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Brief History of Governance in Berlin
In 1990, East and West Germany became unified and the city of Berlin was designated as the capital of the reunified state of Germany. On the June 20th, 1991, the Federal Government of Germany and its Parliament were relocated to Berlin from Bonn under the Unification Treaty. The city of Bonn in West Germany had been the seat of government since 1949 in the Federal Republic of Germany. However, in East Germany or the German Democratic Republic, Berlin was the proclaimed capital. The capital and the seat of the government were moved to Berlin as a result of the Deutsche Bundestag passing the 1991 resolution. The relocation of the government and the parliament in Germany turned Berlin into a booming center for politics and governance. In fact, Berlin can now be compared to other thriving European capital cities. The unification of Germany can be credited as facilitating the economic and political development of Berlin. The century old Reichstag building in Berlin now house the new Federal Republic of Germany. The Reichstag building was almost completely destroyed during World War II and the rise of Adolf Hitler. Luckily, this historic building was able to be renovated and usher in a new era of german politics and governance. In 1999, a new building was in construction called the Holocaust Mahnmal. This structure is a memorial commemorating the Holocaust. The construction of this memorial displayed an applaudable effort on behalf of the German government to move forward but remind themselves about the political failures that led to this unfortunate tragedy. . Furthermore, with the reunification of Berlin, the constitution of the city-state was reformed. However, the most fundamental portions of the constitution were left pretty much untouched. Berlin's new constitution was pushed forward by a referendum in October of 1995, but was never ratified by the German State or more importantly, the allied powers.

City-State Government Structure in Berlin
In Germany's local government system, cities have the least amount of power in the hierarchy of governance. Cities are controlled by the länder which means state. In total there are 16 länder in Germany. Berlin is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg, however, the city of Berlin is independent of the state of Brandenburg. Once Germany was reunified, Berlin became an official city-state. The two other city-states in Germany are Hamburg and Bremen, but all three city-sates are not completely sovereign. The remaining states or länder are North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheinland Pfalz, Saarland, and Hesse. Each state has a parliament and produces a minister-prseident. But in Berlin, the title given to the minister-president is the governing mayor, however, their role is the same. In Berlin, the governing mayor's seat is in the Senate Chancellery. Additionally, Berlin parliament is called the abgeordnetenhaus in German. Also, there is an executive group amongst the members of parliament known as the executive body or Senate. The governing mayor can elect up to 10 senators In 15 out of the 16 länder, a council system is used to oversee the different responsibilities of the state, whereby elections are held every five years. Some these responsibilities are the management of education, water, waste, energy, culture, public order, and security. Two of the most influential and important political parties in Berlin are the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Energy and Water Issues in Berlin's Politics
Many distinguished intellectuals and authors have pointed out the issue of energy and its consumption in Berlin. Also, the issue of energy efficiency had found its way into Berlin's politics during the early portion of the 20th century. Even during the Nazi era, energy was important issue to the Nazi regime. However, in the reunified Germany, the energy market has been opened up in Berlin to investors and this has resulted in a high level of competition. Berlin promoted new development by instituting a neo-liberal political economy. As a result, Berlin's new electricity market invited in new companies and the local energy company Bewag was privatized completely in 1997. In 1994, the Energy Concept for Berlin was created to bring down CO2 emissions by 25% in 20 years. In 2010, the city government of Berlin again focused on a policy of cutting CO2 emissions by 40% and investing and upgrading to more efficient and renewable forms of energy. Sustainable policies and practices have been an important topic in the politics of Berlin. Berlin's energy supply system is an important part of Berlin's political economy. Another important energy topic raised in Berlin's politics is the issue of the democratization of energy. Grassroots organizations throughout Germany are challenging companies who are looking to privatize the energy sector. In Berlin, a cooperative and publicly owned initiative known as Citizen Energy Berlin is looking to raise money and purchase a stake in Berlin's electricity. Citizen Energy Berlin and other initiatives like it are looking to democratize Berlin's energy sector.

