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Studies of democratization treat the issue of political institutions in two distinct ways. The literature on institutional choice treats institutions as the dependent variable, explaining the specific institutions that fledgling democracies choose. The literature on democratic crafting treats institutions as an independent variable in which explains why democracy persists or breaks down. Most commonly such theories argue that parliamentary regimes have an advantage over presidential ones. This paper will argue that the key institutional choices that new democracies are indeed crucial to their survival. However, it will argue that whether a particular constellation of institutions will succeed is dependent on the ability of those institutions to manage the most pressing post-transition conflicts. The empirical material will be drawn from Weimar Germany, interwar Poland, the Federal Republic of Germany, and Postcommunist Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]