It was even said on HN/Twitter during Covid 2021, how Trump supporters were dying in great numbers from refusing face masks and it was again Game OVER for Republicans, only for him to get elected again in 2024.

One factor I think is the early EU days German growth was artificially high, juiced by cheap credit from German banks to peripheral countries which was then cycled into purchasing German industrial goods.

Previously peripheral countries had more indigenous industries protected by FX rate as well as some trade barriers.

The GFC broke this cycle, though it couldn't have gone on forever with or without the GFC.

Then Germany also kneecapped themselves in terms of energy policy, shutting down cheap nuclear power supplies and becoming dependent on Russian energy exports.