Germany, an economic fairytale Sun, 19th January 2020, 5:00 pm Why it's no wonder we got rich Ulrike Herrmann Lecture Germany is rich, but the usual explanations are wrong. Ludwig Erhard is said to have been the “father” of the economic miracle – in truth he was an incompetent economist, a profiteer in the Third Reich and a liar. The Bundesbank was supposedly the incorruptible “guardian of the D-Mark” – in fact it sent millions into unemployment and almost ruined German unity. Conversely, real successes are not seen: Reunification was allegedly incredibly expensive. In fact, it did not cost a single cent. It is time to say goodbye to the legends. Otherwise we’ll miss our future. Ulrike Herrmann is a banker, studied history and philosophy at the FU Berlin and is a business correspondent for the taz.