Germany

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Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Germany rel 94.jpg
Flag of Germany.JPG
Arms of Germany.png
Flag Coat of Arms
Capital Berlin
Government Federal Republic (Parliamentary)
Language German (official)
President Horst Köhler
Chancellor Angela Merkel
Area 137,858 sq mi
Population 82,310,000 (2006)
GDP per capita $36,975 (2006)
Currency Euro (formerly the Deutsche Mark)

Germany (official name: Federal Republic of Germany) is a federally organized Democracy in Western Europe with a population of about 82.4 million. The capital city and seat of government is Berlin.

The major ethnic groups are German 94%, Polish 1%, Yugoslavs 1% and others 4%. 34% of the population are Protestants and 38% are Roman Catholics.

As Europe's largest economy and the most populous nation wholly within Europe, Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. The central German bank, the Bundesbank, has historically been the most influential force within the financial markets of the European Union.

History

The emergence of Germany as a nation in its own right came later than for most European powers. The German-speaking areas of Europe had historically been parts of diverse other nations, among them Prussia, Austria, and the Holy Roman Empire, along with numerous smaller principalities.

Early Germanic Tribes

The first distinct Germanic tribes emerged around 100 BC in northern Germany, and are usually thought to have migrated south from Scandinavia. From there, the tribes continued to expand, coming in contact with the Celts of Gaul in the west, and Slavic tribes to the east. However, not much is known about the early Germanic people due to the lack of a written language. Most of what is known is due to contact with the Roman Empire and archaeological digs. To the rest of the world, the Germanic tribes inhabited a region known as Germania, Latin for "Land of the Germans".[1] The Roman Empire had plans to expand its borders into the wild lands of Germania, but with their defeat at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, a decision was made by the Roman Emperor Augustus to consolidate the boundaries along the Rhine River, leaving most of Germania free, wild, and untamed. Migrating pressures over the following centuries saw frequent efforts of Germanic tribes trying to enter the Roman Empire. While sometimes these efforts gained temporary success, Rome would invariably defeat these efforts. Some tribes were allowed to settle in the Empire, especially during times of depopulation during plague. During the time of the later Empire, the Germans were both buffers against outside invasions and oftentimes allies, enemies, or both - with some tribes aiding Rome and some tribes invading. In 410 AD, some Germanic tribes assisted the Visigoths under Alaric I in sacking the city of Rome.[2] It was a blow to the Western Empire, but didn't have the importance that it once would have as the capital had moved to Ravenna in 402 AD. But in 476 AD, dissatisfied German mercenaries led by Odoacer captured Ravenna and deposed Emperor Romulus Augustulus. By that time Rome was being attacked or saved almost exclusively by barbarian armies. Since Odoacer refused to assume the title of Emperor, this date is generally considered to be the official end of the Western Roman Empire.[3]

The Holy Roman Empire (843–1806)

The medieval German empire originated from the division of the Carolingian Empire in 843, and was known as the Holy Roman Empire. It gradually expanded through the addition of Lorraine, Saxony, Franconia, Thuringia, and Bavaria, and the German king was crowned Holy Roman Emperor of these regions in 962. Under the reign of the Salian emperors (1024–1125), the Holy Roman Empire absorbed northern Italy and Burgundy. The edict of the Golden Bull in 1356 provided the constitution of the empire; it established the election of the emperor by seven Prince-Electors, each of whom ruled one of the more powerful principalities or archbishoprics. Notably, one of these Electors, George Louis the Elector of Hanover (1660-1727), was recruited by the heir-less Kingdom of Great Britain in 1714 to become its king, taking the name King George I.

The Reformation

In 1517, Martin Luther wrote his 95 Theses questioning the Roman Catholic Church, an act which began the Protestant Reformation. A separate Lutheran church was acknowledged as the new sanctioned religion in many states of Germany in 1530. Religious conflicts known as the Thirty Years' War pitted Protestant German states against Catholic one, and devastated the former Empire. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) ended religious warfare in Germany, but the empire broke down into numerous independent principalities. From 1740 onwards, the dualism between the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of Prussia dominated German history. In 1806, the Imperium was overrun and dissolved as a result of the Napoleonic Wars.

