Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) is easily the most controversial philosopher in the 20th century. To a large extent this is due to his implication in Nazism, which is a scandal to some, a fascinating spectacle…
Germany’s envied “Mittelstand” of modest, family-owned companies which have underpinned the country’s emergence from the financial crisis has given Europe a problem. It has helped turned the country into…
Lehrer… were we meant to forget this?
Bernd Weissbrod/EPA
German approaches to the history lessons of World War I are characterised by a sense of distance and an anti-war attitude. But probably the most striking feature of the way Germany teaches its children…
Sound foundations.
Ian Nicholson/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Germany’s apprenticeship system is often put up on a pedestal. Now, as other countries struggle to emulate it, Germany is even beginning to export its model of vocational training. The trick to the German…
Eine kleine Bundeskanzlerin: Merkel addresses both houses of parliament.
Oli Scarff/PA
Angela Merkel’s visit to London could hardly have been given a bigger billing; a speech to both houses of parliament, lunch with the prime minister and then tea with the Queen. David Cameron clearly had…
Generation War provoked fierce debate and protests with sympathetic portrayals of German soldiers and depictions of Poles as anti-Semitic.
SBS/ZDF
Polish reactions to the German TV series Generation War, which has just screened in Australia, confirm that the history of World War Two remains highly contentious. The resulting public debate tested Polish-German…
Charles Wyplosz, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID)
The news from France has not been good over the last few years. Poor economic growth, stubbornly high unemployment, plant closures on the rise, strikes (not new, really), voter disenfranchisement and the…
When in 1987 Margaret Thatcher won the third of her three elections in the UK, she was at the height of her powers. She governed in almost monarchical style, her (internal and external) opponents either…
Haunted by the ghost of Merkel past?
World Economic Forum
Kai Arzheimer, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
The results of the German election have been described as a triumph for Angela Merkel. Her Christian Democrats bounced back from their second-worst result since 1949 to heights they have not seen since…
To victory: German chancellor Angela Merkel has comfortably won a third term in office.
EPA/Michael Kappeler
When the term “factor” is used in the description of political power, one is reminded of sunscreen or perfume: an ingredient to ingest. One is certainly not reminded of German chancellor Angela Merkel…
Germany and the UK have ambitious clean energy policies. Both have set themselves national emission reduction targets beyond the European Union’s goal of 20% below emissions levels of 1990. Germany has…
The roots of Germany’s anti-nuclear stance go back many decades, and are stronger than ever today.
Memkaos/Flickr
Erik Gawel, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research e Sebastian Strunz, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
When the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan was hit by a tsunami in March 2011, the disaster had a profound effect on German energy policy. Chancellor Angela Merkel reasoned that “Fukushima…
Scientists have solved the mystery of why some German beers have higher levels of arsenic than others. The researchers found…
The Euro crisis has finally arrived at the economic heartland of Germany; but the road to recovery may be the same for the Eurozone core powers as the peripheral economies.
AAP
Harald Sander, Cologne University of Applied Sciences (CUAS)
Last week the German government’s economic forecasts for 2013 have made clear that the Euro crisis will have a serious economic impact on Germany, with the economic growth projection cut down to a mere…
Germany’s triple A rating has been given a negative outlook by ratings agency Moody’s, amid ongoing woes in Greece, Spain and Italy.
AAP
On 23 July, the rating agency Moody’s put the triple A debt of Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg on a negative outlook. The day after, the outlook on the European Financial Stability Fund was also…
Will super Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, come to the Eurozone’s rescue?
AAP
Today Eurozone leaders will meet in Brussels. On the agenda is nothing less than the survival of the euro. Officially, it is about Spain: Spain’s economic and financial woes show the urgency. Moody’s drastically…
After 70 years, Mein Kampf is to be re-printed.
Michael Dawes
Almost 70 years ago, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in the bunker of the Reich Chancellery, marking the downfall of one of the most murderous regimes the world has ever seen. Decades later, there is still…
Why has Paul Watson suddenly been picked up in Germany on a Costa Rican charge?
Kay Nietfeld/EPA
Captain Paul Watson, founder of the marine conservation organisation Sea Shepherd, was arrested last week in Frankfurt, Germany, on an international arrest warrant issued by the Costa Rican government…
German chancellor Angela Merkel and France’s new President Francois Hollande meet to discuss Europe’s economic woes.
EPA/Rainer Jensen
Europe is in economic dire straits and the two most powerful economies on the continent are, at least on paper, led by individuals with considerable differences. The previous French President Nicolas Sarkozy…
With Greek leaders still unable to form government more than five days after the election, the prospect of Greeks returning to the polls is strengthening.
The democratic executions of Nicolas Sarkozy in France and Lucas Papademos in Greece means the body count of European leaders guillotined by angry electorates has risen to 12. Sarkozy and Papademos join…