Why the Germans Do it Better: Notes from a Grown-Up Country
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- Author：John Kampfner
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Summary
Emerging from a collection of city states 150 years ago， no other country has had as turbulent a history as Germany or enjoyed so much prosperity in such a short time frame。 Today， as much of the world succumbs to authoritarianism and democracy is undermined from its heart， Germany stands as a bulwark for decency and stability。
Mixing personal journey and anecdote with compelling empirical evidence， this is a critical and entertaining exploration of the country many in the West still love to hate。 Raising important questions for our post-Brexit landscape， Kampfner asks why， despite its faults， Germany has become a model for others to emulate， while Britain fails to tackle contemporary challenges。 Part memoir， part history， part travelogue， Why the Germans Do It Better is a rich and witty portrait of an eternally fascinating country。
Mixing personal journey and anecdote with compelling empirical evidence， this is a critical and entertaining exploration of the country many in the West still love to hate。 Raising important questions for our post-Brexit landscape， Kampfner asks why， despite its faults， Germany has become a model for others to emulate， while Britain fails to tackle contemporary challenges。 Part memoir， part history， part travelogue， Why the Germans Do It Better is a rich and witty portrait of an eternally fascinating country。
Reviews
Jonny White
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I'm moving to Germany。 I'm moving to Germany。 。。。more
Lisa of Hopewell
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I learned of this book via this post: http://momobookblog。blogspot。com/2021。。。 I learned of this book via this post: http://momobookblog。blogspot。com/2021。。。 。。。more
Keen
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4。5 Stars！“It takes people in Germany four days to produce what people in the UK take five days to produce。 And that means they can pay themselves better， or they need to work fewer hours。”Kampfner raises a very good point in the introduction when he asks， “Look around your local bookshop， in any country， and how many books are there about Germany that are not about the two world wars？” He tells us that there are four key years which have defined Germany since the war， 1949， 1968， 1989 and 2015。 4。5 Stars！“It takes people in Germany four days to produce what people in the UK take five days to produce。 And that means they can pay themselves better， or they need to work fewer hours。”Kampfner raises a very good point in the introduction when he asks， “Look around your local bookshop， in any country， and how many books are there about Germany that are not about the two world wars？” He tells us that there are four key years which have defined Germany since the war， 1949， 1968， 1989 and 2015。Something that is increasingly hard to do is pick out the things that Germany doesn’t do better than UK （He often means England）。 They work less hours， get paid more， save more， shop less and have far better worker’s rights。 They are far more environmentally friendly， the role of the Green Party in German politics is meaningful， compared to the tokenistic stigma it gets in the UK or the US。 They have more housing and all but two of the Bundesliga clubs are majority owned by their fans。 Meanwhile the vast majority of the Germanophobic English remain forever trapped in their “two world wars and one world cup” mentality， as Germany pulls further and further ahead in almost every conceivable way。The Germans have long-since practiced a form of responsible capitalism and long-termism， with an eye on social cohesion。 The workers have far superior rights and conditions and therefore are more incentivised and invested in working better and more efficiently。 They tend to be better educated and highly skilled。 Then there is the crucial role played by the Mittelstand （small & medium sized enterprises which have proved resilient to fickle changes in the financial climate）， which employs around 75% of the nation’s workforce and produces more than half the economic output。We must credit Germany in that it has had the courage and honesty to openly and repeatedly confront the horrors its previous generations were responsible for， and tried to come to terms with it in the best possible way， especially when you compare it with the likes of Japan， a country which largely retains a disturbingly revisionist and silent approach of denial and dis-ownership of its various war crimes。But we do get an insight into some of the flaws and frustrations that effect the nation too， like the sickening violence towards the politicians who support immigration， and apparently the trains don’t run on time， smoking is still allowed in many shared and public spaces， much of the infrastructure is needing work。 The problems with having no speed limit on the autobahn。 They have corrupt and awful banks too （but who doesn’t？） and apparently half a million faults were discovered within BER， the new Berlin airport， which was an unmitigated disaster so bad that it even spawned its own board game。One factor which cannot be ignored is the reasoned and stabilising effects of Merkel’s assured leadership， in so many ways her approach has been particularly appealing， especially when contrasted against the crass， belligerent and egotistic leaders which have led the likes of the UK since at least the 70s。 