Medieval war period.
When Vikings colonized Greenland around 1000 (AFAIK) the southern part was pretty green. In 1500 the whole colony had died.
Re the Article, I agree with it. Right now, Europe (and Germany) is doing quite well, despite the best efforts of our politicians...
Modest growth is better than a bursting bubble. Incidentally, the reason why Germany's economy is not growing faster is the decline of the US Dollar.