On 26 April 1997, Federal President Roman Herzog spoke at the Hotel Adlon in Berlin. He listed the country’s problems without softening them: der Verlust wirtschaftlicher Dynamik, die Erstarrung der Gesellschaft, eine unglaubliche mentale Depression. The loss of economic dynamism, a rigid society, an incredible mental depression. He said that discouragement prevailed, and he gave the number of unemployed as 4.3 million. Then he said what had to happen: Durch Deutschland muss ein Ruck gehen. A jolt must go through Germany. The speech has been known ever since as the Ruck-Rede, the jolt speech.