Moving to Germany?

[thriller]

So I've been thinking about moving to Germany. What's the political scene there like? I'm pretty well-versed in German, so language wouldn't be too much of a problem.

[Rusty Shackleford]

move to germany, then go to France and Greece to support strikes, and then bring them back to germany. then, move back to the us.


REVOLUTION!

[Nuvem]

Go for it. The political climate in Germany is strange. Currently the Christian Democratic Party has the parliamentary lead, with the Social Democrats not far behind. Die Linke has some representation and is growing lately. There are a lot of anti-Capitalist sentiments in Germany, certainly more than here in the USA. It isn't deeply entrenched in main-stream politics, but Germany has a strong Communist tradition and people there actually know what Marxism and Socialism are, or at least they have more accurate conceptions than here in America.

However, there is also a considerable Fascist movement in Germany and activity from White Pride organizations. There's a Neo-Nazi march in Dresden every year, and smaller ones in other cities as well. Germany has populations of extremists on the Left and Right boiling just under the surface of the calm, bourgeois electoral political scene.

There's also this, which is one of the things I hope to see in person before I die:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Berl%C3%ADn%2C_Tiergarten%2C_sov%C4%9Btsk%C3%BD_pa m%C3%A1tn%C3%ADk.jpg/800px-Berl%C3%ADn%2C_Tiergarten%2C_sov%C4%9Btsk%C3%BD_pa m%C3%A1tn%C3%ADk.jpg

[Quail]

^ Whereabouts is that?

I lived in Berlin as a child, but I didn't know anything about politics then. I did enjoy living there though.

[Nuvem]

That's in Berlin, in the Tiergarten.

[Quail]

Oh, cool. I went to the Tiergarten a few times but I don't remember much about it.

[Widerstand]

There's large leftist scenes in the north (Berlin most notably, also Hamburg, etc.), a clash of leftists and rightists in the industrial areas of the west (it's really a mix of ultraleft areas and ultraright areas) and in the east (urban areas, around Dresden or Leipzig, are more left leaning, but some rural ones are pretty far right infected). In the south east, you have Bavaria, which is as conservative/religious as it gets, with few leftists, and BW in the south west, which is still one of the more conservative areas, but has a) almost no far right presence, b) somewhat active leftist scenes (Freiburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, etc.).

Overall, I'd say go to the north, Berlin or Hamburg (getting a flat is 1000times easier in Berlin, and cheaper). It's really the most interesting and active area IMO.

[Rjevan]

It depends on what you expect but personally I wouldn't move to Germany. :p
What are your reasons, if I may ask? Work, family, just for fun, etc.? If it's the latter I can think of plenty of other countries where I'd rather like to live.

But yes, UN is right, if you want to go head for Hamburg or Berlin.

[Widerstand]

If it's the latter I can think of plenty of other countries where I'd rather like to live

"Aber hier leben? Nein, danke."

("But live here? No, thanks.")

[Sasha]

all my mates seem to be moving to either berlin or hamburg, so you must be doing something right...
i blame "very though but still very cute girls"...

[Widerstand]

all my mates seem to be moving to either berlin or hamburg, so you must be doing something right...
i blame "very though but still very cute girls"...

Well, German students are also mass emigrating to the Netherlands ;D They'd be one of my favorite European countries to live in, next to the UK and Sweden (and to an extent Denmark).

[Wanted Man]

There are loads of German students in the Netherlands. Especially Groningen is full of Germans who don't know the difference between sidewalks, cycling paths and roads.

[thriller]

Thanks for the info everyone. Too bad Bavaria is pretty conservative. I was in Munchen a while ago and liked it, but then again, hochdeutsch is my strength. Berlin seems baller. Why do I want to move there? For fun I guess, I'm sick of America as of late, especially with the upcoming elections und Ich spreche Deutsch. And a lot more cuties than here in Wisconsin :P

I wonder if I'd get like a housing discount in Schleswig-Holstein since Wisconsin is it's sister state haha.

[bcbm]

berlin is sick, if you make it can i sleep on your floor for a few months