Curriculum Germany's Economy
Germany's Economy
How Europe's largest economy was built and rebuilt: the Zollverein, Bismarck's welfare state, the postwar miracle, the social market economy, workers on company boards, the Mittelstand, dual vocational training, reunification, the Hartz reforms, the debt brake, the energy shock and ties with India.
- From Zollverein to Industrial Power How a customs union among German states in 1834 and later unification in 1871 helped Germany become an industrial giant, with strengths in chemicals, steel and engineering. 📄 Read-aloud
- Bismarck and the First Welfare State How Bismarck introduced health, accident and old-age insurance in the 1880s, why he did it, and how the German model spread worldwide. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Wirtschaftswunder: West Germany's Miracle How West Germany recovered rapidly after 1948 through currency reform, price liberalisation and exports, and the role of Ludwig Erhard. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Social Market Economy What Germany's "social market economy" means - competitive markets combined with social protection - and how it differs from both laissez-faire and socialism. 📄 Read-aloud
- Codetermination: Workers on Company Boards How German law gives workers seats on company supervisory boards and works councils, and what research says about effects on firms and workers. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Mittelstand: Germany's Hidden Champions How Germany's family-owned mid-sized firms became world leaders in niche products, and what makes them successful. 📄 Read-aloud
- Germany's Economy: Checkpoint 1 Quick checkpoint - five questions on the Zollverein, Bismarck, the postwar miracle, the social market economy and codetermination. 5 questions
- Germany's Dual Vocational Training System How Germany's dual system combines classroom learning with paid on-the-job training, why it keeps youth unemployment low, and whether other countries can copy it. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Cost of Reunification How West and East Germany reunified in 1990, why the East's economy collapsed at first, and how large transfers gradually narrowed the gap. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Hartz Reforms and the Sick Man of Europe How Germany went from "the sick man of Europe" around 2000 to an economic powerhouse, and the role and controversy of the Hartz labour market reforms. 📄 Read-aloud
- Germany's Debt Brake How Germany's constitutional debt brake limits government borrowing, why it was introduced, and why it was loosened in 2025 for defence and infrastructure. 📄 Read-aloud
- Energiewende and the Russian Gas Shock How Germany's energy transition phased out nuclear and expanded renewables, why reliance on Russian gas became a crisis in 2022, and the costs for industry. 📄 Read-aloud
- Germany's Challenges and Ties with India The challenges facing Germany's economy today, its growing economic ties with India, and a recap of the module. 📄 Read-aloud