WASHINGTON

I was 6 years old when the Berlin Wall came down. Adolf Hitler had been dead for almost half a century, and I certainly had no idea what the Cold War was about. The weight of history was lighter than my LEGO-toys — a non-experience that millions of German kids shared in 1989. We are Germany’s “undivided generation,” one that has come to view history not as a weight but as an obligation to lead. Young Germans these days are confident about their role in creating the shape of the 21st Century.

In recent years, Germany has been on top of the most important issues of our time. We have had the best response to the global financial and economic crisis; our stimulus package was rated the most effective of industrialized economies by the Boston Consulting Group. As a responsible international stakeholder, we stimulated domestic demand and did not resort to protectionist measures. Germany’s unemployment numbers have been checked by government subsidized short-term work contracts. Indeed, this past September the German unemployment rate fell to 8 percent.

Berlin was criticized early in the crisis for introducing only a meager bailout. But we did not have to think in trillions because we had a social-safety net in place to automatically cushion the fall of the economy. Call it socialism. It is solidarity with hard-working people who face existential threats and should not be punished for the failings of gamblers on Wall Street. Need a systemic response to globalization? The German model of a social-market economy is more relevant today than at any other time since the end of World War II.

Climate change is the biggest challenge of our time. The prospect of reaching a meaningful accord on reducing emissions at Copenhagen is bleak. Yet the situation could be far worse. Germany has reached its Kyoto targets three years ahead of schedule and is not resting on what has been achieved. As a champion of renewable energy and producer of more than half of the world’s solar technology, we are front and central to the E.U.’s plans to cut emissions 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. While the whole world talks about a re-emergence of the nuclear age, Berlin has irrevocably committed itself to move beyond finite nuclear technology and focus on renewables instead. Call it naïve, but it is practiced vision.

However, Germany could go carbon-neutral and the world would still fail to curb climate change. In other words, we need to learn how to lead. And that should not be limited to the economy or climate change. Afghanistan is a case in point. There our emphasis on a “comprehensive approach” to conflict could prove successful. Winning over the Taliban requires a legitimate government in Kabul, a stronger Afghan military and a well-trained police force, among other things.

We were given the chance to lead the Police Training Mission there and failed miserably. Ever since, there are German politicians who have tried to blame the problems of Afghanistan on the military part of the mission. That is not honest and risks discrediting the very concept we have been advocating — i.e., a combination of military and civilian means. So if we want a greater say in world affairs, we should do better and know that with responsibility comes sacrifice. If we want countries to follow our example in matters of war and peace, we need to lead by taking on responsibility.

German history has taught older generations to look inward only. To young Germans, our history means to look inward and outward at the same time. We are characterized by a unique duality: humbled by the potential destructiveness of mankind, yet confident in German leadership. Never will we do harm, but we will stand up if harm is done to others.

The 6-year-olds of 1989 finally notice German achievements. We are proud of the heroic courage of more than 70,000 East Germans who took to the streets in October 1989 to protest against an unfree political system. We will not forget our legacy and that German responsibility is inevitably tied to the Holocaust. Yet our history is not a burden; it is part of our identity that obliges us to help shape the 21st Century.

Fabien Lieschke recently graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.