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Small European nations like Germany, Britain, France became superpowers at a period in history when the rest of the world was quite backward, thus their industrial advancements gave them a huge advantage.
Said another way, when they rose to power they were big fish in a small pond, now they're small fish in a big pond..
I'll guarantee if they tried to invade Russia again they'd be squashed in short order, if they wanted to take over Europe again they wouldnt last long.
They are the current leaders in the EU. The people of Germany have a history of being leaders. They think they are the best.
Is it only a matter of time until Germany tries to lead the world again?
I think the US bases in Germany are from 1945-2045.
Unless they immediately begin a massive baby and immigration boom there is no chance. They are going to have all of their youth just supporting the older generations very soon. They have one of the worst generational demographics in the world.
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Originally Posted by Winter_Sucks
I don't know about superpower, but Germany is a very balanced country. They have a good economy and a healthy relationship between the public and private sector.
See above they will begin a rapid decline in the very near future.
Unless they immediately begin a massive baby and immigration boom there is no chance. They are going to have all of their youth just supporting the older generations very soon. They have one of the worst generational demographics in the world.
See above they will begin a rapid decline in the very near future.
Actually because the German economy is doing so well more women are getting pregnant and having babies more than in a long time now.
Germany had its glorious time in the past. One might as well ask will Egypt or Greece or Italy be superpowers again?
I don't like some of those answers here, they are based on the outdated assumption it is in the Germans' blood or genes to do this or that. That is utter bs. Do modern Americans like to be referred to as slaveholders? Is racism in Americans' blood or genes?
Actually because the German economy is doing so well more women are getting pregnant and having babies more than in a long time now.
You would think that would show up in the numbers, but it isn't.
Their 2011 birthrate is 1.4, their population growth rate is -.02.
The last 5 years they have had the lowest number of births in over a half century, with only 3,396,536 people ages 0-4. They are going to need to pay for the generous retirement of the 6,523,227 who are ages 40-44 and the 7,140,214 people who are ages 45-49.
They have the biggest demographic nightmare in Europe.
I think the superpowers will be giant countries like China, India, and Brazil, and of course, the US and perhaps Russia. And I agree that in the short term Germans have terrible demographics for growth and dominance. However, it is clear the the Germans are arguably the smartest people in Europe, who combine a strong intellectual tradition with thoughtful social policies, a strong work ethic, fiscal conservatism, environmental consciosness, and a commitment to competitiveness over the long-term. They expect their politicians to be exceedingly well educated (many have PhDs), and they have neither the antiintellectual ideologues, nor the ingrained corporate servitude you see here. And their government is not as vulnerable to moronic showdowns as here (it not revenue, it's spending,business vs. environment,etc.).
I cannot imagine Germans sitting around listening to someone like Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck spew lies for years on end, or putting forward a presidential candidate like Bachmann.They would laugh at all the folks here who parrot radio blowhards all day with ideas like tax cuts increase revenues.
So, I don't see them taking over the world, but we could learn a lot from Germany. In particular, they are a shining example that policies the serve the society and invest in the workers can actually work hand in hand with the business sector and create a social, economic, and environmental system that can lead the world into the future.
You would think that would show up in the numbers, but it isn't.
Their 2011 birthrate is 1.4, their population growth rate is -.02.
The last 5 years they have had the lowest number of births in over a half century, with only 3,396,536 people ages 0-4. They are going to need to pay for the generous retirement of the 6,523,227 who are ages 40-44 and the 7,140,214 people who are ages 45-49.
They have the biggest demographic nightmare in Europe.
There is always immigration... They are actively trying to make young Portuguese and Spanish people move to Germany. If it weren't for the language, they could use immigration to engineer their demographics, but it is hard to attract people willing to learn the language.
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