Germany has failed, writes Ulrich Schneider. With coronavirus, the energy crisis and the exploding cost of living, Germany is facing the biggest challenge in its history. Previously unimaginable sums were spent in countless relief packages for the economy and citizens. And yet it was not possible to hold this society together in its crisis. The result is a country that is even more deeply divided into rich and poor, a middle class in fear of social decline and a rise in right-wing extremist forces that would no longer have been thought possible in Germany.
Schneider takes an unsparing look at the crisis policies of the grand coalition and the traffic light coalition: Why were our governments incapable of solidarity-based and targeted crisis management? What role do the members of the German Bundestag play? What role does the poverty lobby from trade unions and social organizations play? And why is it so difficult to initiate a movement against poverty?
Ulrich Schneider was Managing Director of the Berlin-based Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband and is also a freelance author, consultant and social expert. He is the author of various publications on the topics of poverty in Germany, the responsibility of the welfare state and social justice. His books published by Westend Verlag include "Kampf um die Armut" (2015), "Kein Wohlstand für alle!" (2017) and "Generation 9/11" (2021).
Moderation: Lea Reisner (activist, sea rescuer and nurse)
Organizer: Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung NRW, bookstore BiBaBuZe and Rosa-Luxemburg-Club Düsseldorf