On November 11th, a disturbing article by the retired Frankfurt economic historian Werner Plumpe appeared in the FAZ with the title The purchased time has expired; The current situation in Germany is reminiscent of the late GDR, it says in the opening credits. In 1989, the East German state was on the verge of insolvency and was weakened by the mass exodus of its citizens, an aging politburo and an ailing industry. In addition, the Eastern Bloc dissolved. The end result was the non-violent implosion of a state.
