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The Federal Republic of Germany is one of the world's major industrialized countries, located in Western Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea, to its east by Poland and the Czech Republic, to the south by Austria and Switzerland and to its west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Germany is a founding member of the European Union.

Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Flag of Germany Germany: Coat of Arms
(In Detail)

National motto: Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
(German: Unity and Justice and

Freedom)
Official language German¹
Capital Berlin
Largest CityBerlin
President: Johannes Rau
Chancellor: Gerhard Schröder
Area

 - Total

 - % water		 Ranked 61st

357,022.90 km2

2.18%
Population

 - Total (2003)

 - Density		 Ranked 13th

82,544,000

231/km²
Formation/
unification		 Treaty of Verdun (843),

January 18, 1871,
May 23, 1949

October 3, 1990
Currency Euro (€)², German euro coins
Time zone UTC +1
National anthem Das Lied der Deutschen
(third verse only)
Internet TLD .DE
Calling Code 49
(1) Danish, Sorbian, Romany and Frisian are officially recognized and protected as minority language. Low Saxon is protected by the European Union.

(2) Prior to 1999: Deutsche Mark.

History

Main article: History of Germany

The German language, idea of Volksdeutschen (ethnic Germans based around their Germanic origin) and the feeling of "Germanhood" goes back more than a thousand years, but the state now known as Germany was unified as a modern nation-state only in 1871, when the German Empire, dominated by Prussia, was forged. However, Austria was to remain a separate multi-ethnic empire for another 50 years. This was the second German Reich, usually translated as "empire", but also meaning "realm".

The first Reich – known for much of its existence as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation – stemmed from the division of the Carolingian Empire in 843, which was founded December 25th 800 by Charlemagne and existed in varying forms until dissolved in 1806 as one of the consequences of the Napoleonic Wars.

Between 1815 and 1871 Germany consisted of dozens of independent states, 39 of which formed the German Confederation (Deutscher Bund). For a detailed list, look at List of German Confederation member states.

The second Reich was proclaimed January 18th, 1871, in Versailles after the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War; and following the outbreak of the German Revolution, was transformed into a republic on November 9th 1918.

After being subdued by France in the Napoleonic Wars, France was to be perceived as Germany's archenemy. Deep animosity between France and Germany occured in the years between the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 and World War I. Also, the German government feared French invasion and revenge for their humiliation during the Franco-Prusssian War. Under Bismarck, Germany went about on a policy of creating defensive alliances to prevent a threat to Bismarck's new-born nation. He feared that the French would try and destroy Germany and re-devide it back into small states. By the end of Bismarck's political career in 1890, Germany had alliances and declarations of Neutrality with almost all European Nations. Following the death of Wilhelm I and Bismarck, Wilhelm II took power. His ambitions and arrogance destroyed the security Bismarck had established for Germany. Germany's alliances with the more powerful nations ended and new alliances with weak and unstable nations formed, particularly Austria-Hungary.

World War 1 broke out almost immediately following the assasination of Austria's successor to the throne, Franz Ferdinand. The archduke was killed by a Serbian nationalist seeking a unified greater Serbia with Austrian-controlled Serb lands. War between Serbia and Austria mounted in July. Russia, honoring its treaties with Serbia, allied against Austria. Russia, fearing a German attack, mobilized troops on the German border. Germany, precieving this as a threat, declared war on Russia. Fearing Russia's ally France would attack, Germany subsequently invaded France. The Schlieffen Plan, a plan made by Germany's war minister, called for an invasion of France by attacking through Belgium. Belgium had declared itself a neutral nation and Britain honored this neutrality. German troops attacked Belgium after the tiny nation refused to allow the Germans to pass through. With that, both Belgium and Britain were pulled into the war. After initial advances, the war amounted to a slow war in the trenches, killing many on both sides. The British established a blockade on Germany. The blockade violated the rules of war because the British were preventing all supplies from getting into Germany, including foods, textiles, and medicine. Normally, a blockade is to prevent war materials from entering. Massive famine and death struck German streets as the British tried to starven the nation to its knees. Germany's response was an attempt to do the same to Britain with submarine technology. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare stated that all ships heading towards Britain will be sunk. In 1915, a ship the Lusitania, was sunk, carrying over 100 Americans. Germany told America it would stop its Submarine war if the got Britain to end to blockade of foods to Germany. After 2 years, the U.S. had done nothing and Germany was once again forced to resort to Submarine warfare. In 1917, America, angered by German tactics, declared war. The war ended by November 1918 when a revolution in Germany overthrew the government. Germany's emperor was forced to abdicate, and after a quenched revolution the Second Reich was succeeded by the democratic Weimar Republic.

