Here we will look at the history of Germany, one of the most influential countries on the European continent.
Population and Language
As of 2024, the population of Germany is estimated to be between 84.5 and 85.2 million.
German is the official language and is spoken by 95 percent of the population. In addition, Sorbian and Frisian are spoken in the eastern part of Germany.
History
Julius Caesar considered Germany to be a distinct part of Central Europe. The victory of the Germanic tribes in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD prevented the annexation of the Roman Empire. However, the Roman provinces of Germania Superior and Germania Inferior were established on the Rhine.
Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Franks conquered the other West Germanic tribes.
In 962, Otto I became the first Holy Roman Emperor of the German state, the Holy Roman Empire. After 1517, Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation within the Catholic Church.
The Thirty Years' War from 1618 to 1648 brought great destruction to the Holy Roman Empire. The wars with Napoleon led to the decline of feudalism, and the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806.
Napoleon then established the Confederation of the Rhine as a German puppet state. However, after the French defeat, the German Confederation was established under an Austrian president.
Although the German revolutions of 1848–1849 failed, the Industrial Revolution modernized the German economy. This paved the way for rapid urban growth and the emergence of the socialist movement.
Later, Prussia grew in power with its capital in Berlin. German universities became world-class centers for science and the humanities. At the same time, music and art flourished.
With the formation of the German Empire in 1871, unification was achieved in Germany under the leadership of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Germany then joined other powers in colonial expansion in Africa and the Pacific.
By 1900, Germany was the dominant power on the European continent and its rapidly expanding industry had surpassed that of Britain. At the same time, it was provoking it in the naval arms race.
Germany, which had led the Central Powers in World War I, was partially occupied and forced to pay war reparations. It also lost its colonies and significant areas of its territory.
Germany in World War I
In 1933, Adolf Hitler exploited the economic hardships of the Great Depression, along with popular resentment over the terms imposed on Germany at the end of World War I, to establish a totalitarian regime.
By 1944, the German military was being pushed back on all fronts, finally collapsing in May 1945. Throughout the Cold War era, Germany was divided into West Germany, which was aligned with NATO, and East Germany, which was aligned with the Warsaw Pact. The Berlin Wall was opened in 1989.
As a result, East and West Germany were reunified in 1990. This Franco-German alliance formed the basis for the political integration of Western Europe in the European Union.
Germany, now one of Europe's economic powers, contributes about a quarter of the eurozone's annual GDP.
Germany played a key role in efforts to resolve the escalating euro crisis in the early 2010s, particularly in relation to Greece and other southern European countries.
In 2015, Germany faced the European migrant crisis, becoming a major recipient of asylum seekers from Syria and other troubled regions. Notably, Germany opposed Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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