Samenvatting

The main objective of this report was to show the economic similarities and differences after the Second World War up until the end of the Cold War between the ‘leader of Europe’, Germany, and the upcoming country, Poland. The report focused on researching the Polish endeavours which helped the country to get to where it is now: a flourishing European country that is following in the footsteps of the powerful neighbouring Germany. Therefore, the central question was the following: "How does the upcoming economy of Poland compare to Europe’s leading, established economy of Germany and what issues do they face in order to maintain their growing economies?"
Most of the research was done by desk research and additionally, questionnaires were sent out to Polish exporting companies.
The political and economic histories of both countries have been explored and explained. Exploring the history and reaching an explanation was necessary to understand the current economic position of Poland and Germany. To research that, the following research questions were used: "What economic models have Poland and West Germany used after the Second World War?" and "How did Poland change after the end of the Warsaw Pact and how did Germany cope with the Wiedervereinigung (Reunification)?"
Furthermore, the report has also taken a look at the role of the European Union with regard to influencing policies and striving for an economical course for each country. Additionally, a questionnaire was sent out to Polish exporting companies to better understand the influence of the European Union on these firms. These facets were also included in these final research questions: "What are the consequences of joining the European Union for Poland's and Germany's economies?" and "What are the issues Poland and Germany will have to cope with in the future which could influence their prosperity and growth?" A SWOT analysis was used to help answering the final research question.
To conclude the report, various future scenarios were considered to finalize the comparison between both countries.