Thank God for Germany. It is not a feeling you have heard much about in the 20th century. As World War II drew to a close, Henry Morgenthau, The US Secretary of Treasure, said the only answer to German questions was to undermine the country’s corporate power. François Mauriac, the French secretary, welcomed the partition, laughing “I love Germany so much, I’m glad there are two”.
When the reunion took place in 1990, a conference of British academic leaders, convened by Margaret Thatcher, discussed the culture of the German state. His senior foreign affairs adviser recorded the minutes to show that these were “according to the characters, angry, angry, brave, tortured, arrogant, self-deprecating, ideological”.
Thirty years have passed and the misconceptions about their race have been completely changed. It is in the US and the UK that politics seems to be on the rise, “angry,” and all the other unpleasant things, which they claim are Teutonic. Today, it is German public life characterized by the good that the British often claim – stability, self-control, common sense and persuasion.
Recent German election and the results underscore the point. It was a close race, but the losers received the result well. No one tried to say what voting was stolen or that their enemies were “an abomination ” – or represents the danger of death in the world.
The Social Democrats are now expected to lead the German government for the first time since 2005. But a change in power will not bring about a sudden breakdown of policy or an attempt by political opponents. organs government, as is happening in the US.
Olaf Scholz of the SPD, who could be the chancellor, ran as continuous continuation. Like my FT friends reports, voters saw Scholz “with his calm demeanor, knowledgeable in government and politics, as Merkel’s successor”. How different is the history of the leadership of Donald Trump or Boris Johnson.
The transition to these roles is not one of the most complex in history. That’s the result of history. Unlike any other country I know, Germany has placed a monument to its greatest shame at the heart of its capital. The program of Memorial to the Nazis in Berlin standing near the Brandenburg Gate, the capital of the city. It is a sign of determination in Germany today to accept the dangers of Nazism – and to study its lessons.
Because they know where the unrest could lead, many German politicians do not participate in the leader’s ceremonies. No chancellor’s representative may be present boasting, like Trump, to say “I alone can fix it”, or to promote the “shut him down” songs of his enemy. In a recent election negotiations, party leaders respect each other and self-control. He knows that politics is big business. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany President, says he mocks Johnson because he thinks the British Prime Minister considers politics as a game.
The modern state of Germany is also at risk of serious political risk. By 2020, a group of anti-vaxxers and extremists who tried to experiment, but failed storm Reichstag. Following the 2015 refugee crisis, when Merkel allowed immigrants and refugees more than 1m to enter the country, many observers, I’m in the group too, predicted the rise of German politics. The state of the 2017 elections is often bleak. Another German right-of-way won bloc was huge of chairs in parliament.
But in the recent election, politicians are fighting for both the right and the left he lost votes. The site is not only in Germany, it is also recommended. The AfD is still strong in eastern Germany, but far farther away than before with world powers.
One difference between Germany and other Western countries is that most immigrants did not violate their rights. Trump came to power behind a promise to build a wall. Johnson won the Brexit referendum as a pledge to restore borders with British law – especially borders. In France, Michel Barnier, a campaigner for a middle-right election to become French president, has called for transfer on all migrants outside the EU. Zric Zemmour, the rising stars on the right, threatening to lose 2m people abroad.
The German government, by contrast, continues to make immigration charges. In August, the head of the German labor union He said that the aging of the country’s workforce means that Germany must allow 400,000 visitors every year – to say that without this migration rate, “there will be a shortage of skilled professionals everywhere”. Only the AfD opposed the idea.
The tightness of the middle ground in Germany does not mean the end of negotiations. It may take months make a governing agreement. It will be difficult to reduce the differences in points between the Greens, Free Democrats and the SPD. But the importance of forming a coalition lies in the political divisions – and exposing opponents – that have become important in the Anglosphere.
In the 21st century, German politics also took a turn for the worse. But this time for good reason.
The article has been republished to replace the name of former Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau