Germany is a federal republic. The government's main bodies and offices include a Parliament, a federal chancellor, and a Cabinet.

The government was established after the unification of East and West Germany in 1990. It was based on the democratic system of West Germany. East Germany had operated under a dictatorial Communist government until shortly before unification, when a democratic system was established.

The Parliament of Germany has two houses, the Bundestag (Federal Diet) and the Bundesrat (Federal Council). The Bundestag, which is the more powerful of the two houses, passes the laws and chooses the head of government. The Bundestag has 669 deputies elected by the voters to four-year terms.

The Bundesrat is the house in which Germany's states are represented. Each state has three to six votes in the Bundesrat, depending on the population of the state. Each state government may appoint up to as many delegates to the Bundesrat as the state has votes. The maximum membership of the Bundesrat is 68.

Some laws passed by the Bundestag require approval of the Bundesrat. They include laws that relate directly to the states' responsibilities, such as matters dealing with education and local government. The Bundesrat can raise objections to other laws. Its objections can be overridden by a majority vote of the Bundestag.

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The federal chancellor is the head of Germany's government. The chancellor is elected by a majority of the Bundestag. The Bundestag can remove the chancellor from office by electing a replacement. The chancellor selects the ministers who make up the Cabinet and head government departments.

The federal president is the head of state, but the powers of the office are largely ceremonial. Bundestag deputies and an equal number of electors selected by the German state legislatures elect the president to a five-year term.

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Germany has 16 states. Each state has a legislature. Members of most of the legislatures are elected to four-year terms. In most states, the legislature elects a minister president to head the state government. In Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, which are cities as well as states, a mayor heads the government.

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The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party are Germany's largest political parties. The CDU's branch in Bavaria is the Christian Social Union. Traditionally, both large parties support close ties to other Western nations. The CDU has conservative economic and social policies. The Social Democratic Party supports more social welfare programs and greater regulation of the economy.

In most national elections, neither of the major parties gains enough votes to control the Bundestag. In such cases, the political party that has the most votes must form a coalition (alliance) to gain a majority of seats in the Bundestag.

Germany also has several smaller political parties. They include the Free Democratic Party, which is a liberal party, and the Green Party, which represents environmental causes. They also include the Party of Democratic Socialism, which is the Communist party that formerly controlled East Germany, and the Republican Party, a very small, extremely conservative party. Germans must be at least 18 years old to vote.

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Germany's highest court is the Federal Constitutional Court. It interprets the Constitution and settles disputes between the executive and the legislature and between federal and state governments. Its 16 judges are appointed for 12-year terms. Half of the judges are appointed by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat.

The regular court system tries civil and criminal cases, which can be reviewed by regional and national appellate courts. Judges in all these courts are appointed for life. Administrative courts decide disputes between individuals and government agencies. There are special courts for disputes about labor issues, taxes, and social security payments.

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After World War II, the Allies—the countries that had defeated Germany and its partners—planned to keep Germany disarmed. But by the 1950's, the Western Allies wanted West Germany's help against possible Communist expansion. West Germany joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1955, and began to build up its armed forces under NATO command. After unification, Germany remained in NATO. The East German armed forces were dissolved, but some of the personnel joined the unified German armed forces.

The German armed forces have about 330,000 troops. German men are required to serve a term in the military after reaching age 18. In 2001, Germany began allowing women to serve as combat troops.

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