisis, of Germany as a hegemonic power in the European Union. The article explores the realignments in the power balance within the European Union (EU) by making an original application of the insights from the literature on hegemony. It reviews the evidence for Germany playing a hegemonic role, but then emphasizes three sets of constraints. First, German pre-eminence is largely confined to the economic sphere. Even in this area Germany has not acted fully in line with the role ascribed by hegemonic stability theory. Second, its pre-eminence in the EU encounters problems of international legitimacy. Third, growing constraints arising from German domestic politics further hamper playing the role of hegemon. In consequence, Germany is intrinsically a reluctant hegemon: one whose economic leadership is recognized but politically contested. The conclusion considers the significance of these findings on the EU's most important member state.

Keywords:

• Domestic politics
• European Union
• eurozone
• Germany
• hegemony
• legitimacy

ACNOWLEDGEMENTS

We acknowledge the helpful comments from referees, as well as those arising from discussion at presentations of earlier versions at the 2011 EUSA conference in Boston, the universities of Birmingham, Sussex and Iceland, and the International Association for the Study of German Politics conference 2012. We also thank Vladimir Handl, Jonathan Joseph and Douglas Webber for their comments. The usual disclaimer applies.

Notes

See Hager (1980) for the original argument about (West) Germany as ‘extraordinary trader’. Over 30 years later his argument is even more compelling.

It is worth noting that in German commentary the comparative reference points also relate to state power in (con)federal systems, such as that of Prussia in Bismarckian Germany. The role of the hegemonic state is not dissimilar from that under HST. See the work of the constitutional lawyer Christoph Schönberger (2012, 2013); also see Pedersen's references (1998: 39–43) to asymmetrical federalism in the EU and the comparisons made by Mattli (1999: 108–28) to power relations and integration in the German Zollverein.

On ordoliberalism see Dullien and Guérot (2012).

The 2005 referendum in France had prevented ratification of the original EU Constitutional Treaty.

Additional information

Biographical notes:

Simon Bulmer is Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield, UK.

William Paterson is Honorary Professor of German and European Politics at Aston University, UK.