1806 - 1871

It was not until after the fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814 that the German Confederation, a loosely-organized league of 39 states, began to lay the ground for nationhood. Numerous conflicts between these states marked the first half of the nineteenth century, and it was not until Otto von Bismarck's ascension as Prime Minister of Prussia in mid-century that something resembling the modern sense of "Germany" came into being. Austria was, however, not a part of this new North German Confederation. After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, the German Empire was formally proclaimed, under Wilhelm I, with its capital in Berlin.

Imperial Germany

After Germany was united by Bismarck in what was to become the second German Reich, Bismarck determined German politics until the young Kaiser Wilhelm II came to the throne. Bismarck tried to foster alliances in Europe, on one hand to contain France, and on on the other hand to consolidate Germany's influence in Europe. On the domestic front Bismarck tried to stem the rise of socialism by anti-socialist laws, combined with an introduction of health care and social security. At the same time Bismarck tried to reduce the political influence of the emancipated Catholic minority in what was dubbed the Kulturkampf, literally "culture struggle". He later softened his stance on the Catholics because he needed the support of the Catholic Zentrum Party.

After the death on Kaiser Wilhelm I, and his ailing successor of three months Friedrich II in 1888, the young and ambitious Kaiser Wilhelm II became emperor. It was obvious that it was just a matter of time until Bismarck and the young Kaiser would come into conflict. Most notably, the young Kaiser opposed Bismarck's careful foreign policy and wanted Germany to pursue colonialist policies, as Great Britain and France had been doing for quite some time, as well as build a navy that could match the British. Bismarck eventually resigned as chancellor in 1890 when an attempt to establish a working relationship with the Zentrum Party was thwarted by Wilhlem. After Bismarck's departure Wilhelm II engaged in active colonization of Africa and Asia for those areas that were not already colonies of other European powers, a mostly unilateral approach in Europe with as main ally the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and an arms race with Britain, which eventually led to the situation in which the assassination of the Austrian-Hungarian crown price could spark off World War I.

Between the World Wars

Germany's involvement and eventual defeat in World War I led to a harsh turn in German fortunes. The government of the German Kaiser was replaced by the Weimar Republic, and the new social-democratic government had to accept the resulting "peace" established by the Treaty of Versailles; it forced Germany to take full blame for the war and to pay huge reparations to the allied victors. As reparations payments couldn't be paid in full through hard currency, compliance was forced through goods such as coal and ore and French occupation of German factories in the Ruhr. The German economy collapsed. Inflation, which had seen the value of the German mark fall from 8.9 Mark to the US Dollar shortly after the war[4] to 9,000 Mark to the US Dollar by the start of 1923, now careened out of control as hyper-inflation set in. By November 15th 1923, the exchange rate was 4.2 trillion Mark to the US dollar. [5]. The combination of the Versailles Treaty, which the Germans considered to be harsh and unfair, combined with what was happening to the German nation left the German people bitter and disenchanted. An introduction of a new currency stabilized the German economy and from 1925 to 1928 German productivity grew from a value of 70 billion Reichsmark to 88 billion Reichsmark [6]. This change turned out to be short-lived with the onset of the Great Depression and renewed hardship. Germany entered a period of permanent political and constitutional crisis. It was during these difficult years starting with the end of World War I that new voices rose up in Germany, one of which was from a struggling artist turned revolutionist named Adolf Hitler. Hitler slowly gained followers and rose to a prominent place in the government before finally taking control in a country that was desperate to look up to someone to restore national pride. An economic boom ensued as Hitler pursued an aggressive foreign policy and remilitarization, which eventually led to World War II and defeat. Germany was once again in ruins.

Post WWII History

With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the European Union (EU), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The border between East and West Germany was fortified in the course of the 1950s, to prevent East Germans from fleeing to the West. However, the border to West Berlin, the sectors occupied by the the US, UK, and France, which were de-facto part of West Germany, was open for refugees until the Berlin Wall was built on 13 August 1961. The Berlin Wall spanned more than 166 km around West Berlin, and cut through the historic center of Berlin. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for a peaceful revolution in East Germany in 1989, which led to the fall of the Berlin Wall, and a year later to the German unification on October 3, 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern infrastructure up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and ten other EU countries introduced a common European currency, the Euro.

The states (Bundesländer) and their capitals

(In alphabetical order)

Tourism

Neuschwanstein Castle, a popular tourist destination.

