Germany’s Economy Is Spiraling. Can War Fix It?

Germany’s Economy Is Spiraling. Can War Fix It?

From The Journal. by The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

May 5, 2026 · 19 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Germany's stagnant economy and a plan to shift from consumer goods to weapons manufacturing to stimulate growth.

After years of industrial decline, the Germany economy is stagnant. Government officials now hope an audacious plan, to pivot from consumer goods to weapons, will kickstart growth again. WSJ’s Bojan Pancevski explains how the same factories built to make German car parts are now gearing up to supply the defense industry. Jessica Mendoza hosts. Further Listening: - The Global Scramble for Patriot Missiles - Germany’s Economy Is Broken. There’s No Plan B. Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Jessica Mendoza

Guest: Bojan Pancevski

Topics covered

  • Germany's economy
  • industrial decline
  • defense industry
  • economic growth
  • war impact

Keywords

  • Germany
  • economy
  • industrial decline
  • defense industry
  • economic growth
  • war

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Wall Street Journal, Spotify Studios

Places: Germany

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