After Germany's government coalition collapsed in a dramatic fashion when Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business Free Democrats, Scholz said he would lead the country with a minority government,

After decades of relative stability, the country has entered a new era of political fragmentation and will hold new elections at a precarious time.

While the world has been watching Washington, Germany is quietly going into political meltdown. This is a very German crisis involving coalition infighting and complicated constitutional questions. But behind the complex political wrangling,