A Brief Introduction to Germany (An Optimistic One)

I have one favorite bookstore in Düsseldorf. On the corner of Königsallee, lies a four-floor bookstore called Mayersche. I like to spend time there. This may seem like a trivial thing for Germans, but as an Indonesian, I am amazed that all books here are open and unsealed. I mean… technically people can just sit there and read on the nice sofa that the bookstore provides without buying it. This business model certainly will not work in Indonesia. 

Anyway, I struck on this quite provoking book with an intriguing title: “Why the Germans do it Better?”. As someone who studies in Germany, I feel I know little to nothing about this country, so this book could give me a primer in a more engaging way than typical introduction book.

John Kampfner, a British journalist, argue how German can rise from such a turbulent histories in the past and come as a strong and resilient country now. I can say that this book is very interesting. Albeit sometimes I feel the need to hide the cover whenever I read on U-Bahn just because it feels embarrassing to read it publicly in the middle of Germans. Like, “Haha look at this Ausländer reading book about German superiority nonsense”. Well, Germans are quite skeptical and low-key about their countries, so yeah.

In the beginning, Kampfner argues that the reason Germany can be so great today is because it didn't have a glorious history in the past. And since it cannot rely on its past, it focus more on building the future. “Germany has few reference points from history. That is why it refuses to look back”. The year 1945 for German is a Stunde Null, zero hour, when German history started again. Many still cannot remember German more than the world war. It's a collective guilt that passes through generations.

Foreigners in Germany often frustrate over this country's rigidity and high toll on order. Like the ‘silent hours’ in the day that allows people, especially the older one, to rest in the afternoon. I feel a little more relaxed in Heidelberg because it's a small city with a relatively younger population. I also lived in a student dorm, so everybody don't care as much about this. But when in Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, I feel people care more about these rules. It is somewhat true that Germans love orders. “A sense of order is needed because without it, people with power tend to exploit the weak. The function of government is to balance those power."

The book continues with various points to support the hypothesis. It talks about Angela Merkel and its influence, the development of the immigration issue in Germany starting from the Gastarbeiter days up until now where a quarter of the German population have migrant background, German foreign policy and its position within the EU, the economic miracle era powered by Mittelstand (medium-sized companies that rely on heavy specialization) which quite explain why the economic development in Germany is far more distributed compared to other countries with heavier exodus to big cities, the social fabric of German society, and climate issues as well. 

One caveat for this book that I didn't aware of at the beginning is the promise that German is better… but compare to what? Apparently, the writer takes a stance mostly against the UK, where he originally come from. I think this led to a bias toward a more negative narrative on the UK side. But regardless, if you want to have a brief introduction to Germany, I think this book is worthwhile (and engaging) to read.

Im Neuenheimer Feld, 02.01.2023