The Peace Treaty of Versailles held Germany soley responsible for the war. Economic hardship hit Germany almost immediately. France and the allies slapped hard war debts on Germany. Inflation struck and the German government responded poorly by printing more money (which only caused the inflation to grow more rapidly). With inflation came strikes. Rhineland, a very industrialized region in Western Germany, was in chaos. Workers began going on strike in 1920. The region was declared demilitarized by the terms of the treaty of Versailles, but the German government was forced to sent troops in to suppress the revolt. The French jumped at this opportunity. French troops invaded Rhineland. They used the violation of the treaty of Versialles as an excuse. From 1920-23, French troops were in control of Rhineland/The Ruhr Valley. All the industrial goods and materials were shipped to France from there. Discontent was inflaming.

The Weimar republic was in trouble. Many right winged and left winged groups formed in the wake of these turn of events. they all shared a criticism of the republic for its weakness and inability. One group, the German Workers Party, grew in popularity under their leader, Adolf Hitler. He remained the party the National Socialist Party (or Nazi for short). Using the hatred to the humiliation Germans felt, Hitler gained support with passionate speeches about restoring German honor and strength. Because he preached overturning the Treaty of Versailles, he was loved. Hitler's failed coup attempt in 1923 taught him a lesson; He can seize power more easily in democracy by winning over the people. In extraordinary elections of July and November 1932, the Nazis got 37,2% and 33,0% respectively. On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany after intimidating the aging Prime Minister Hindenburg. The Enabling Act on March 23, 1933, stated that Hitler was to be given dictatorship powers. It passed overwhelmingly because of the number of Nazi representitives in the government.

The Third Reich was that of the Nazis, which lasted 12 years, from 1933 to 1945. In 1934, Hitler affirmed control of government, when he also succeeded the President of Germany.

Hitler's policy of annexing neighboring lands eventually led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe on September 1, 1939. In 1935, he declared his intentions to remilitarize Germany. The following year, he retook Rhineland and militarized it as well. In early 1938, he moved towards a policy or reunited the "Volksdeutschen" or German people, those who spoke German and were of German origin. He forced the Austrian governement to surrender to Germany. The "Anschluss", or "union" between Austria and Germany was in direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles. In lae 1938, Hitler pursued Czechoslovakia to allow the German inhabitied region called the Sudetenland to unite with Nai Germany. By early 1939, all of Czechoslovakia was invaded by Germany. Hitler was able to get away with all of these events because France and Britain were pursuing a policy of Appeasement. Seeing the horrors of WW1, the agreed to give Hitler these small gains in order to avoid another war, but it was useless. Hitler continued to demand more. In september 1939, he demanded The Polish Corridor be given to Germany, along with Danzig (the region lost by Germany as a result of WW1). The scond World War had begun. In Initially, Germany and her allies had many military successes, and gained control over most of Europe's mainland, including a large part of the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union and the United States entered the war, the momentum in the war switched. Russian resisitance turned the tide of war on the Eastern Front against Germany. By 1943 after The Battle of Stalingrad, Germany was on the defensive. American and British landings in North Africa pushed German troops out. American invasions of Italy in 1943 and France in 1944 opened new fronts. Germany was simply fighting on too many fronts with too many enemies. The war was overwhelming against Germany. By 1945, over 40 nations across the globe had declared war on Germany and her ally, Japan. On 8 May 1945, Germany surrendered after Hitler committed suicide. The war resulted in large losses of territory, 15 million Germans expelled, and 45 years of division, while the country was split up into West and East Germany. The 15 million Ethnic Germans living in Eastern Europe were terminated through murder, expulsion, and exportation to slave camps in Siberia. Many of these German groups had roots in Eastern Europe for centuries like the Prussians and Volga Germans.

