This is an elite narrative. What happened to normal people? In the real world? Germans still speak German. Germany is still very wealthy, many of the same companies are still around; including those which supported the Nazi war effort like Hugo Boss and Mercedes Benz. German chemical industry is extremely successful... Population of Germany exceeds that of France...

How did Germany's defeat actually negatively affect things for the people in the long run?

One of my ancestors (French side) had to close their business because they made the decision to keep paying for employee wages during the war while their business was forcibly put on hold by the French government... Winning the war didn't mean much to them... Mercedes people who made the German war machines were filling their pockets throughout the entire war. Didn't even negatively affect their reputation!

What happened to normal people is very different.

The people who won are those who looked out only for their own interests! It doesn't matter what side they were on.

> This is an elite narrative. What happened to normal people? In the real world?

What a rubbish point you're pushing. Millions and millions died or were exterminated. Countless fled or were forcefully displaced. The country was occupied and then split apart, the effects of the DDR can be felt to this day. The collective shame will outlast any generation alive today.

Many institutions survived, yes, as they often do. But everything else was a nightmare that echoes to this day.

Survivorship bias in action. We cannot see what didn’t happen.