Although distant observers tend to envy Germany for its relative stability and prosperity, the view from within is more complicated. As four recent books by German authors show, the country's political class has long indulged a dangerous complacency that can no longer be justified.
- Christoph Butterwegge, Die zerrissene Republik: Wirtschaftliche, soziale und politische Ungleichheit in Deutschland (The Torn Republic: Economic, Social, and Political Inequality in Germany), Weinhem, Basel: Beltz-Juventa, 2020.
Daniel Goffart, Das Ende der Mittelschicht – Abschied von einem deutschen Erfolgsmodell (The End of the Middle Class:Farewell to a German Success Story), Berlin: Berlin Verlag, 2019.
Ulrike Herrmann, Deutschland, Ein Wirtschaftsmärchen (Germany: An Economic Fairytale), Frankfurt: Westend, 2019.
Edgar Wolfrum, Der Aufsteiger: Eine Geschichte Deutschlands von 1990 bis heute (The Climber: A History of Germany from 1990 to Today), Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta, 2020.
BERLIN – This month, Germany will assume the rotating presidency of the European Council for the first time in 13 years. Its task will be to help lead the European Union through a period of deep uncertainty. Like the rest of the world, Europe is grappling with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the worst economic slump since World War II. European businesses and institutions are undergoing stress tests far greater than those experienced during the global financial crisis a decade ago. Complicating matters further, the geopolitical situation is quickly deteriorating, owing to an erosion of the transatlantic alliance, changing relations with China, and renewed Russian belligerence.
Daniel Goffart, Das Ende der Mittelschicht – Abschied von einem deutschen Erfolgsmodell (The End of the Middle Class:Farewell to a German Success Story), Berlin: Berlin Verlag, 2019.
Ulrike Herrmann, Deutschland, Ein Wirtschaftsmärchen (Germany: An Economic Fairytale), Frankfurt: Westend, 2019.
Edgar Wolfrum, Der Aufsteiger: Eine Geschichte Deutschlands von 1990 bis heute (The Climber: A History of Germany from 1990 to Today), Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta, 2020.
BERLIN – This month, Germany will assume the rotating presidency of the European Council for the first time in 13 years. Its task will be to help lead the European Union through a period of deep uncertainty. Like the rest of the world, Europe is grappling with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the worst economic slump since World War II. European businesses and institutions are undergoing stress tests far greater than those experienced during the global financial crisis a decade ago. Complicating matters further, the geopolitical situation is quickly deteriorating, owing to an erosion of the transatlantic alliance, changing relations with China, and renewed Russian belligerence.