Willkommen in Deutschland! The Federal Republic of Germany is located in central Europe nestled between the countries of Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Being the sixty-third largest country in the world, it covers around 357,022 sq km with 348,672 sq km of land and 8,350 sq km water. The country’s capital is Berlin with a population of 82,431,390 making it the eleventh most populated nation. The population is at a declining growth with the older generations outnumbering the youth. It is the third highest in the number of international migrants worldwide where more than sixteen million people from immigrant decent. The largest ethnical group within the nation, besides the Germans, is the Turkish. The country holds one of the highest levels of education, technological development, and economic productivity in the world. However, the number of children living in poverty has only increased with six in every seventy-five children living on welfare. The natural resources include coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, salt, timber and arable land. The German flag was designed in 1832 and displays the three colors black red and gold, which were taken from the uniforms of the German soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars. The national anthem of Germany is “Deutschlandied” which means the song of the Germans opening with the lines that translate, “Germany, Germany above all”.
History of Germany “History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity.” (sam)
It was not until the 1871 that the Germany united as a whole country. Prior to this year, the German-speaking territories had been separated into various kingdoms, principalities, duchies, bishoprics, fiefdoms and independent cities and towns. This is also the basis for the separation of the German’s political, economic and cultural life that extends into this very day. It took three wars a new leader by the name of Otto von Bismarck to eventually unify the country into a powerful and industrialized nation. During the start of the nineteenth century, these territories where organized into the Holy Roman Empire each being ruled by various princes, dukes and bishops who gave the territory a small sense of structure. However, in the beginning of 1517, Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses posted on the door of the Wittenberg Castle church created uproar amongst the nations later creating a split between the Empire into Protestant and Catholic regions. This tension not only created a separation, but also started the 30 Years War between the years 1618 to 1648. Between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, began the rise of Prussia becoming the second most powerful and dominant state. This made Prussia take on the initiative to strengthen their administrative, military, economic and educational reforms after the defeat of Napoleon and his army. After 1815, the Holy Roman Empire was replaced with the German Confederation creating a more unified government by gathering the leaders of each of the states to discuss “issues affecting the Confederation as a whole.” Under the control of Chancellor Otto von Bismarack, Prussia was beginning to prove itself as “Germany’s Powerhouse” being the leader in economic growth and then eventually defeating both Austria (1866) and France (1870). Following these wars, Bismark began to create alliances with surrounding nations in fear that Germany may become surrounded by hostile powers or potentially an ongoing string of wars. Emperor William II did not have the same view as Bismark, firing him and expanded the military and confrontational policies, which lead to the end of the German Empire.
In 1929 a man by the name of Adolf Hitler led a party that focused on national and racist themes that at the same time promised to put the unemployed