Introduction: The Development of Unemployment in Modern German History

In recent years mass unemployment has emerged as a leading social and economic problem and has been accorded, in consequence, the highest political priority in Western European countries. The issue has become the subject of extensive public debate, which is hardly surprising, given that in EEC countries unemployment has risen from a modest 21 million on the eve of the 1973 oil crisis to over 12 million by the end of 1982, and then to nearer 14 million in 1985. But a curious dichotomy is to be observed: the existence of millions of jobless workers contrasts sharply with high levels of prosperity for many of those fortunate to be in full employment, and in view of the well-developed welfare support systems available in industrialised European nations, the discussion among public and politicians alike about the causes and possible remedies for unemployment have at times taken on a rather unreal flavour. Public concern apparently goes hand in hand with a considerable amount of toleration of the problem.