Part 4/9:
Historical Echoes: Post-WWII Strategies Revisited
Reflecting on history, the idea of weakening Germany's industrial capacity is not new. Almost 80 years ago, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau proposed transforming postwar Germany into an agricultural economy, effectively dismantling its manufacturing foundation. His book, Germany is Our Problem, encapsulated a strategy to prevent Germany from regaining economic strength—a stark reminder of how economic plans can be driven by geopolitical motives.
While such plans were abandoned, the current economic pressures echo some of those old fears, as Germany’s industrial sector faces collapse under the weight of high energy costs and global shifts.