The way she meaningful spoke up and actually took some action against Russia， after Putin had annexed Crimea and shot down a passenger jet。 In spite of the rise of the right wing extremists， AfD， she still demonstrated a phenomenally compassionate approach to immigration （not a phrase we hear too often of a political leader）。 How many leaders can you name who carried out such decisions knowing the severe impact it has on their popularity and can lose them their job。 That’s what a decent politician should be doing。Kampfner makes a great point about questions surrounding the rising cases of right wing extremism in Germany， he says yes that is an issue， but it is not one merely limited to Germany， but a global problem。 It is merely newsworthy because of the historical context of Nazism etc。 This is a great point after all extremism may be rising in Germany， but they have yet to elect a right wing idiot as they have done in the US， the UK and Australia， which all put right wing men in charge， and perhaps the worrying thing is that although the Americans got rid of Trump， more people than ever voted for him after four years of hatred， racism and ignorance。“In the first six months of 1945 more than 100’000 women in Berlin and 1。5 million elsewhere in Germany between the ages of ten and eighty were raped by Soviet soldiers， in many cases on a multiple and continuing basis。”We see that many Germans who used to look towards England， have become disillusioned and baffled by Brexit and the bizarre and convoluted culture of elevating tradition over pragmatism， such as the 3。6 million Euros a year it costs to heat Buckingham Palace making it the least energy inefficient building in the whole of London。 Then you have the likes of the Queen Mother unveiling a statue of Bomber Harris， responsible for the horrifying death of around 700’000 civilians， including about 75’000 children who burnt or choked to death。 So it would seem that many allied nations could learn a thing or two about ignorance and respect 。It has been said many times that Britain has never gotten over losing an empire or winning the war and that remains truer now than it ever has。 As it remains mired in arguably its darkest period since WWII， being dragged deeper and deeper into a dark and dangerous place by a band of lying， incompetent elites。 So this was an eloquent， balanced and hugely enjoyable piece of work， and there's also a nice list of other appealing books to chase up down the line too。。。Oh and yes I will be cheering them on against England tomorrow。 。。。more
Lucy Hodgson
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For many years I've been intrigued with Germany and wanting to visit。 Even more more in recent years with how it has handled the pandemic and response to climate change。 This book was fascinating as it delved deeper into this and was the first one set in post pandemic and Brexit times and comparing the responses of the shocking handling by Britain and the US。 I found the book easy to follow from John's style of writing with both anecdotes and facts。 Even though some was based on the aftermath of For many years I've been intrigued with Germany and wanting to visit。 Even more more in recent years with how it has handled the pandemic and response to climate change。 This book was fascinating as it delved deeper into this and was the first one set in post pandemic and Brexit times and comparing the responses of the shocking handling by Britain and the US。 I found the book easy to follow from John's style of writing with both anecdotes and facts。 Even though some was based on the aftermath of the war and the German guilt the true reunification of Germany was truly interesting and something we are not taught enough of。 The book was fairly balanced as focused on areas Germany has done well in but also criticised where it could do better and how。 For example， trying to be pioneers in reducing climate change but refusing to move from coal until the effects started to be observed。 The move to electric cars following the diesel scandal and how political parties both use young women to emphasise the cause of if its true or not。 I did enjoy this book and I hope another one will be released in 10 years time， in post Merkel times to see how Germany goes forward。 I hope the Greens do win power and to go next year when restrictions are lifted。 。。。more
Anne Siddell
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Interesting and informative for anyone wanting to know more about German history and society。
Paulina Parzych
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Definitely worth to read for everyone
Liz
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This was too political for me。 I was expecting more about the people themselves than the Government and the way they were / are ruled。
DANIEL CLARKE
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Fascinating read。 Especially the chapters which dealt with how Germany look and teach its history， and how capitalism operates in Germany。
Florin Pitea
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Six stars out of five。 Highly recommended。
Laura
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Well researched and informative。 I learned a lot of interesting things。 However， I found the repetitive sentence structure gave the whole thing the feel of lurching from one point to the next。
