Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe , located in the west-central and south-western parts of Ukraine and in northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria ).
94-646: Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and the Eastern Bug River. Covering an area of 40,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi), it features an elongated plateau and fertile agricultural land. Its main rivers are the Dniester and the Southern Bug , which serve as important trade channels. Podolia is known for its cherries, mulberries, melons, gourds, and cucumbers. The region has
188-1069: A -, contradict Abaev's hypothesis. Edward Gibbon refers to the river both as the Niester and Dniester in his History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire . In Ukrainian , it is known as Дністе́р ( translit. Dnister ), in Romanian as Nistru , in Russian as Днестр ( translit. Dnestr ), in Polish as Dniestr , in Yiddish as Nester נעסטער; in Turkish as Turla ( Ottoman Turkish : طورلا ، طورله ), and in Lithuanian as Dniestras . The Dniester rises in Ukraine , near
282-614: A 1772 book by Adam F. Kollár and was used as an argument in favor of annexation by the Habsburgs. The Ternopil (Tarnopol) region of western Podolia was briefly taken by Russia in 1809 but reverted to Austrian rule in 1815. Within the Austrian Empire , western Podolia was part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria which, in 1867 with the formation of Austria-Hungary , became an ethnic Pole -administered autonomous unit under
376-656: A distinct German ethnic identity began to emerge among at least some them living within the Holy Roman Empire. However, variants of the same term were also used in the Low Countries , for the related dialects of what is still called Dutch in English, which is now a national language of the Netherlands and Belgium . The first information about the peoples living in what is now Germany was provided by
470-592: A diverse group, dominating a much larger area than Germany, stretching to the Vistula in the east, and Scandinavia in the north. German ethnicity began to emerge in medieval times among the descendants of those Germanic peoples who had lived under heavy Roman influence between the Rhine and Elbe rivers. This included Franks , Frisians , Saxons , Thuringii , Alemanni and Baiuvarii - all of whom spoke related dialects of West Germanic . These peoples had come under
564-588: A part of the principalities of Volhynia , Kiev , and Galicia . In the 13th century, Bakota served as its political and administrative centre. During the 13th century, the Mongols plundered Ponizie; Algirdas , Grand Duke of Lithuania, freed it from their rule following his victory against the Golden Horde in the Battle of Blue Waters of 1362, annexing it to Lithuania under the name of Podolia , which has
658-726: A rich history, dating back to the Neolithic period, with various tribes and civilizations occupying it over time. It became part of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia , the Golden Horde , the Kingdom of Poland , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , the Ottoman Empire , the Austrian Habsburg monarchy , and the Russian Empire . In the 20th century, Podolia underwent various political changes, with both Poland and
752-510: A shared descent, culture, and history. Völkisch elements identified Germanness with "a shared Christian heritage" and "biological essence", to the exclusion of the notable Jewish minority. After the Holocaust and the downfall of Nazism, "any confident sense of Germanness had become suspect, if not impossible". East Germany and West Germany both sought to build up an identity on historical or ideological lines, distancing themselves both from
846-624: Is an important part of German culture, particularly in Southern Germany and the Rhineland . An important German festival is the Oktoberfest . A steadily shrinking majority of Germans are Christians . About a third are Roman Catholics , while one third adheres to Protestantism . Another third does not profess any religion. Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter are celebrated by many Germans. The number of Muslims
940-591: Is based on High German and Central German , and is the first or second language of most Germans, but notably not the Volga Germans . Low German , which is often considered to be a distinct language from both German and Dutch, was the historical language of most of northern Germany, and is still spoken by many Germans, often as a second language. It is estimated that there are over 100 million Germans today, most of whom live in Germany, where they constitute
