ABSTRACT
Structural and institutional factors play a role in determining the geography of transnational social networks as well. In the decades since World War II, the Federal Republic of Germany’s economic, social, cultural, and political spheres have experienced a dramatic rise in international involvement, as evidenced by increases in exports, foreign population, international tourist travel, imports of foreign cultural goods, and other indicators. The postwar years were pivotal: the Allied occupation, the Marshall Plan and the rebuilding of West Germany created close bonds with the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. These countries are now Germany’s most important trading partners. France receives the largest proportion of its exports, followed by the US, the UK, Italy, and the Netherlands. Imports come mostly from France, then the Netherlands, the US, China, and the UK. But postwar international cooperation went beyond its economic outcomes and laid the foundation for the creation of transnational social spaces.
