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as an ally. And so, following currency reform in 1948,
and with the help of the Marshall Plan, Germany
began the climb out of the abyss.
Never had the world seen anything quite like the
Wirchtschaftwunder
(economic miracle) of the next
few years. Sorne had predicted that it would take 150
years for the broken nation to recover even a sem–
blance of prosperity. Yet in j ust one astonishing gen–
eration, West Germany once again became the leading
industrial power in Europe, with one of the best–
equipped and well-trained armies in the world. And
for the las t two decades, the Gcrmans have proven to
be ñrm and capable partners in the
NATO alliance.
The Fuehrer would indeed be
astonished if he could now see the
land that he once bequeathed to
ruin . What a nation it is! The great
cities have been rebuilt, and today
are linked with magnificent high–
ways and sorne of the best railroads
in the world. Great bridges span
the mighty rivers crammed with
bargcs and sh ips carrying the fruit
of the German industrial machine
to the world.
Never in their history havc thc
German pcople been so prosperous,
well fed, well housed--or, one sus–
pects, so contcnt. The new Germa–
ny holds no grudges.
It
seeks to
rega in no "lost territorics." T o
many young Germans, even " rc–
uni fication with East Germany" is
no longcr an issue. As for
Nazism- except for a few- that is
firmly in thc past. So why not tcar
down thc last few remaining rclics
of Germany's darkest hour?
But perhaps those ruins on Ober–
salzberg, the camp at Dachau a nd
the battercd old review stand on thc
pa rarl e ground at Nuremberg
should be lcft there for just a little
longer. For they s t an d as a
reminder . They s how how a
nation- even a great and talented nation-can make a
mistake. l f that mistake would ncver be made again,
then by al l means consigo the Nazi ruins to the trash
can of history. But such is not the case. Not just
Germany but all of Europe needs to be reminded that
50 years ago, a great people wcre seduced by a líe.
Adolf Hitler had promised his people a Reich or king–
dom that would last for a thousaod years.
Older Germans admit that (providing you went
a long with the system) there were sorne good years
under Hitler. The man and his pol icies did solve sorne
of the problems that plagued the Germany of the
1
920s- suc h as unemployment , inflation and lack of
direction in the young. Then carne the war, and the
myth of the " thousand year Reich" ñnally fell apart.
Wes t Germany, since 1948, has shown that the way
March
1983
to power and national greatness need not be by con–
quest and aggression. Far more has been achieved by
hard work, inventiveness and productivity. The Ger–
many of today shows the greatness and potential of her
people far better than did the pomp, vanity and brutal–
ity of t he Nazi years.
All European nations should have learned this les–
son. Not j ust
Ger~any,
but all Western Europe is a
remarkable achievement, considering how it was
wrecked and ruined less than 40 years ago. Since the
war ended, the various nations have lived at peace with
one another for the longest period in history. Their
Common Ma rket has not always been sweetness and
light, but at least former cncmies have tried to tear
down economic barriers rather than put up military
ones. Europe today is more prosperous than ever
before.
And most Europeans want nothing more than that
prospcrity to continue. They don't want war. They don' t
want nuclear weapons on their soil. They don't want to
fight and die for their country, or anybody else's. These
havc been good times- let the good times continue.
But unfortunately, for many in Europe the good
times are fading fast. lnflation has eroded even the
st ro nges t currencies. Unemployment is reaching
chronic levels. And no remedies are in sight. lt has
been suggested, especially in Holland, that sorne
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