Igor MAXIMYCHEV Chief Researcher Institute of Europe Russian Academy of Sciences Ph. D (Politics) Whenever there is reference to the current crisis in Western Europe, one can often hear Russian people say, "I wish we could swap our problems for theirs!". This kind of reaction may seem justified, because not a single West European country might be able to withstand, for just a year, the situation Russia is currently going through (which does not necessarily speak in favor of Russia). However, the crisis in West Europe is an absolutely real thing, arousing local concerns that are comparable in intensity to ours, for all the differences existing between us and West Europeans. The German Social Democratic Chancellor Gerhard Schroder's decision to hold an early parliamentary election (at the time when The article had been written prior to the German parliamentary elections of September 18, 2005. стр. 115 he and other cabinet members could easily keep their government seats for another year), was one of manifestations of the German crisis. The political ways that have become typical of Russia hamper correct appraisal of the significance of this decision - in this country, resignation of office is not a customary thing, even when people are insistently demanding it. As for FRG, there were no resignation demands as such, though the government's popularity was quite obviously declining. The results of public opinion polls, pointing to a probable defeat of the Chancellor's party in early elections, had been known long before, so one should not believe that Schroder "miscalculated" or "overestimated his chances". So what was it all about? Essence of German crisis German economy has been passing through hard times since long ago. Its growth rates are close to zero, with unemployment constantly growing. The country's current 10% jobless rate among the economically active population is too much. The existing system of social support for temporarily or permanently unem ... Читать далее