Shaitan is right. In the quagmire that is the Industrial Age, the movement abilities of Panzer's make them a valuable asset. Even if the goal isn't to conquer a civ, they could be used in the hands of a good commander to capture a specific objective quickly (i.e. take a stacked city in one turn, outrun rival units to anchor land for future cities, outrun and outmaneuver a "peaceful" opposing buildup so as to force them back as a deterant to war, etc.) The militaristic capability of Germany is useful in that even if we don't want a war, if we are dragged into one we can more quickly build military improvements to help us, allowing us to build cultural or economic improvements in peacetime. Militarism also brings us more Great Leaders quicker. This can allow us to a) build Armies that can devastate enemy forces, or b) hurry expensive improvements or Wonders to further our civ. For these reasons I believe we must play as Germany. Sorry for the way-too-long post.
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