Germany's hidden cracks: A nation at a crossroads | DW Analysis

Germany may be known as Europe's powerhouse, as a tolerant society that has learned from its dark past. But beneath the surface, Germany also faces significant challenges related to inequality, racism and democracy. DW looks at these problems that cut through German society, one month before the country goes to the polls for a landmark vote.
00:00 Introduction: How we have come to think of Germany
00:49 Inequality: Germany's opportunity gap
05:11 Diversity: Racism and identity in Germany
10:24 Democracy: Germany's east-west divide

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#GermanElection #Inequality #Racism

[Moribus_Artibus]

1:40 "Although Germany is a wealthy society, that wealth is not spread evenly "

_laughs in American_

[pedroderustika]

"Hidden cracks", as someone whos born and lived in Germany for over 30 years I can assure you that for a majority of the population nothing is shiny and sparkling.

[aeydra]

There's a shortage of SKILLED MANUAL WORKERS in most Western countries as everyone is obsessed with going to university. No, not all are cut out nor are needed to become academics. Countries need to restore the image of skilled work and ensure labourers can make a decent wage!

[semirtofik]

12:17 One third Eastern Germans feel the relationship has not improved
Two third west Germans feel the relationship has improved.
So people on both sides have the similar feeling about the reunification. I don't get why he presented it as if there is any difference.

[Anthony-hurj]

He keeps walking through urban landscapes like he's in a Monty Python sketch.

[freebird]

If your kids have good grades, there’s no reason why they can’t go to gymnasium (academic path). As immigrants our children were afforded every opportunity to get their German to native speaker level in Kindergarten and elementary school and go onto gymnasium and university where they’re studying STEM degrees. This wouldn’t have been possible in the country we came from. We’re very thankful to live here and our children have been brought up to love Germany and be thankful.

[Humanaut.]

I'm just a German, living in Germany, that's all :, D
Jokes aside I feel, personally, the biggest hurdle to successful immigration is SHARED VALUES.
Some portion of immigrants have a very "anti-western attitude" while many others are awesome people.
A divide can quickly take place, we do have certain semi-self-isolated ethnic subcultures.
As long as people that come here actually WANT TO live under the rules and values our constitution has in mind and continue to build a better country, then they are welcome.
Some amount of people come "for the money", but don't like the values and societal structures and norms.
If people come here and complain about germans or germany, they should go somewhere else.

[mah]

WTH, took me a while to realize this was not about tektonic plates...

[ant]

Sure this is true. Every country has drama. As an immigrant from IRELAND my career got a super boost when I moved to Germany. With minimal German language skills. I am very thankful for my time in Germany. It is a country that was very good to me personally and professionally.

[edmundlubega]

Interesting to hear Germans complaining about their education system. We outsiders have be raised to admire it and look up to it

[FNModel-ejbh]

5:18


What? only because you have German citizenship or born in Germany, does that make you German now?


What have Europe come to?

[shandispace]

The first time I was in Berlin was the only time ever I felt I was in a largely less wealthy area of Germany...my most recent visit I was astonished at how far it had come in forget the last 30, the last 15 years. I would call these less cracks and more growing pains. A bad day in Germany is better than a good day in America for the vast majority of us.

[wendywolfman]

Britain essentially abolished the grammar school system and the working class have paid the consequences. The grammar schools used to take in 75% working class kids who were given great opportunities if they had good academic abilities. Now, the good schools are all down to catchment area i.e. you can only get in if you live within the schools catchment area. The house prices around the good schools are now higher than most working class families can afford and so now you have all the middle class families within the catchment area of the good schools and working class kids going to the bad schools. You can say all you like "all schools should be good" but there are always going to be factors that stop this from happening. Thanks ideologues.

[WokWithMe]

I love Germany and cannot imagine being in any other country. Came here 20 years ago without a cent in my pocket. I may not be rich in money now but I earned an education which nobody could take away from me. Germany made that possible for me. To add to that, I can be my gay self here with confidence and without fear. That alone means the world to me. Discrimination is everywhere. But in Germany people are free to discuss, argue and make protests. I guess as individuals, every one of us has a responsibility to do our share to be more accepting of others. Dankeschön!

[Smudgie]

It's an election soon. Many problems aren't even discussed. Housing and rental costs, energy costs, migration, pensions...

[pat]

I’m born and live in Germany and can say that this video is not very accurate. It displays only the view of DW.

[felixfritz]

I absolutely detest these type of videos.

First of all the completely distorted statistic at 12:17, where the statistic is intentionally presented as if there would be a major difference, there is absolutely not though and both sides agree equally. Of course it is going to take a while until people, that grew up in two completely different ideologies, can relate to each other, the ideology didn’t fall with the iron curtain. The Generations after 1989 don’t have these problems at all. Again unnecessary division.

In every country with a free market there’s going to be wealth inequality throughout the population. I fully agree that if this gets of hand it needs to be regulated (intelligently), but that is by far not the case in Germany, since we have a "Social Economy". Why is it always assumed that the people at the bottom of these wealth pyramids are motivated, hard working and productive citizens held back by the chains of inequality of opportunity? There are very, very many people completely dependent on the welfare system, not looking for any way out of it and not contributing to the system, that they live off, in any shape or form. Also, why is it that wealth is associated with satisfaction? On the other side there are also many People not on top of the wealth pyramids but still satisfied with the life in Germany.

Very one sided video that propagates information that creates these cracks and divides people unnecessarily.

[indefatigable]

Pretending that you don’t have problems to ward off populism is how populism happens

[colek]

"people with low qualifications are at the greatest risk of being poor and staying there"... yeah ???

[FirstName-bfds]

I am east german and mentally disabled. German schools push mentally disabled onto the hauptschulen system where they will have less chances for university. I was good at math and there were no science classes but scored 6 in german. Only way i escaped the system and get my degree in quantum physics was that due to lack of job opportunities in east germany my parents decided to go abroad.