Ordnung jenseits der politischen Systeme: Planung im 20. Jahrhundert

In the context of these essays, planning is interpreted as an ideological concept that was highly adaptable to changing realities in the constant shift of political systems during the 20th century. The commentary stresses that planning is bound by certain basic conditions in the discourse of industrial society and may therefore be emphasized under both democratic and dictatorial systems. These conditions include the close association of rationality with modernity and a belief in the malleability of the world. Notions of a »better future« are always associated with planning considerations. Planning takes place in cloistered, bureaucratic institutions where experts can consult. It is not bound by public opinion. The mark of planning is rather the omnipresence of the expert, who embodies the coupling of rationalism and faith in technical feasibility.