ELI5-How did Germany go from losing two world wars to being the economic powerhouse of Europe?
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To use an analogy. Most people don’t believe that you can improve a plant if you cut it back violently as long as the roots are strong. Germany has a lot of natural advantages with its central location in Europe as long as its neighbors tend to cooperate rather than seek conflict. Imagine it like living in a certain neighborhood. If all the neighbors are positive people who want a neighborhood to flourish and thrive, then the people living in the centre of it will flourish, too. This works in particular if those people want to have a nice house in a nice neighborhood. That’s basically what the European Union is about.
However, all that would have been for nothing if the winners of the last war hadn’t allowed Germany to grow again. There was something called the “Morgenthau Plan” which was supposed to change Germany into several demilitarized and de-industrialized agrarian states. That plan never reached mainstream traction, though. However, if put into effect it might have broken German society apart in a way that the remaining pieces might have slowly drifted towards being absorbed into neighboring states and cultures.
Basically, a good location, an able and willing people and former enemies allowing it to grow back made it possible.
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