Abstract
The relationship between civil servants and politics in Germany is very particular. It goes back to a long tradition where civil servants were permitted to be involved in political activities. Today politics is still very present in the German civil service, both through patronage as through a system of institutionalised political civil servants. For these reasons, this article begins with an abstract of German civil servants history, dating back to the eighteenth century. This is followed by a description of the neutrality of the civil servants systems, the duty of loyalty to the constitution, and the duty of moderation and restraint. In this context the question of whether the German system has a senior civil service with a political function is raised.
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© 2013 Ulrich Battis
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Battis, U. (2013). Civil Servants and Politics in Germany. In: Neuhold, C., Vanhoonacker, S., Verhey, L. (eds) Civil Servants and Politics. Public Sector Organizations. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137316813_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137316813_9
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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