But speaking only in terms of strength and not in what has been done with the strength, the economic and financial unification of Germany in that century was a success story."

But what is done with the strength is always far more important than the strength itself, whether you're talking about people or countries.

Personally I would like to see a Europe of strong regions, weak nations and a central administration that is purely at the service of the regions. Some of the smaller nations might count as regions.