| Abstract | In recent years, the German Green Party has seen some incredible success. The purpose of this study is to examine which factors contribute most to Green electoral success in any German election. Through detailed case studies of the most recent federal parliamentary election, Bundestag 2009, and two state parliament elections, Baden-Württemberg 2011 and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 2011, one can gain a picture of the Green Party's performance in a broad cross-section of German elections. Within each case study, I thoroughly analyze the presence or absence of a set of factors that literature on the subject suggests could contribute to Green success. These factors are: the presence of widespread environmental concerns, the expansion of the Green Party's agenda, and the graying of the party. Ultimately, the expansion of the agenda and the graying of the party are found to be the most influential factors in the case studies. However, environmental concerns can play an overwhelming role in contributing to Green success when present, making each of these factors important considerations. Because of the broad scope of these case studies, it is proposed that these factors can be generalized as contributors to Green success in any German election. |