Bradley Green
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Merkel>Bojo
Ute Weiß
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Very interesting book。 I quite enjoyed reading it。
LittleSophie
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Despite the， to me as a German intensely cringey， title， Kampfner is actually quite critical and clear-eyed about modern German society。 Informative and well researched， Germans themselves can find a lot to think about and take away from these pages。
Mairead
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Fascinating
Ellen
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Very good。 As much about the UK as Germany。 Recommended。
Vasil Kolev
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Very interesting。 A bit too short for the topic （which can take tens of volumes）， and the author gets sidetracked a lot， but still very illuminating。
Vanya Prodanova
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С тази приятна корица и заинтригуващо заглавие очаквах и стилът на писане на автора да е лек и разбираем。 Уви， не беше точно така， което е тъжно， тъй като в части от отделни глави си личи， че може да пише леко и с щипка хумор。 Също така целта му да покаже Германия в друга светлина на света и да покаже защо всъщност се справят доста добре с проблемите， идващи към тях， се загуби в изключително натоварената и утежнена реч。 Авторът е направил опит да подреди книгата， тъй като всяка глава отговаря за С тази приятна корица и заинтригуващо заглавие очаквах и стилът на писане на автора да е лек и разбираем。 Уви， не беше точно така， което е тъжно， тъй като в части от отделни глави си личи， че може да пише леко и с щипка хумор。 Също така целта му да покаже Германия в друга светлина на света и да покаже защо всъщност се справят доста добре с проблемите， идващи към тях， се загуби в изключително натоварената и утежнена реч。 Авторът е направил опит да подреди книгата， тъй като всяка глава отговаря за един голям важен момент от модерната история на Германия， но вътре в самите глави всичко е един голям хаос и така сухо представена материята， че учебниците ми по история от училище имат по-малко имена и дати， отколкото неговата книга。 Също така понякога вкарва едни абзаци от по една-две страници да обясни нещо， че си забравил за какво говори докато стигне до края на "абзаца"。 Информацията вътре можеше да бъде представена къде-къде по-леко и приятно и от там много хора всъщност да се запознаят с Германия， така както той я вижда， и как нещата са се развили за тях。В никакъв случай не се опитва да представи германците като ултимативния пример за подражание。 Ясно споделя и техните проблеми， които имат и не са решили， но идеята му е да покаже， че значителна част от нещата， които правят， са много по-добра реакция на дадени проблеми， отколкото други страни правят， най-вече UK， защото авторът е от тук。 Колкото и авторът да се опитваше да представи нещата обаче положително， до края напълно се отчаях от света и съм изумена， че все още не сме в трета световна война。 :/ 。。。more
Mike Evans
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Part-travelogue， part-history， Kampfner charts an interesting journey of how modern Germany has been shaped by the many tragedies of the twentieth century。 The author is unapologetically blunt in his comparisons to post-Brexit Britain and post-Trump USA。 A niche subject， but done very well and accessibly。
Dez Van Der Voort
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Not really my cup of tea。Author focuses more on politics， reunification， immigration。 Although there are some good points， author goes all over the place， and some background history isn't explained for your average layman。 Not really my cup of tea。Author focuses more on politics， reunification， immigration。 Although there are some good points， author goes all over the place， and some background history isn't explained for your average layman。 。。。more
Alexandros Potapidis
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The title of the book can be distorting at best， and misleading at worst for two main reasons。 Firstly， it takes for granted the fact that the Germans， （as country， society， economy， national football team？） or Germany in general， is a more successful and prosperous country that offers to its people the opportunity to lead happy and fulfilled lives。 But they do “it” better than who？ Any other nation worldwide？ Certainly some in America or China would disagree。 The first would demonstrate their c The title of the book can be distorting at best， and misleading at worst for two main reasons。 Firstly， it takes for granted the fact that the Germans， （as country， society， economy， national football team？） or Germany in general， is a more successful and prosperous country that offers to its people the opportunity to lead happy and fulfilled lives。 But they do “it” better than who？ Any other nation worldwide？ Certainly some in America or China would disagree。 The first would demonstrate their country’s role as the biggest global economy， the only superpower， and its democratic credentials embedded in a Constitution as no other。 The latter would underline their country’s cultural and historical superiority， its stable political system that holds together almost 1，4 billion people， and its unprecedented economic development。 This leaves us with the assumption that the Germans must be “doing it” better than countries of a similar level， population， and even proximity， such as the UK and France。 