TIME Magazine content is available exclusively for TIME subscribers.

Current subscribers for full access. Not a TIME subscriber? .

West Germany: Denationalizing

Nationalization seems to be the fad from Italy to Indonesia, but not in Ludwig Erhard's free-enterprising West Germany. While it is still highly nationalized, West Germany is getting rid of state-owned industry as quickly as possible. Under Erhard's orders, the Ministry for Federal Property, which oversees nationalized companies, is getting ready to sell off the state-owned Vereinigte Elektrizitäts und Bergwerks (VEBA), a coal, chemicals and electric power giant with annual sales of $875 million.

German nationalization began with Bismarck, continued through the Weimar Republic and reached its climax in the Third Reich,...

Time.com on Digg

POWERED BY digg

Quotes of the Day »

DAVID CAMERON, British Prime Minister, on England's soccer manager, Fabio Capello, who resigned after challenging the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy; Terry denies a charge of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand
For use in rail of Articles page or Section Fronts pages. Duplicate and change name as necesssary to distinguish.