By the end of World War II, 80% of all German cities were destroyed. many hundreds of thousands of German civilians were burned to death in the firebombs from allied attacs. For an example, see Bombing of Dresden in World War II. On top of that, several million young Germans were lost, fighting the war. This too a hard hit on Germany's labor force. Post-war Germany was in ruins and the living conditions for the survivors in the years that followed 1945 were horrible.

In 1949 two German states were founded: the Federal Republic of Germany with originally twelve states and the German Democratic Republic with five states. In 1952, the Länder of East Germany were abolished, and the GDR was divided into Bezirke (districts). The Saarland joined the Federal Republic as eleventh state in 1957.

On August 13, 1961 the Berlin Wall was erected.

In the late 1960s a desire to confront the Nazi past came into being. Mass protests beginning in 1968 successfully clamoured for a new Germany. Democracy, human rights and anti-nationalism became fundamental values of The Federal Republic of Germany. Willy Brandt became chancellor in 1969. He made an important contribution towards reconciliation between West and East Germany.

After the fall of Communism in Europe, Germany was reunited in 1990 (see German reunification); together with France the new Germany is playing the leading role in the European Union. Germany is at the forefront of European states seeking to exploit the momentum of monetary union to advance the creation of a more unified and capable European political, defence and security apparatus. The Chancellor recently also claimed a permanent seat for Germany in the UN Security Concil, identifying France, Russia and Japan as countries that explicitly backed Germany's bid.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Germany

Germany is a constitutional federal democracy, whose political system is laid out in the 1949 'constitution' called Grundgesetz (Basic Law). It has a parliamentary system in which the head of government, the Bundeskanzler (Chancellor), is elected by the parliament.

The parliament, called Bundestag (Federal Assembly), is elected every four years by popular vote in a complex system combining direct and proportional representation. The 16 Bundesländer are represented at the federal level in the Bundesrat (Federal Council), which—depending on the subject matter—may have a say in the legislative procedure. Lately, there has been much concern about the Bundestag and the Bundesrat blocking each other, making effective government very difficult.

The function of head of state is performed by the Bundespräsident (Federal President), whose powers are mostly limited to ceremonial and representative duties.

The judiciary branch includes a Constitutional Court called Bundesverfassungsgericht, which may ultimately overturn all acts by the legislature or administration if they are deemed unconstitutional.

States

Main article: States of Germany

Map of Germany with cities

Germany is divided into sixteen Bundesländer (singular Bundesland), or federal states:

Germany is further subdivided into 438 Kreise (districts).

Geography

Main article: Geography of Germany

Germany stretches from the high mountains of the Alps (highest point: the Zugspitze at 2,962 m) in the south to the shores of the North and Baltic Seas in the north. In between are found the forested uplands of central Germany and the low-lying lands of northern Germany (lowest point: Neuendorfer/Wilstermarsch at -3.54 m), traversed by some of Europe's major rivers such as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe.

