I was born and raised in Germany and I was always under the impression that Germany was under US occupation.
Learning English was and is still mandatory for all German school children, even though England is not a popular travel destination. The languages of the countries directly adjoining Germany are not mandatory learning. Even though French is mostly taught as a third language, it is an elective and can be substituted for something else, e.g. Latin. At least that was the case in the schools which I experienced.
The US military bases were the authority of the land, and they played a prominent role in the economy when I was a child in the late '60s and '70s.
Culturally, Germany was like the little side-kick of the USA. We got every fashion, music and technology that the US had, but 5 years later in the cities and up to 10 years later in the country, where I grew up.
My post-baby boomer generation and the younger ones have no genuine German culture. We were completely Anglicized in everything from language to fashion, science, philosophy, entertainment, and even politics.
This influence did mainly not come from England; with the exception of things like Pink Floyd of course
Originally Posted by Treefarmer
I was born and raised in Germany and I was always under the impression that Germany was under US occupation.
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