Why has Angela Merkel been chancellor for so long?
My personal opinion: The lack of a real competitor.Similar to many other countries in Europe, the two big parties in Germany had been the conservatives and the socialists fighting for majorities.Germany had a socialist government with Willy Brandt and then with Helmut Schmidt in the 70ties. Starting from the 80ties Germany was ruled by the conservatives. Schröder (socialist) followed Kohl and since 2005 it is Merkel. See also Chancellor of Germany (1949–) - Wikipedia - So it is very unlikely that other than a candidate of one of these two parties will be chancellor. Neither the AfD, the FDP, Die Linken or the green party would get the base for that. They target small groups and have their most power in the ability to become a junior partner of one of the big ones.I do not see Mrs Merkel as a very charismatic person, but she is perceived as professional politician and can win trust in a lot of people that she can lead Germany in the best interests. Before 2015, her reputation as solid and trustworthy was even higher. With 2015, her decline had started, but she was also very tricky in keeping the remaining reputation she has to win again.Lets look at her competition from the SPD. My personal opinion is that no one had the profile of a senior statesman.This is Martin Schulz. I call him a rather uncharismatic figure. Whenever I saw videos from him in the European parliament, I did not like him. But whoever I looked at in the leadership team - no matter if it is Mr. Gabriel, Mr. Steinbrück, Mr. Steinmayr…. I always wondered why they were not able to come up with someone better, more charismatic. All of them looked so replaceable. You see them and you either forget them right away or they annoy you. If you compare them with the two main characters of the SPD in the post war generation Willy Brand or Helmut Schmidt, you get the feeling that they are not even half the personality of these older statesmen.
How important was West Germany's first Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, in helping his country emerge from the ashes of WWII?
Adenauer was sacrificing a possible reunification of Germany in favour of integrating West Germany into the Western hemisphere. This very much changed the fate of West Germany. Being part of the Western block was the major factor for becoming a rich and democratic country. It was a tough decision between being confrontational against the Soviet Union or seeking cooperation with the Communists.Many of Adenauer's decisions were seen very controversional. In 1955 he succeeded in persuading the Soviets to send home the last German prisoners of war, we are talking about close to 10,000 men. This made him incredibly popular in Germany. Only one year later, Adenauer founded the Bundeswehr, the Federal Armed Forces, mainly equipped by the USA. There were huge protests against this move, because the people were tired of fighting. I think it is hard to understand for people who do not live in Germany, but most Germans are not proud of their military. I have seen hundreds of movies which draw a positive and heroic picture of the US military, and I do not know any single movie which does the same with the Bundeswehr.Nevertheless, Adenauer and his Union (CDU/CSU) had way more support by the West Germans than his major opponents, the Social Democrats (SPD). In 1953, the Union got 45% of the votes, in 1957 they got 53%, it was the first (and only) time the Union could reach the absolute majority of the seats in the national assembly. If the SPD would have been in charge instead, the course of West Germany would probably have been different.However: I cannot tell if this different course would have been better or not. I do not trust the Russians too much…
What is the best understanding of "We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon" by Konrad Adenauer?
Horizon is the most distant place in the distance where we can see (a circle of some radius around our location). So the quote simply says the same as if we say:All of us live in the same world but some of us can see further than others.So this quote really means that some people are short-sighted and some people have a vision or ambitious dreams. Adenauer has clearly counted himself into the second group.
How did Germany become one of the most popular countries after WWII?
Your assumption/statement is wrong.Germany’s economy has been on the rise ever since the early 50s, the era of the so called “Wirtschaftswunder” (economic miracle), with initial growth rates of 25.0% (1959) and 18.1% (1951). Already at this stage Britain’s productivity was surpassed. The 60s were dominated by a phase of full employment and the call for guest-workers from abroad to keep up with the demand in work force. Only in 1973 the oil crisis led to a minor depression and a negative GDP growth. The early 80s were a phase of stagnation followed by a solid growth in the second half. If one thing, the following re-unification was a subtle blow to economic growth. Let’s take a look at the numbers:(Nearly) Constant growth with some setbacksAdjusted net national income (constant 2000 US$)[1] Source: World BankAs you can see, the growth slightly flattened from 89/90 onward, but the overall trend has been a constant stable growth ever since. Numbers for GDP are practically congruent to the displayed GNI.The GDP growth rate shows the alternation between solid growths and economical setbacks. One of these setbacks is in the early 90s after the re-unification, when billions of Deutsche Mark were invested in East Germany to stimulate growth and in an effort to align the two once-separated countries socially and economically.GDP growth rate[2] Source: World BankSignificance of external trade compared to GDPThere was, however, a massive growth in trade compared to GDP. So, the share of imports and exports to GDP is much more substantial than before 1990. From this we can deduct one thing: Germany’s sustainable economical growth since 1990 relies very much on foreign trade.Trade (% of GDP)[3] Source: World BankNote: Unfortunately, the detailed data provided by the World Bank only dates back to 1970. The following graphic with historic data (GDP per capita) is provided as additional information. Please mind: this is a log scale graphic. On a linear scale the growth rate would be more “impressive” (steeper).[4] Source: J. Bradford DeLong, University of California at BerkeleyFootnotes[1] Google Public Data Explorer[2] Google Public Data Explorer[3] Google Public Data Explorer[4] Post-WWII Western European Exceptionalism: The Economic Dimension
How do Germans today deal with the Nazi past?
To put it simply:1. Making a Nazi salute is a crime (6-month jail term)2. Saying "Heil Hitler" is a crime (6-month jail term)3. Wearing a Nazi swastika is a crime (6-month jail term)4. Denying the Holocaust is a crime (6-month jail term)5. The national anthem is not "Deutschland uber alles." So don't sing it if you don't want to get into trouble. Sing only the 3rd stanza of Deutschlandlied: "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit."In the 1950s, the Nazi issue was about "collective guilt" since people then lived during that time. Sadly, they were brainwashed by the Nazis into believing that everything was all well in the Fatherland and were taught to despise the Jews. But average Germans never knew Jews were sent to concentration camps and gassed to death. In the 1990s, the Nazi issue was more of a part of history that should be rejected in the same way as communism was. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany was reunited and German patriotism arose again albeit in a non-militaristic way. The European Union was promoted as the key to peace in Germany and Europe - that Germans are part of a wider European community. Today, instead of instilling collective guilt, the Nazi past is treated as a history lesson. Germans are taught at the age of ten about the Nazi atrocities and every student is required to visit a concentration camp. Thanks to in-demand German exports, great football, delicious beer and popular culture, German identity has transformed from militaristic pomp (hard power) to 'lederhosen and laptop' (soft power). If you really want to know how young Germans deal with Germany's Nazi Past, watch Fack ju Göhte and Generation War (Our Mothers, Our Fathers), two of the highest grossing films in Germany in 2013. Germans are still rarely seen demonstrating a specific pride in their 'Germanness' outside of sports events. With the emergence of a renewed sense of "Heimat," Germans are more comfortable to show pride in their regional origins as Berliners, Bavarians, Hamburgers, Prussians, Saxons or Swabians. Even the Bundeswehr's military songs today are Prussian marches.