The weather is sometimes unpredictable. In the middle of summer it could be warm and sunny one day and then cold and rainy the next.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Germany

Germany possesses the world's third most technologically powerful economy after the US and Japan, but its basic capitalistic economy has started to struggle under the burden of generous social benefits. Structural rigidities—like a high rate of social contributions on wages—have made unemployment a long-term, not just cyclical, problem, while Germany's aging population has pushed social security outlays to exceed contributions from workers. The integration and upgrading of the eastern German economy remains a costly long-term problem, with annual transfers from the west amounting to roughly $100 billion. The recent adoption of a common European currency and the general political and economic integration of Europe are thought to bring major changes to the German economy in the early 21st century.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Germany

Germany has at least 7 million foreign residents, including refugees, guest workers (Gastarbeiter), and their dependants. Germany is a primary destination for political and economic refugees from many developing countries.

An ethnic Danish minority lives in the north, a small Slavic minority known as the Sorbs lives chiefly in the state of Brandenburg. The Frisian language, considered the language closest to English language, is mother tongue for about 12,000 speakers in Germany. In rural areas of Northern Germany Low Saxon widely is spoken.

Immigration has also created a sizeable Turkish minority, and other smaller minorities including Croats, Italians, Russians and Poles.

Germany has one of the world's highest levels of education, technological development, and economic productivity. Since the end of World War II, the number of youths entering universities has more than tripled, and the trade and technical schools of Germany are among the world's best. With a per capita income level of about $25,000, Germany is a broadly middle class society. A generous social welfare system provides for universal medical care, unemployment compensation, and other social needs. Germans also are mobile; millions travel abroad each year.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Germany

Germany's contributions to the world's cultural heritage are numerous. Germany was the birthplace of composers such as Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, and Wagner; poets such as Goethe and Schiller; philosophers including Kant, Hegel, Marx and Nietzsche; and scientists including Einstein, Born and Planck. There are also numerous fine artists from Germany such as the Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer, the surrealist Max Ernst, the expressionist Franz Marc, the conceptual artist Joseph Beuys or the neo expressionist Georg Baselitz.

The German language was once the lingua franca of central, eastern and northern Europe, and remains one of the most popular foreign languages taught worldwide. Many important historical figures, though not citizens of Germany in the modern sense, were nevertheless immersed in the German culture, for example Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka and Copernicus.

Today Germany turns out to be a hip country with its casual capital Berlin and a self-confident music and art culture. Current movie and literature movements work up the re-unification.

Religion

The Grundgesetz, Germany's constitution, guarantees freedom of faith and religion. It also states that no one may be discriminated against due to their faith or religious opinions.

Christianity is the major religion, with Protestants (particularly in the north) comprising 38% of the population and Catholics (particularly in the south) 34%.

Currently about two thirds of the German population, more than 55 million people, officially belong to a Christian denomination, although most of them take no part in church life. Nearly half of them are Protestants and nearly half of them Roman Catholics. Most German Protestants are members of the Evangelical Church in Germany.

Roman Catholicism was Germany's top religion in the 15th century, but the religious movement commonly known as the Reformation changed this drastically. In 1517 Martin Luther challenged this religion as he saw it as a commercialisation of his faith. Through this, he altered the course of European and world history and established Protestantism, the largest confession in Germany today.

Before World War II, about two-thirds of the German population was Protestant and one-third was Roman Catholic. In the north and northeast of Germany especially, Protestants dominated.

There is also a noticeable Islamic minority of 1.7%, while the rest (26.3%) is either unaffiliated or belongs to smaller religious minorities.

Approximately three million Muslims and 160,000 Jews, of which around 100,000 belong to a synagogue, live in Germany.

Today Germany, especially its capital Berlin, has the fastest growing Jewish community worldwide. Some ten thousands of Jews from the former Eastern Bloc settled in Germany since the fall of the Berlin wall. The experiences during the Nazi era, a cosmopolitan and anti-nationalistic post-war education and especially the political 68ers movement created just the right tolerant atmosphere in Germany, which still is missing in some post-communist states. However Anti-Germans argue that the European Enlightenment was unfinished business and criticize their country's national consensus and foreign policy.

International rankings

Miscellaneous topics

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