his all depends on what Germany you are talking about . In West Germany (1949–1990) it was largely successful as a consequence of the pro-free market (less regulation intense) policies that came to define the Wirtschaftswunder (Economic Miracle) after WWII. These were engineered by Konrad Adenauer and his economic minister Ludwig Erhard and preceded the formation of the Common Market in 1957. The Economic Miracle provided the necessary foundation to allow the young West German democracy to thrive. West Germany would grow into the Fourth largest economy in the world.
Besides its role in the European Coal and Steel community (the forerunner of both the Common Market and the EU) West Germany also played a vital part in NATO. It took a fairly tough line against Communism (although this moderated with Ostpolitik) despite the actions of Far-Left wing terrorist groups such as the Red Army Faction (RAF) and the Baader-Meinhof Gang.
A feature of West Germany worth noting is the relative stable governments compared to other coalition style governments on the continent. There were only six chancellors between 1949 and 1990 with power flipping (for the most part) between center-left and center-right groupings.
East Germany on the other hand was never a democracy. It used the term in its name but was essentially an authoritarian communist state that served as a puppet of the Soviet Union.
The Unified Germany today has its challenges. The biggest of these is the fall of the birth rate, the integration of refugees and migrants in the country and the crisis of will that seems to have engulfed most of Western Europe at present. On a positive note it continues to be the economic driver in the EU and is a stable democracy for now.
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