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Article: Germany: Germany is rich and prosperous. But its young people wonder how long that can last.(World)
- Article from:
- Junior Scholastic
- Article date:
- February 23, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Germany is one of the richest countries in Europe, churning out high-quality goods that the whole world wants to buy. If you visited, you would see signs of Germany's wealth almost everywhere: new cars, neat houses, and efficient public transportation.
But if you stopped and talked with people, you might be surprised by what you hear. Most Germans think their country is going through a crisis. Few people are optimistic (hopeful) about the future.
For almost 45 years, Germany was divided into democratic West Germany and Communist East Germany (see maps, p. 11). The two countries competed in giving generous social benefits to their citizens. Germans came ...