FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, there’s been talk in Germany about merging the state of Brandenburg with the city-state of Berlin (imagine a merging of Maryland and the District of Columbia, but not as bad). Most estimates expect the “fusion” of the two entities to take place by 2006. It’s a reasonable proposition, since Berlin could benefit from a somewhat more fiscally responsible Brandenburg, while the latter could benefit from all that the nation’s capital has to offer. Sure, there’s the argument that Berlin, with its economic woes (including a staggering budget deficit), would just be a drag on the surrounding region. But that debate pales in comparison to the one brought up by Alwin Ziel, Brandenburg’s Social Affairs minister. Since “Berlin-Brandenburg” is a cumbersome name, Ziel had a better idea: Why don’t we call it Prussia?

For those involved in the fusion debate, it was as if someone threw up a grenade. And soon, everyone in the country had an opinion on the matter, sparking a political firestorm over the pros and cons of reviving a name that was abolished in 1947 by the Allies, who called it a “militaristic, reactionary power.” Winston Churchill went a bit further, declaring it “the root of all evil.” (Yes, evil.) But is it really all that?