alternatehistory.com

As you know, in the aftermath of WW2, the Allies have realized that a united and militaristic Germany would be a serious threat to Europe and the rest of the world, considering the atrocities committed by the Germans in the Holocaust. So they decided to partition Germany into five different countries, based on historical and geographical borders: Prussia, Rhineland, Bavaria, Saxony and Hesse. The partition was to completely eliminate the industry of Germany, thus eliminating Germany's possibility to wage another war.

So, what if, assuming Germany still loses WW2, the Allies decided to have mercy on the Germans, and let Germany remain a unified nation? Could a less "harsher" partition of Germany be possible? How would a unified German state develop economically and socially, and would it be able to become a regional power?
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