Secondly， the title suggests that the Germans have created a flawless society because they found the magic receipt to converge everyone’s needs and interests。 This impression is enhanced by the subtitle of the book， “Notes from a Grown-Up Country”。 As if all other countries are either learning to walk or struggling with their puberty。Far from that， John Kampfner manages to control the reader’s expectations by showing Germany’s innumerable struggles， problems， and difficulties that are only growing in size and scope。 However， the book amply demonstrates how and why a country that can not dissociate itself from its dark past reached such highs in every aspect of human endeavour。 Kampfner’s journalistic career offers him the authority and the authenticity to compare， through statistics， anecdotes， and historical narratives， Germany with other countries， notably his own own one， the UK， and illustrate why Germany’s economic model， communitarian society， and political system are so admired worldwide。 He is careful to disengage from the Germany that preceded the end of the second world war。 Instead， he concentrates on the narrative of how the country overcame the negative legacy of initiating two world wars and producing the atrocities of the third reich。 A Germany that started from the bottom of economic， societal， and moral reconstruction in 1945， seems to be a role model of a country and a society in 2020。So， how and why do the Germans do it better？ According to Kampfner， among other things the post-war Germany had to build a new mentality that evolved around constitutional patriotism。 The idea that the national pride is based not on its （discredited） army or （destroyed） land and soil nationalism， but on the rule of law and its constitutional democratic values ratified in the Basic Law （p。18）。 In other words， the national guilt of the second world war has been replaced by constant efforts of atonement。 “Countries that struggle with the present take comfort from the nostalgia of past glories， real or imagined。 Germany， because of its past， cannot” （p。 280）。 Germany’s patriotic sense begins not from the past， but from the present。 If there is such a thing as a national mentality， the German one is built on modesty and the idea that they are the last to teach the world a lesson because it is so hard for them to praise their country （p。 20）。Modesty is the driving force of the German miracle and it was responsible for the relatively painless way the country was united after the collapse of the communism and the introduction of East Germany to a Western lifestyle。 It was not just re-uniting two opposing countries， but mainly two clashing ideologies and systems。 It came with many problems but not that of economic bankruptcy or societal trauma （p。 94）。 When the German chancellor， Angela Merkel， was asked in 2004 to characterise her country in one word， she mentioned that it is reliability the most prized German asset （p。 73）。 Indeed， this reliability is evident in the political system of the country and the fact that compromises can be reached by forming coalitions of political parties on opposing political spectrums。 Can anyone imagine the American political system producing a Grand Coalition between Republicans and Democrats along the lines of the CDU and SPD？However， Germany’s biggest asset in its last 75 years of life is undoubtedly its strong economic performance by pursuing market economy policies along with the idea of social market that allows certain social protection。 The state has a strong say not in the production of wealth， but in the subsequent redistribution of it， in the name of social justice （p。 183-4）。 Another area where Germany indisputably did it better than anyone else was hosting and assimilating 1。4 million immigrants that applied for asylum between 2014 and 2019， mainly from war-torn Syria。 These numbers put in shame countries of similar economic size that allowed only a fraction of immigrants in comparison with Germany （p。 106-108）。 Angela Merkel and her coalition of parties paid a high political price for such a decision but there is no moral or ethical argument that can be made against it。 No other country has assimilated and accommodated better such a diverse and multicultural societal fabric where 20 million residents in Germany （a quarter of its population） have some kind of migrant background （p。 124）。It is no wonder that Germany leads the European project。 Germany is undoubtedly the cornerstone for EU’s success and the heart of Europe。 Other areas where Germany demonstrates admirable success can be seen in its educational system， a decent health care service， and its environmental credentials。 Finally， a field where success can not be easily measured takes place around the everyday German way of life。 This community-based approach is evident in the utilitarian mentality of the taxation system， where higher taxes enforced by the government are accepted as a way of providing not just for one’s own family， but for the needs of society at large （p。 225）。Germany has a unique modern history and has undergone deep and dramatic transformation in all sectors of its society。 It carries fundamental dichotomies and problems that can not be easily overcome。 However， it has managed to adjust and prosper in a changing world where economic crises and the rise of populism are challenging the fundamental ideas of the role and the structure of societies， economies， and the state。 Germany can be seen as a role model because its deep historical traumas transformed the country into a modest preacher of goodness， rightness， and fairness。 。。。more
