On 8 December, there was a momentous transfer of power in Europe. Angela Merkel stepped down as Chancellor of Germany after 16 years - handing power to Olaf Scholz.

This peaceful transfer is taking place in a nation that - after the turmoil of Brexit, Trump and populist uprisings across Europe - has become THE liberal democratic bastion of the free world. 

It is a remarkable feat for modern Germany.

From the evil of Nazism, the horror ashes of conflict and the divisions of the Cold War - to this: a nation that embraces coalitions, embraces millions of refugees and embraces a united Europe.

How did we get here?

In today’s episode, John Kampfner, the author of “Why the Germans Do it Better”, explains how Germany became great again.

Sources: DW News, CBS, BBC News, British Pathe