a MAJOR comeback story: from barter to billionaire
I present to you the German Economic Miracle: how Germany's economy went from being literally in shambles after World War II to dominating the world today. In the span of less than a year and due to the contributions of two key players, Germany was an overnight industrial success. I wanted to understand the economic principles behind this success and dive deep into the history of the Germany's famously industrious industry.
Digressions include some ruminations on whether a Lego Monet "counts" as art, the women who cleared up German ruins when nobody else could, and why your home should ALWAYS have a flower or two...
Sources:
Spicka, Mark E. “Origins of the Social Market Economy and the Currency Reform of 1948.” Selling the Economic Miracle: Economic Reconstruction and Politics in West Germany, 1949-1957, 26–48. Berghahn Books, 2018.
Struve, Walter. “West Germany’s Economic Miracle.” Current History 44, no. 260 (1963): 231–45.
Wallich, Henry C. Mainsprings of the German Revival. London, Oxford University Press, 1955. p. 114
Dullien, Sebastian and Ulrike Guérot. “The Long Shadow of Ordoliberalism.” European Council on Foreign Relations, October 22, 2020. https://ecfr.eu/article/commentary_the_long_shadow_of_ordoliberalism/.
The Long Shadow of Ordoliberalism | ECFR
Why The Euro is More Durable Than It Looks - The Economist
Why does the euro mean so much to Germany? | CNN
Press German export surplus in 2022 at lowest level since 2000
Import prices in December 2022: +12.6% on December 2021 - German Federal Statistical Office
What makes the German economy so strong? - Invest Region Leipzig
Why is the German economy so strong? Seven reasons
German economic strength: The secrets of success - BBC News
Protectionism or free trade? An interview with Clemens Fuest
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