This has yet to be formalized in a peace treaty, but it has been repeatedly affirmed by successive West German governments, and it is accepted by the overwhelming majority of West Germans. And although these groups have been courted by conservative leaders, their influence has diminished as former Silesians and East Prussians have been integrated into the booming West German economy. Democracy stabilized In the Weimar Republic, democracy lost out to Hitler's Third Reich after an uphill struggle of 15 years. But the civil servants, military officers, industrialists, and publishers of the time were generally of an authoritarian, if not totalitarian, mind. Today democracy is firmly rooted in the Federal Republic.
Democratic institutions function well.
The strong position of the regional governments has put a firm check on the power of the federal government. The Constitutional Court has established unchallenged authority over interpreting basic law. And in the last decade, increased public participation in local and regional political issues, especially related to the environment, has put further checks on the central government. To be sure, there remain ugly traces of resentment against foreigners, especially in the lower social strata. But there has been little support for radical parties in the past, and support for the new right-wing party, the Republicans, has evidently passed its peak.