Germany: ‘Together for Europe’s Recovery’?—‘Wir schaffen das!’

Abstract

The term ‘solidarity’ is omnipresent in German social and political discourse for historical reasons and is determined by a belief that common challenges can move people closer together in a society. For instance, the so-called ‘solidarity tax’, an additional fee originally introduced to cover the immense costs of Germany’s reunification, has reminded German citizens over the last 30 years that every taxpayer is contributing to the social cohesion of a long divided country.