Why the Germans Do it Better: Notes from a Grown-Up Country

An excellent, readable, political and societal analysis. What a turn-up for the historical books when Germany, the Franco-German European 'locomotive' and, to a lesser extent, Japan have become the beacons of liberal democracy in an increasingly authoritarian world. The victorious Anglophone powers of 1945 have fallen prey to populism and irrationality; those defeated have established themselves as models of good governance and morality. As Mr Kampfner says about Germany: "No country has caused so much harm in so little time" and "No country has achieved so much good in so little time". Both are true.Nevertheless, it's a warts-and-all portrait: Germany's environmentally destructive love-affair with the car is well documented; as is its slow take-up of technology; the disproportionate benefit it has gained from the euro; and its tendency to moralise regarding the financial and economic behaviour of those less fortunate. On the plus side: the landmark Grundgesetz (the deeply moral Basic Law drawn up as a 'never again' after the Nazi era); Europe as the German identity; the barely believable generosity to immigrants; the many times since the second World War they have quietly deployed the Teutonic chequebook in benign solution of political problems and.... Angela Merkel. And what other country would eschew all euphemism and call the Berlin monument simply the 'Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe'?In contrast to the British -- obsessed with the War and the Battle of Britain -- Germany looks forward. The Mittelstand is the model of the social market economy -- itself the German 'take' on compassionate capitalism. The automobile aside, German commitment to the good of the environment is striking. All they need is self-belief and the self-confidence to know that they are one of the great forces for good in a nasty world. In short, Germany must step up, and assume its proper role.Very much recommended.

Clearly driven by disappointed rage over the Brexit decision, subsequent bungling of negotiations for a trade deal and incompetent handling of the coronavirus, the author may have over-egged the pudding of German superiority, which his German acquaintances seem to disclaim or at least play down, mindful of the Nazi past which has made them continually self-questioning and reluctant to praise their country. They retain compound nouns for “coming to terms with history”, “culture of remembrance” and “collective guilt”: no longstanding national day ceremonies, no pageantry.Kampfner sets his analysis in the context of key factors: the post war reconstruction through competent leader Erhard’s “Economic Miracle” with the Basic Law to develop political consciousness and strengthen democracy; the visionary, ambitious, inevitably costly Unification which has raised living standards and reduced pollution in the East, but not without ongoing tensions; the recent absorption of a million refugees with the pragmatic justication of easing an acute labour shortage, but at the cost of triggering the rise of the right-wing anti-immigration AfD.The author attributes Germany’s relative success to the intelligent way decisions are made reflecting the emotional maturity and solidity of Angela Merkel. From the 1980s Germany diverged from US and UK which opted for more deregulation and a get-rich-quick, “look after number one” culture. Instead, Germans place less reliance on individual acquisitiveness as indicated by their more restrictive shopping hours and a greater tendency to save, even if interest rates low, rather than speculate.German society is based more on “a sense of mutual obligation, shared endeavour and the belief that people need rules to keep themselves in check”. There is a high degree of consensus in underlying values – commitment to a free market economy involving organised and responsible capitalism with a legal requirement for worker representation on company boards rather than conflict in the work place, and investment in skills and productivity of workers. Wealth produced by the market is redistributed to achieve social justice and reduce inequalities between regions. Small and medium-sized family owned enterprises spread round the country play a major role in creating employment and wealth. They are typified by social awareness and active support for local communities.If this sounds too good to be true, there are weaknesses and flaws. The Deutsche Bank investment in sub-prime mortgages, and VW’s manipulation of tests on emissions to make diesel cars appear less polluting are well known. Yet I was surprised to learn of: Germany’s slow adoption of digital innovation and Artificial Intelligence; lack of investment in infrastructure resulting in rundown school buildings, crumbling road bridges, unreliable internet and trains that do not run on time – ironical in view of Germanic concern with punctuality; an airport designed to serve the unified Berlin has been delayed for years by a plethora of faults. Austerity measures after the 2008 financial crash meant that the states were starved of cash for vital investment while the central government had run up an embarrassing surplus by 2018.Despite the growing strength of the Green Party and the good intentions to develop wind and solar power and close nuclear power stations by 2021 and coal-fired plants by 2038, external political considerations like concerns over the reliability of a gas pipe-line from Russia and strong counter lobbying from state-subsidised east German lignite mines may well prevent this.Although many facts will inevitably date quite quickly, this is an informative and thought-provoking read. It seems we have something to learn from a society in which compromise, cooperation and redistribution to achieve justice are accepted for ethical and practical reasons rather than regarded as naïve extremism. On the other hand, the Germans were rather hard on the Greeks…….

This book looks so good, and was a very cute gift idea my boyfriend bought my German mother! She was so thankful and it honestly looks more informative than I thought it would be!

This author has many negative views on post-war German history and politics. Few positive opinions or facts were mentioned in this book.It's interesting how there is a picture of a mug of beer and a sausage on the cover as if that's a main part of German culture - plus the author barely mentions cuisine. It's like writing a book on UK politics and history and promoting chips and warm beer on the cover as one of the most important parts of UK culture.Note that the author suffers from Trump derangement syndrome which adds to his general negative views. I'm not sure who this book is targeted at - perhaps a senior British audience??? The book could have been better if it were balanced with both positive and negative facts.

Dieses Buch ist ein Eine ausgezeichnete Darstellung Deutschlands, die überraschend genau und präzise ist und von einem Nicht-Deutschen geschrieben wurde. Außerdem sehr gut geschrieben und fesselnd! Eine Pflichtlektüre für alle Europäer. Ich bin einen Niederländer, der seit 2000 in Deutschland wohne, erkenne vieles und denke viele Leute außerhalb Deutschlands die mit Deutschland zu tun haben, geschäftlich oder privat, würden Vorteil haben dies Mal zu lesen.Ich habe dieses Buch von den ersten Seiten an geliebt.Dieses Buch bietet einen großartigen Überblick über Deutschland, insbesondere seit dem Fall des Eisernen Vorhangs, Erklärt die deutsche Position, Natur und Lebenseinstellung. Das Buch macht Viele Vergleiche mit Großbritannien. Manche Britten (oder andere nicht Deutsche) mögen dieses Buch als leicht kontrovers empfinden und es nicht mögen, da es manchmal England gegenüber kritisch ist.Ein wunderbar geschriebenes, eingängiges Buch, das viele Informationen bietet und den Weg erklärt, den Deutschland seit der Wiedervereinigung gegangen ist.Wie so vieles, was die Briten über Deutschland schreiben, ist auch dies ein Buch über Großbritannien. Wir müssen das Großbritannien nach dem Brexit in der Tat in einem deutschen Spiegel sehen, nicht in einem globalen Fantasie-Spiegel. Dieser Spiegel ist nicht schmeichelhaft: Kampfner sieht ein Großbritannien "in einsprachige Mittelmäßigkeit versunken, dessen Bezugspunkte sich bis in die USA und nicht viel weiter erstrecken". Es borgt und kauft ein, und es lebt in einer nostalgischen Traumwelt.

Great read

辞書を片手に20時間くらいかけて読破。ドイツ初心者でしたが、ドイツの勉強になったことを加え、社会学の本を英語で読むにしては内容がとっつきやすく読みやすかったです。時間のある学生さん、ぜひ。