Lisa Woodward
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I found it assumed a lot of prior knowledge - my degree is in German but it still made me feel uninformed at times。 It seemed more a study of Merkel than the country。It was also very balanced in identifying Germany’s flaws as well as its strengths。。。but the upshot is I now have a more negative view of Germany， which seems counter to the book’s aim。
Luke Hosford
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While this was more about 'how' the Germans do it better， more than 'why'， I did especially like how full a picture he gave of each issue， whether it was party politics， East German reunification， the economy， the reaction to World War II or the climate， he was very clear to point out it hasn't been plain sailing for the Germans in their dealing with them （like any other country） but that， on balance， the unique nature of how Germans deal with these issues meant that the positive outweighed the While this was more about 'how' the Germans do it better， more than 'why'， I did especially like how full a picture he gave of each issue， whether it was party politics， East German reunification， the economy， the reaction to World War II or the climate， he was very clear to point out it hasn't been plain sailing for the Germans in their dealing with them （like any other country） but that， on balance， the unique nature of how Germans deal with these issues meant that the positive outweighed the negative most of the time。 The main 'why' seemed to be their reckoning with their past， specifically World War II。 A truly public discussion took place with many backs and forth about the extent to which Germans should feel shame about it。 It wasn't outsourced to lawyers and opaque reports like it is here in Ireland。 Books were written that everybody read， discussions were had on shows that everybody watched， and successive leaders made bold choices that were controversial at the time but have proved to be the right move。 While every country should learn from this experience and apply a similar public understanding to their history， its a bit depressing that a singular horrific event like World War II in Germany is what it takes for a country to take this seriously。 Another impressive facet of this society is how inbuilt social cohesion and community development is in every aspect of government policy， whether its having workers on company boards， protecting areas in a city from large residential development， to massively investing in culture。 I do wonder， however， if this successful economy would have survived without a bigger， more disruptive economy like the US。 Obviously with the Marshall Plan， Germany got a great lift， but throughout the book the author describes how Germans are slow to pick up innovations and change。 Without the revolutionary technologies of the US， would the German economy with its caution and worker councils been able to survive， or have anyone to sell to？ I also wonder if every country had adopted this model， would living standards have improved as quickly as they did in the West。 While it might be a great way to run a modern economy with already high living standards， as long as there is a country as buccaneering as the US， an economy like the German one could never lead the world， which is a shame。 There was a great quote from the former German foreign minister who stated that British people and politicians act as if they will always be on the right side of history; Germans can never do that。 It is an admirable quality for a country's politics to be defined by patience and scrutiny， but it didn't come about easily。 。。。more
Katherine
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Describes in detail faults but glosses over the resulting outcomes。 For instance， the country's business model is set out as a shining light of the German social conscience without delving into the hypocrisies that the author himself points out or drawing parallels to how a mafia economy would describe itself as upholding these same pillars through regional control and family networks。 Another glaring contradiction is the discussion of community cohesion without taking into consideration how as Describes in detail faults but glosses over the resulting outcomes。 For instance， the country's business model is set out as a shining light of the German social conscience without delving into the hypocrisies that the author himself points out or drawing parallels to how a mafia economy would describe itself as upholding these same pillars through regional control and family networks。 Another glaring contradiction is the discussion of community cohesion without taking into consideration how as an outsider you're automatically ostracised if you have not grown up with those regional experiences or the educational system example can be comprehensive if you've been part of it since birth but coming from elsewhere you're not qualified to take part。 Imagine moving to a country and not being able to work in a shop because that requires a three year apprenticeship。 The author states that Germany was propelled forward because the American's need for an anti-communism bloc in Europe after WW2 but then attributes its current world position to German merit。 Germany has a traumatic history that is not far in the past， and as a collective culture has barely begun to unpack that and change the narrative。 So if foreigners compare it to the authoritarian regimes they previously left， the reaction isn't for Germans to be sad over criticism， it's to double down on why this is the case。 Every immigrant or expat seems to catch on very quickly to Germany not being a totally free society， so now it's the elephant in the room that Germans and the author don't want to confront。 。。。more
