The German Review

The German Review

Hot metal, cold economics - the unravelling of German steel

Jörg Luyken's avatar
Jörg Luyken
Nov 05, 2025
∙ Paid

Dear Reader,

It’s something of a cliché to call the car industry the backbone of the German economy. But is that really true? One could argue that another sector is even more fundamental.

Without steel, Germany could not build houses, cars, or the machines — from cranes to turbines — that it exports across the world. Around four million people work in ste…

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