FLAVOR MIXING, CP-VIOLATION AND THE MASSES OF THE LIGHT QUARKS

The observed hierarchy of the quark masses is interpreted as a signal for an underlying ''subnuclear democracy'' as the relevant symmetry of the quark mass terms. A simple breaking of the symmetry leads to a mi xing between the second and the third family, in agreement with observ ation. Introducing the mixing between the first and the second family, one finds an interesting pattern of maximal CP-violation as well as a complete determination of the elements of the CKM matrix and of the u nitarity triangle.