Economic Overview

Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy - the fifth largest in the world in PPP terms - showed considerable improvement in 2006 with 2.7% growth. After a long period of stagnation with an average growth rate of 0.7% between 2001-05 and chronically high unemployment, stronger growth has led to a considerable fall in unemployment to about 8% at the end of 2006. Among the most important reasons for Germany's high unemployment during the past decade were macroeconomic stagnation, the declining level of investment in plant and equipment, company restructuring, flat domestic consumption, structural rigidities in the labor market, lack of competition in the service sector, and high interest rates. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $80 billion. The former government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder launched a comprehensive set of reforms of labor market and welfare-related institutions. The current government of Chancellor Angela Merkel has initiated other reform measures, such as a gradual increase in the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67 and measures to increase female participation in the labor market. Germany's aging population, combined with high chronic unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions, but higher government revenues from the cyclical upturn in 2006 reduced Germany's budget deficit to within the EU's 3% debt limit. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could help Germany meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization.[7]

Politics

Political Parties

The political parties represented in the German parliament (Bundestag) are:

  • Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) - center-right
  • Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) - conservative
  • Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) - center-left
  • Free Democratic Party (FDP) - liberal, centrist
  • Alliance '90 / The Greens (Grüne) - left, green
  • The Left Party - far left, heir to the Socialist Unity Party of the former East Germany

CDU and CSU traditionally form a common parliamentary faction. The CSU only acts in Bavaria, the CDU in the other states.

Government

Executive Branch

Germany has a President as Head of State. However, his/her political power is small and his position is mostly representative. Although the president has to sign every law, and has the right to refuse signature on constitutional grounds, few president have ever used this right. The president is elected by a joint assembly of the federal parliament and an evenly strong group of electors, who are selected by the state parliaments for a five year term, and he can be re-elected once. During absence and illness of the president, the president of the Bundesrat (comparable to the Senate) assumes the duties of the president.

The actual political power and head of government is the Chancellor ("Bundeskanzler"), who is elected by federal parliament ("Bundestag"). The Chancellor is typically elected in the first session of a newly elected Bundestag for the entire legislative period of four years. The parliament can only force the Chancellor to resign in a constructive motion of no-confidence, if it elects at the same time a new Chancellor. The current Chancellor is Dr. Angela Merkel. The current government [8] is a coalition between the two largest parties, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD).

Legislative Branch

Germany has a bicameral system with a federal parliament ("Bundestag") and a representation of the states ("Bundesrat"). The members of Bundestag in elected every four years, using a personalized proportional system. The members of the Bundesrat are representatives of the state governments, and the delegations of each state are required to vote as a bloc on behalf of their governments. Each delegation has between 3 and 6 members, depending on the size of the represented state. The position of president of the Bundesrat rotates on an annual basis between the prime ministers of the states.

Judicative Branch

The German constitution provides for an independent jurisdiction. The highest appeals court in Germany is the Federal Court of Justice ("Bundesgerichtshof"), which is seated in the Southwestern city of Karlsruhe. Members of the Federal court are elected by a committee, with 16 delegates from the states, one from each state, appointed by the state governments, and 16 delegates appointed by the federal parliament. The Federal Constitutional Court ("Bundesverfassungsgericht") is the highest court to review decisions and acts by the executive and legislative branches of government. It can be called to determine whether public acts are unconstitutional and can render them ineffective if they are not. This court is also seated in city of Karlsruhe, and it members are elected by the Bundesrat and Bundestag, and need a 2/3 majority in each.

Famous Germans

War on Terror

Germany currently contributes troops to the NATO-led ISAF operation in Afghanistan, but did not support the invasion of Iraq. German military participates in NATO Force Protection Program, protecting US military bases located in Germany.

External links

References

  1. ↑ Medieval Sourcebook Tacitus: Germania
  2. ↑ The Sack of Rome
  3. ↑ [1]
  4. ↑ The 20th Century Day by Day, Dorling and Kingdersley, 2000, Pg. 308
  5. ↑ http://www.germannotes.com/hist_inflation.shtml
  6. ↑ http://www.sgipt.org/politpsy/finanz/schuldp/weimar.htm
  7. ↑ [2] CIA World Factbook
  8. ↑ http://www.bundesregierung.de

See Also

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