Modern Germany: Takeaways from a teacher fellowship

As a social studies teacher at Como Park High School, Germany enters the scope of my U.S. History course at a predictable time. You can’t study the 20th century without recognizing the outsized role Germany played in World War I and World War II. The atrocities committed by the Nazi regime continue to confound students.

Beyond the U.S. and its allies defeating Germany to end WW II in Europe, history students may learn how the Cold War divided the country and brought about the creation of the Berlin Wall.
But there is much more to modern Germany, and the Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) aims to expand educator knowledge by bringing North American teachers to Germany for immersive learning experiences. I was fortunate to receive a TOP fellowship and participate in a study tour this July with travels to Munich, Leipzig and Berlin.

While I claim no expertise, I return with resources to enhance my AP Macroeconomics class, U.S. History course, and support my colleagues’ content in AP Human Geography where Germany’s migration and political geography are prominent themes.

The fellowship fostered my contemplation of Germany’s leadership role in the 21st century, and how the country remembers its past.

Economic engine
By some estimates including the International Monetary Fund, Germany is the third largest economy in the world and the backbone of the European Union (EU) generating 24% of total EU economic output.

“Made in Germany” remains an attractive and trusted label, both to Europeans and Americans. I didn’t see any Ford or GM cars in Germany, but we certainly see Volkswagens in St. Paul if not Audis or BMWs. We had the privilege of touring the Porsche factory in Leipzig – a clean combination of skilled labor and automation.

Yet in 2026 with Russia still waging war against Ukraine, the German economy is stressed. Energy imports from Russia have been cut off. Meanwhile Germany is organizing European security within NATO by expanding its military.

A stronger German military worries some based on history, but key allies praise the leadership as a vital contribution. Yet, Germany alone can’t save Ukraine, meaning continued U.S. support remains essential.

As a high-ranking diplomat from Germany’s Federal Foreign Office explained, “We are a little too big for Europe, a little too small for the world.”

Sustainability
Green initiatives are abundant in Germany with the federal government setting the tone. The “Energiewende” – meaning the “energy turnaround” – has been a national effort to reduce fossil fuels, eliminate emissions and slow climate change.

Sustainability is evident in everyday life. From wind turbines dotting the countryside (Germany leads Europe in wind power harnessed), to solar panels, recycling incentives including deposits on bottles, grass and trees on rooftops for natural cooling, and mass transit, there’s abundant evidence of environmental conscientiousness.

Results of the Energiewende include a reduction in coal with a government-imposed elimination target of 2038. Germany already produces more energy from wind and solar than fossil fuels. However, importing natural gas is still needed to meet German demand for heating. And the U.S. has become the supplier.

Combating climate change is complex. But from my observations, sustainability appears to be a shared value and lifestyle in Germany.

Immigration
I was blessed to backpack through Europe and Germany 30 years ago. The composition of the German people who I saw in 2026 was remarkably different, featuring a multicultural population from decades of increased immigration.

Today, 25% of Germany’s citizenry has “immigration history.” One conversation I had with some college students made an impression and reminded me of my own students at Como.
I used my limited German to greet a group playing soccer (fussball). For more efficient communication, the students used their English and proceeded to share that they were from Congo, Iraq and Syria. The young Congolese and Iraqi men were born in Germany after their parents endured harrowing journeys to leave their homelands.

The Syrian student was one of more than a million asylum seekers to arrive in Germany during 2015. It was that moment when Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor at the time, famously said, “We can do it.”

Immigration is positive and part of modern Germany, but predictably, resistance and opposition are also present, notably in the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) political party.

Remembrance
How does a country who admittedly started two world wars and the Holocaust recount its history?
From the federal government to grassroots “history from below” initiatives, there is a culture of remembrance that the German people practice. Holocaust education is required in schools nationwide. Most older students are guided on visits to concentration camps or memorial sites in their local area.

In Berlin, we were led on a walk to encounter “Stolpersteine” which are small, cobblestone-sized memorials for victims of Nazism. The stolpersteine are in front of the residences from which victims were deported, creating a simple yet solemn and intimate connection to those who were killed. There are over 11,000 stolpersteine in Berlin and approximately 125,000 throughout Europe.
Sharing this history from the individual human level is one of many effective methods Germany has taken to remember horrors of the past with the goal of preventing their recurrence in the future.