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and prosperity build a comprehensive social welfare system.

The enduring popularity of the Soziale Marktwirtschaft tells a lot about German ideology and national identity. Germans value education, healthcare and freedom from poverty as fundamental rights to be provided by the state. Furthermore, they regognise the positive flow on effects of such policies (i.e. lower crime, an individuals economic and social mobility etc.). They value the individual freedoms and free enterprise afforded to them by a free capitalist market; however, they are willing to compromise on these ideals because they also value economic protection for all individuals.

The issue of social responsibility and solidarity is uncontroversial in Germany. Young Germans have come to expect much of the government that serves them. Any dispute involves the level and breath of government welfare, not its value in the first instance. The combination of capitalist and socialist ideals is a unifying and defining feature of modern Germany.

Germany's tumultuous recent history is a defining feature of the country's national identity. Shifting borders and the division of Germany after the war still effect German identity and divide east and west. The horror of the Nazism has left a lasting impression on the nation's consciounscesness and significantly shaped the Germans' national identity. Germans have a strong understanding of war, persecution and rampant nationalism.

Through all of these experiences, including facism and communism, the German ideal of social and economic balance has evolved and survived. Such attitudes have been passed down to current generations and shape their perceptions of Germany and their relationship with it. Germany is a complex country, with many factors which contribute to its identity, yet it is its modern history which has had the most powerful impact on national identity.

Learn more about this author, Ben Winsor.
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