| Summary/Abstract |
THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY of the incorporation of the German Democratic Republic into the Federal Republic of Germany fell at the year of the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, which saved the world from Nazism. This is an extra reason to try to see what conclusions the Germans drew from events that had become turning points not only in their own but in world history. One would be able to describe today's Germany with its determining influence on the policies of the European Union as a mini-great power, a country on which a lot depends worldwide. Periods when Germany was a great power properly speaking, both as the empire of the Kaisers and as the Third Reich, ended up in global disasters. Have the Germans learned those painful lessons of history? Before this question is answered, even approximate forecasting of the future of our continent is impossible.
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