Cause for German Nationalism
Germans are calling the World Cup the Leviathan that has resurrected nationalism as well as economic growth. For the half million of them watching the match with Spain at Brandenburg Stadium, and the millions watching at home and at work, the German flag is no longer a symbol of awkward embarrassment; indeed it is now draped off balconies the world over.
For Germans looking for release from gloomy economic decline, the World Cup semi-final against Spain is symbolic, an opportunity to express national pride. It comes at a time when pride seems more than just symbolic. The economy, on the life-support of billions in government bailouts, is newly booming. BMW announced over 5000 new jobs this week, and the same for Daimler Mercedes and Siemens, causing unemployment to fall drastically from last year’s unbelievable peak of five million.
“Germany is back – not just in sport, but in the economy and in politics, too,” Economy Minister Rainer Brüderle argued in parliament after Germany entered the semi-finals with the precision the country’s industries used to be recognized for.
Indeed, the truth is that sporting success and economy are mutually inclusive, feeding into each other, as witnessed by Germans abandoning economic anxieties for the first time in years and spending money on property and goods.
Researcher Thomas Dohmen told Reuters: “The good run at the World Cup could be coming at the right time for Germany. The economy is doing pretty well and unemployment is falling. The World Cup could be the spark that consumer sentiment and the economy have been waiting for.”
Economic and political bodings are expected to be felt by millions of Germans watching the semi final match, which is anticipated to be seen by over 90 per cent of the country’s TV viewers.
Spain, after all, is part of the group of European nations on the coast, whose debt troubles have led to a crisis in the Euro. Largely, it has been Germany, whose banks hold the largest share of Spain’s public and private debt, who has had to pay for the cost of bailing out its neighbours. The expense is bound to cost taxpayers for years.
Budget cuts at an estimated €85-billion and the cost of the bailout, announced by Chanellor Angel Merkel last month, compounded with a set of flimsy political initiatives around climate and global bank issues, have led to a national sense of decline.
The World Cup has managed to but anxieties aside, as economic success has corresponded with success on the soccer field.
But some remain sceptical pointing out that the 2006 World Cup ultimately did little to help the fortunes of the conservative-social democrat coalition in power then, which dissolved soon after.
Polls show that Ms. Merkel’s own popularity has declined throughout the month, as her conservative-liberal coalition government has struggled and almost failed to install a new president.
At the same time, while the economy is booming is certain respects with new jobs, there is also research to suggest that economies in general experience drops in GDP during the World Cup, due to productivity being reduced in the name of leisure and game-watching time. The German economy is predicted to lose more than $8 billion in productivity during the Cup, roughly 0.27 per cent of its GDP. A similar trend is seen amongst other countries.
The German soccer club, led by Miroslav Klose, is an anticipated favourite for the World Cup this year. They play Spain on Wednesday, and in the event of a victory, the Netherlands in the final on Sunday.
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