Laura
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Very interesting book， fascinating in places but in others it did not feel balanced and in a few it already felt dated。
Nhung Qnk
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The title does not really fit with the content of the book which is more about the modern history of Germany affects how the country is today。 I did walk away with better understanding of German economy and politics - also some books and movie recommendations。 Though I must admit it was difficult to follow the flow of this book at first。 One chapter would span about 40 pages in which the author jumps from one topic to another each few paragraphs。 Sometimes I do not even know what point he is try The title does not really fit with the content of the book which is more about the modern history of Germany affects how the country is today。 I did walk away with better understanding of German economy and politics - also some books and movie recommendations。 Though I must admit it was difficult to follow the flow of this book at first。 One chapter would span about 40 pages in which the author jumps from one topic to another each few paragraphs。 Sometimes I do not even know what point he is trying to make。 But the writing style did get better in later chapters。All in all this is a good book to read。 In the end I quite enjoyed it。 。。。more
Diz
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This is an overview of the political， economic， and social history in post-war Germany。 The author is fair in his coverage of these topics。 He mentions not only the good aspects， but also introduces some of the problems that Germany faces。 However， the impression that I got is that Germany is facing many of the same problems as other countries despite taking different approaches， so it seems to be a bit early to say that the Germans have done things better。
Filip Olšovský
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Unlike the Germans， average at best。
Derek Henderson
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Rather dull overview of the German way。 Not many facts to make you sit up and drearily written。
Koit
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Mr Kampfner’s review of modern Germany was an interesting look into the country which manages the fill many gaps in the reader’s knowledge。 The intention that the reader is British was， however， all-too-clear through the majority of the comparisons—and for more informed people this book might not be that illuminating a title。The author covered the main tendencies in German politics and economy， described how the integration of the East and the West took place， and， of course， dedicated a fair bi Mr Kampfner’s review of modern Germany was an interesting look into the country which manages the fill many gaps in the reader’s knowledge。 The intention that the reader is British was， however， all-too-clear through the majority of the comparisons—and for more informed people this book might not be that illuminating a title。The author covered the main tendencies in German politics and economy， described how the integration of the East and the West took place， and， of course， dedicated a fair bit of the book to showing how Merkel’s chancellorship has been impressive。 In this， the author followed the trends to note the deficiencies with German inability to take up a proper leading position in foreign policy。What I found most riveting were the descriptions on cultural and social norms: people working together for a common good and this being a societal expectation。 Similarly， the anti-credit-spending thinking was an enlightening contrast to the more common British and American models while the contrasts between the leaders’ cultural tastes was also quite interesting （Merkel: theatre; Cameron: TV）。 The author was still very open in describing the problems that the bureaucratic style has and may lead to， for example， in the construction of the Berlin Airport—a truly song-worthy fiasco。The historical basis that could have underlied the above-mentioned social descriptions wasn’t as strong as it could have been。 Beyond a description of how the Bonn Republic came to stand on its feet in the 1950’s， the author mostly jumped across events until reintegration。 Even these events were not detailed as well as Merkel’s leadership—as such， this is a political biography of modern Germany。 Some detail is given on how the country got to its present state， but that is only sufficient to answer the most basic questions。While this is a good overview of 21st century Germany， this book doesn’t come close to answering all questions one could have about how this state developed。 That， however， was not the author’s goal—to show what are the worthwhile aspects of the “German system”。 This review was originally posted on my blog。 。。。more
Sander
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