For many years, the post-war recovery of Germany was an inspirational story; all of Europe looked on with admiration and envy as the nation rebuilt itself and set the standards for the rest to follow. Companies such as Mercedes Benz, Siemens and Bayer were global titans, while the nation's political leaders were respected around the world.
But now the picture has become clouded. The scandalous revelations of Volkswagen's emissions fraud tainted its industrial reputation; after a tsunami hit the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, Germany became dangerously reliant on Russia for its fuel; and the nation's decades-long political consensus began to break down with the rise of the far-right AfD party.
Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes tell the compelling story of how it all went wrong. As vital elections loom in 2025, Broken Republik is an essential snapshot of a nation at a crossroads that has huge implications for us all.