In 1999, the Berlin Water Company or Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BCB) was partially privatized. Employees of the Berlin Water Company and unions threatened to strike against the privation. Thus an agreement was signed on April 13, 1999 by the employees of the Berlin Water Company and the government of Berlin to guarantee that no workers would lose their job at the company. This was done to ease the minds of BCB employees who believed that the prices of water would increase dramatically due to privatization. Among the Berlin government and the employees, was a third party known as consultants. These consultants undermined the democracy and the operations of Berlin's government according to Beveridge. Because consults were the only entity that contacted both the public and the private side of the negations. Interestingly, in Berlin's political and governmental system, consultants have an imperative role in policy making and interfering with decisions made by the city government.

Refugee Activism and Policy
In recent years, refugee activism has definitely impacted politics and the policies of Berlin. Germany is home to hundreds of thousands of refugees from all over the world. The problem for refugees specifically is the policy of residenzpflicht which restricts refugees to a live in a single state in Germany. Refugees are unhappy with this process because they are only allowed stay for a certain period of time and not given permanent status. Furthermore, if refugees are to leave the designated area, they can be aresseted and prosecuted. Many refugees held demonstrations and protested what they believed to be a denial of human rights. Bhimji goes on to say that refugees were not able to see significant policy changes, although refugees made themselves visible and presented and pleaded their cases to the public. Nonetheless, the asylum policies implemented by Germany have not been seriously reformed. However, refugees and asylum seekers demonstrated that they can squeeze into Berlin's political system by occupying public buildings and protesting in front of government officials. Bhimji says that refugees and asylum seekers in Berlin forced the public to listen to a new political discourse.

Immigrant Integration and Policy
Another social issue impacting politics in Berlin are the policies concerning the integration of immigrants. Several policies were enacted in the previous century to help immigrants integrate economically. In Hur's article, he stresses that education is one of the most effective ways to integrate an immigrant population. With the reunification of Germany, over 250,000 industry jobs disappeared in Berlin and this was extremely hard for immigrants especially. Because most immigrants are low-skilled workers, therefore, the most important way to bring immigrant communities out of poverty is through educational policies that help immigrants pursue the successful completion of useful qualifications. Berlin's government has acknowledged this and has set out to promote educational success in all schools.

Gentrification and Cultural Policies
Two more issues that have also been on the radar for the government of Berlin are policies related to gentrification and culture. The Prenzlauer Berg district in Berlin was known to be an area with a significant working-class community and poverty. After the reunification of Germany, this area attracted hipsters because it was very affordable. Moreover, the Prenzlauer Berg district became gentrified as a result. Berlin hoped to sparkle, dazzle, and show its recovery to the rest of Europe. This resulted in vast urban renewal projects that gentrified the poor who were unable to keep up with the expenses. Much of this development is promoted by the government of Berlin. Levine argues that Berlin should keep politics out of urban planning and leave it up to the market. He also states that Berlin should promote policies that encourage the development of housing that is affordable, community development oriented, and more inclusive of social policy.

Berlin is an up-and-coming global city, it hasn't achieved full status as a global city but it is making small cultural and economic strides that will lead it there. . Berlin's modest reputation as an up-and-coming global city, means that it must advance cultural policy to bring about more diversity and interest within the city. Van der Will writes about how city of Berlin uses a carnival to bring people of different backgrounds and cultures together. This carnival is called the Carnival of Cultures and it is held in Kreuzberg every year. Van der Will goes on to state that Berlin'c current cultural policies are facing some major challenges. Artists in Berlin are unable to live comfortably in the city due to gentrification. Berlin's constitution protects and promotes culture. Furthermore, the Senate and governing mayor also claim to facilitate and support culture. However, Berlin's cultural policy is definitely lacking in certain respects. Berlin's government mostly promotes, protects, and invests in culture when it is profitable for the state or when it is most beneficial to their agenda

List of Government Buildings in Berlin
Important government offices and buildings are listed below.


 * Reichstag Building
 * Deutcher Bundestag


 * Bundeskanzleramt


 * Schöneberg Rathaus


 * Bundesministerium


 * Paul-Lobe-Huas


 * Rathaus Charlottenburg


 * Kanzleramt Bundesrepublik Deutschland


 * Abgeordnetenhaus Berlin


 * Bundesrat of Germany


 * Marie-Elizabeth-Lueders-Haus


 * Jakob-Kaiser Haus