How and why did germanys role in the eu change since 1945

This paper talks about how the war that took place between 1914-18 led to changes in Europe politics, society and the economy which made way after 1945 for a new unique way of European states relations. It further explains how this has been beneficial to Germany and how Germany’s role in the EU changed. Before 1800, Germany was to a great extent rural with few trade centers that were urban. Moving into the 19th century, it began experiencing a period of mass economic growth and modernization that led to industrialization. By 1900, Germany in Europe was the largest economy. Looking back into the period of 1914-1918, the European nation reflects on the many lives that were lost through brutal means and the new way of relating internationally as brought out by EU.

At the end of World War I, many empires were destroyed leading to many nation-states that inspired movements in the European countries being independent. This led to the US becoming the world’s most powerful state, the rising of Soviet communism and Hitler rose to power. Many promises and diplomatic relationships created during the First World War more so in the Middle East came back a century later in Europe to haunt them. The approach to the balance in power in international relations broke up until after the second world war that enough political forces came up to bring a change in the approach to how states related3. Most Germans especially those from the East were refugees in search for homes.

Germany was guilty of the World War and this led to its changing roles in terms of politics and its citizens in Europe. During the Nazi regime, it was decided that all Jews be murdered4. It was a way of doing away with them from the European country. The homosexuals, Romans alongside the Jews were also persecuted by the regime through mass shootings and death by gas. Business practices were modernized to make use of best practices. After World War II the economy of Germany grew into a social market economy. The reforms in the German economy received great support from investment funds coming from the European Recovery Program among many other existing programs. The economic boom began to come up from 1950 with rapid growth in industrial production.

By 1960, industrial production went far beyond the levels during the Nazis in Germany. The economic development in Europe was coming to an end with industrialization and marking the start of the pre-industrialization period. However, most people did not see this as a step towards the union of European countries, its coal and steel community but as a demonstration of a sense of economic time where people placed priorities on heavy industry and coal. The Soviet Union and its satellites build steelworks as their competitors in the western parts did the same but did not meet the consumer demands that increased on a daily basis. These were among the initial stages of the European recovery through old lines of steel, coal and the once again building of infrastructure.

The Western European economies placed much effort in recovering from World War II than the Soviet Bloc. By the 1960s half of the German state was the most powerful and strongest European economic power which is a big improvement from the previous German that had private industries. Germany had developed successful capitalism having advanced systems dealing with social security unlike the previous insurance system of the state8. The social effects of World War II were witnessed in Germany where the gap between the rich and the poor reduced in terms of wealth because of income tax, incomes, the increase in state welfare and the death duties that did not look at the classes of individuals but rather better the working class’ positions.

They sought to raise the living standards of those working rather than the affluent in the society. Both world wars have seen an increase in employment to women in different occupations. However, they did not think of its future role globally and in Europe because of being busy with themselves and also the difficulty in the eastern states economic integration. Towards the end of 1990, these economic troubles were turned into social improvements and Germany was termed as Europe’s problem child in whom other states had to collect allowances from. It was hard not to convince anyone in terms of national debt that German would not be a role model one time in matters dealing with the consolidation of budgets and fiscal policies.

The giving up of the euro meant that the Federal Republic had done away with what was initially its powerful instrument over all the economies in Europe and that was the Deutschmark. EU has demonstrated stability in the recent crisis owing to the fact that European decision-making procedures and negotiations are powerful. The profits it has gained from the EU makes it responsible for the continued success of the project Europe has11. In Conclusion, all the happenings that took place cannot be blamed on Germany as a nation but rather on its problem that burden it. The European Union came about to put Germany in place and mobilize it and therefore, the future has various possibilities into the role of Germany in the EU.