This is the week when everybody says everything is at stake. December 9 is billed as the date that makes or breaks the Euro Zone. It’s roiling the world’s economic markets.

But according to Der Spiegel the Germans feel good. The Christmas markets are busy. The shopping malls are crowded. 55% of Germans say they aren’t personally involved in the Euro Crisis. They have faith in their Chancellor. Her popularity rating is above 50%.

Despite the fact that they think worse is yet to come for the euro before everything settles out, they like the fact that Merkel holds firm on her positions and doesn’t yield. They like being the leaders of Europe. They don’t want to return to the German mark. They realize the euro is good for exports, and Germany is an export-oriented country.

It’s expressed best by Volker Kowder, the floor leader for Merkel’s CDU. He says, “Europe is speaking German.”

People in Anglo countries may think this sounds like a chauvanistic statement for a country that lost two world wars. But from a broad historical point-of-view Germany’s been emerging since unification in the mid-nineteenth century. It’s the powerhouse of Europe. And despite defeats, it still wants to figure out how to be the leader of Europe. Germans think they may have finally figured it out.