The immediate results of reunification did not measure up to general expectations for both the former East and West Germany. As British columnist Bronwen Maddox stated, "Germany's decline from powerhouse to doubtful man of Europe has been much chronicled" (The Times, Aug. 23, 2005). The region that was East Germany has been plagued by high unemployment, and the wealthier western section of the country has grown somewhat weary of footing the bill for bringing the eastern section up to par economically. Nonetheless, Germany invested heavily in bringing the railways and communications systems up to par, and the long-term results appear set to pay off in what was East Germany. Recent German figures show that "unemployment is at long last starting to fall." In addition, "Germany's big companies have restructured and cut their bloated cost base" and "unit labour costs have fallen sharply relative to other countries. In the past five years, Germany . . . has won a new competitive edge over France, Italy, the Netherlands and even Britain" (The Economist, Aug. 20, 2005). The Economist is one of the most respected world affairs magazines. A special feature article in the Aug. 20 issue explains the progress already made in the German economy along with challenges and problems yet ahead (pp. 9, 62-64). Meanwhile, the German stock market is pulling in investors from many European nations. As The Sunday Times reported, "Foreign investors are pumping billions into Germany as hopes rise that the country is turning the corner." Further: "German companies have become more competitive and are starting to reinvest their profits in the economy, and the unemployment rate, while still stuck above 10 per cent, dropped for the fourth successive month in July" (Aug. 28). Germany has even regained the title of the biggest exporter of goods in Europe. Yet by now other nations have become so accustomed to hearing of its economic malaise that most have missed these emerging signs of revival. True, the number of Germans out of work still approaches 5 million and consumer confidence has not yet revived. Still, much better statistics will surely follow if the German government and industry stay the course and even improve on the necessary, but painful, corrective measures already taken. But there is more to the story than mere economics. "A German pope on German soil" In the waning years of the last century, few would have predicted there would be a German pope of the Catholic Church in 2005. Even though Germany, like much of the rest of Europe, is now very secular, do not underestimate the effects this could have on national optimism and patriotism. It could prove to be the proverbial "shot in the arm." Like John Paul II before him who visited his native Poland first, Benedict XVI recently journeyed to his native land for a youth congress in Cologne. Naturally, this was the first foreign visit for the new pontiff. Although most of the 400,000 young people who attended were from other European nations and elsewhere, not German citizens, the new pope's visit produced a certain level of euphoria in the land. Altogether, 1 million Catholics converged on Cologne to greet the new pope. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his political opponent in the upcoming national elections in September, Angela Merkel, were on hand in Cologne to greet Pope Benedict XVI. In Angela Merkel's words, "It was great to meet a German pope on German soil." Overall, reunification has meant a much stronger Germany, fully capable of leading all of Europe. The enormous increase in land and population numbers is bound to have its long-term consequences, not to mention regaining the traditional capital city of Berlin, which has been undergoing a substantial program of rebuilding and renewal. The delayed effect could prove deceptive to some and surprising to many others when reunification really comes into its own, bearing full fruition. Progress is predicted to continue, regardless of who wins in the upcoming national elections. Reunification in history and prophecy A.J.P. Taylor was one of Britain's preeminent 20th-century historians in both the written and spoken word. Students could not get a seat at his lectures in Oxford unless they were on time. He studied and explored the subject of German unity and reunification both in detail and broad perspective. In viewing the European continent as a whole, Professor Taylor stated that "throughout modern times Europe has been composed of independent states, some of them considerable powers. One power has tended to predominate or at least to be stronger than the others" (Europe: Grandeur and Decline, p. 7, emphasis added throughout). Germany was this one power for much of the 20th century. Professor Taylor viewed Germany from the standpoint of a British citizen whose nation had gone to war with Berlin twice within a half century (1914 to 1918 and 1939 to 1945). That's 10 years of conflict with much economic deprivation and many lives lost on both sides. So he concluded: "What is wrong with Germany is that there is too much of it. There are too many Germans, and Germany is too strong, too well organised, too well equipped with industrial resources. This greater Germany is a very recent appearance, created overnight by Bismarck and completed only by Hitler" (ibid., p. 121). To Professor Taylor, "The German problem, past and present, is the problem of German unity." Writing in the mid '50s, well before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification that soon followed, this British historian firmly stated: "There are now no forces within Germany to resist the full programme of German unification, and the present partition rests solely on the occupying armies." Again, writing from the point of view of a British citizen and historian by profession who had lived through two world wars with Britain and Germany on opposing sides, he minced no words in saying that "the harsh truth of German history is that the solution to the German question cannot be found within Germany. Partition cannot be maintained as a permanent policy [it wasn't], yet a united Germany will keep Europe in apprehension" (pp. 165-166). A little earlier Professor Taylor had made this stark controversial prediction: "A Germany free from foreign control will seek to restore the United Greater Germany which Hitler achieved in 1938; nor will democracy provide an automatic safeguard against a new German aggression" (p. 165). At least on the surface, the bare facts today do not bear out Professor Taylor's statements. Clearly, Germany today is a fully functioning democracy and currently represents no visible or foreseeable danger to any nation. Its outlook since World War II has been far more pacifist than aggressive, and some measures have been taken by the German government to compensate for what happened during that war and before. Germany's politicians today have no intention of posing any threat whatsoever to the world. That is the present reality. However, events do not always go as planned. In the political arena, events all too often get out of hand. Over such events a democratic government has little control. As a result of political and economic upheavals, it can be thrust out of power. Remember what happened to Germany's Weimar Republic in the early 1930s. Membership in a united Europe Many Western politicians (both in Germany and other nations) have long felt that membership in the European Union or its predecessors like the European Economic Community would restrain Germany from shedding its democratic rule and pursuing potential intentions of aggression. Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, perhaps the chief architect of reunification, believed this almost as an article of faith. Of course, the ultimate truth of the matter would depend on just how dominant in Europe Germany might eventually become in the long run. The most economically sound nation is bound to acquire a predominant position over other nations in a given area. Geography has placed Germany at the fulcrum of Europe (Mitteleuropa). Biblical prophecies in both the Old Testament book of Daniel and the New Testament book of Revelation indicate that the nations of central Europe will fulfill many national prophecies during the time of the end of this age. To understand much more, please request our free booklets You Can Understand Bible Prophecy, The Book of Revelation Unveiled and Are We Living in the Time of the End? WNP