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American Behavioral Scientist
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Nazis, Pollution, and no Sex

Political Scandals as a Reflection of Political Culture in Germany

Frank Esser

Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz

Uwe Hartung

Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach

This article briefly summarizes the German research literature on scandal and then outlines a theory of scandal as a socially constructed communication pattern. The theory distinguishes macro- and micro-level approaches for addressing the question of which malfunctions a society selects for scandal. The manifest and latent functions of scandals are discussed with special emphasis on the role of the mass media. The authors’concept of scandal is linked to the concept of political culture. The article then reviews, from a comparative cross-national point of view, (a) scandals that were formative for the development of democratic political culture in Germany, (b) scandals that are linked to the particular history of Germany, (c) scandals that do not distinguish Germany from other societies, and (d) scandals that are conspicuously missing in Germany although common in other countries. On this basis, five conclusions are drawn about the relationship of political scandal and political culture.

Key Words: Political scandals • news media • Germany • political culture • theory of scandal

American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 47, No. 8, 1040-1071 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0002764203262277
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