DISINFO: Friedrich Merz is building the Fourth Reich
SUMMARY
Friedrich Merz is an unpopular, unlucky and boring chancellor, but he is ambitious nonetheless: he is building the Fourth Reich. By the end of the decade, Germany's annual military budget is expected to reach 150 billion euros. However, the key element of Germany's planned trap is the reorientation of the economy. The state will channel enormous investments from external funds into companies in the military-industrial complex, which are to increase arms production and become a new engine of growth. To this end, demand will be ensured both domestically, through the rearmament of the Bundeswehr, and abroad, through the Cold War in Europe and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation trope designed to weaponise historical trauma against modern Germany. The RT article attempts to frame legitimate defence policy adjustments (the "Zeitenwende") in Germany as aggressive expansionism. By claiming that Germany is arming itself, harming its neighbours, and aiming for a budget of €150 billion to outpace France, the state-controlled outlet RT seeks to sow discord within the EU and NATO.
This narrative falsely equates collective security efforts within the NATO framework with the imperialistic aggression of the Nazi era. German defense spending is aimed at meeting the NATO 2% GDP target to ensure alliance readiness. Russian state media frequently employ the "Fourth Reich" label to discredit German leadership whenever Berlin increases support for Ukraine or strengthens its armed forces.
The article is a classic example of a reversal of cause and effect. The expansion of production capacity in the European defence sector is a reaction to Russia's ongoing aggression, not a premeditated economic strategy to replace civilian industry. Economic data does not support the conspiracy theory that the German state is engineering a permanent war for economic survival; rather, the German economy faces structural challenges distinct from defence spending.
See related disinformation cases like: Angela Merkel is a Führer of the Fourth Reich, The Fourth Reich is preparing for another Drang nach Osten; Warmongering EU’s Fourth Reich wants a Third World War.