Democratization and the effects of inter-party competition on the welfare state: Example of Germany (1871-1990)

The Welfare State, which has often mentioned its name from its emergence from the 19th century until its completion in the 20th century, also speaks of itself in terms of the crises it has created in the last century. The concept, which affects both the change and transformation process of the society and the shape flow according to the conditions required by this change and transformation, has been applied and interpreted differently in every country and every system. On the other hand, democracy is affected by many variables such as governance systems and political party structures. In this sense, the aim of the study is to investigate how Turkish and foreign literature affect the welfare structure of the country through political competition between parties based on democratization processes and democratic models. The Welfare State, which was proposed as an alternative model especially in the 1930s due to the crisis experienced by classical liberalism, found its application in the countries that completed industrialization. This concept completes its transformation as a system gained by the society left to the mercy of the market system; In the process, political parties used to gain votes, to gain power, has shaped a tool that has influenced. According to this, Germany has made a name for itself in the process of democratization during the democratization process that it lived from the late 19th century to the 20th century when it became a federal republic. During this period, the rivalries between the parties of the period in the collapse of the Imperial Germany and the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the Nazi regime, as well as the decisions taken and influenced by the ruling authorities, have had a major impact on the society. Therefore, the conclusion reached in this study; In Germany, in particular, as democratization and political development in welfare countries increase, the policies implemented or intended by the parties are influenced and shaped by the competition between them and thus directly affect the welfare of society. Keywords: Democracy, Welfare State, Political Parties, Social Policy, Competition Between Parties