1034-511: Is growing. There is also a notable Jewish community, which was decimated in the Holocaust . Remembering the Holocaust is an important part of German culture. A German ethnic identity began to emerge during the early medieval period . These peoples came to be referred to by the High German term diutisc , which means "ethnic" or "relating to the people". The German endonym Deutsche is derived from this word. In subsequent centuries,
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#17327904677011128-542: Is part of the vast East European Plain , confined by the Dniester River and the Carpathian arc in the southwest. It comprises an area of about 40,000 km (15,000 sq mi), extending for 320 km (200 mi) from northwest to southeast on the left bank of the Dniester. In the same direction run two ranges of relatively low hills, separated by the Southern Bug . The Podolian Upland , an elongated, up to 472 ft (144 m) high plateau stretches from
1222-616: Is ranked third among countries of the world in the number of total recipients. The English term Germans is derived from the ethnonym Germani , which was used for Germanic peoples in ancient times. Since the early modern period, it has been the most common name for the Germans in English. The term Germans may also be applied to any citizens, natives or inhabitants of Germany, regardless of whether they are considered to have German ethnicity. In some contexts, people of German descent are also called Germans. In historical discussions
1316-518: Is well known in Ukraine. Its manifestation is long home iconostases painted on canvas at the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th centuries. Red, green and yellow colours prevail, the faces of the saints are a little bit longer, their eyes almond-like. On these iconostases, the most venerated family saints were painted. The collections of Podillya's folk iconostases are possessed by Vinnytsya Art Museum and The Museum of Ukrainian Home Icons in
1410-771: The Primary Chronicle mentions four apparently Slavic tribes : the Buzhans and Dulebes along the Southern Bug River, and the Tivertsi and Ulichs along the Dniester. The Avars invaded in the 7th century. Later. the Bolokhoveni occupied the same territory in the 13th century. Prince Oleg extended his rule over this territory known as the Ponizie , or "lowlands". These lowlands later became
1504-846: The Bar Confederation was formed by the Poles, including Casimir Pulaski in Bar in Podolia. Podolia remained part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until its Partitions of Poland in 1772 and 1793, when the Austrian and Russian Empires annexed the western and eastern parts respectively. From 1793 to 1917, part of the region was the Podolia Governorate in southwestern Russia bordering with Austria across
1598-587: The Bracław Voivodeship , which remained with Lithuania, both forming part of the Polish–Lithuanian union . With the Union of Lublin of 1569, eastern Podolia passed from Lithuania to Poland with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . The Kamieniec Podolski Fortress was nicknamed the "gateway to Poland", whereas the city of Kamieniec Podolski itself as one of Poland's major cities enjoyed voting rights during
1692-621: The Cold War , but were reunified in 1990. Although there were fears that the reunified Germany might resume nationalist politics, the country is today widely regarded as a "stablizing actor in the heart of Europe" and a "promoter of democratic integration". German is the native language of most Germans. It is the key marker of German ethnic identity. German is a West Germanic language closely related to Frisian (in particular North Frisian and Saterland Frisian ), Luxembourgish , English , Dutch , and Low German . Modern Standard German
1786-818: The Congress of Vienna (1815), and left most of the German states loosely united under the German Confederation . The confederation came to be dominated by the Catholic Austrian Empire , to the dismay of many German nationalists, who saw the German Confederation as an inadequate answer to the German Question . Throughout the 19th century, Prussia continued to grow in power. In 1848 , German revolutionaries set up
1880-748: The Czortków uprising , an unsuccessful Polish uprising against Soviet occupiers, took place in pre-war Polish Podolia. Following German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, most of Podolia was occupied by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the Reichskommissariat Ukraine . The area of Podolia between the Southern Bug below Vinnytsia and the Dniester was occupied by Axis Romania as part of Transnistria . Starting in July 1941,
1974-772: The Dniester Liman . Along the lower half of the Dniester, the western bank is high and hilly while the eastern one is low and flat. The river represents the de facto end of the Eurasian Steppe . Its most important tributaries are Răut and Bîc . During the Neolithic , the Dniester River was the centre of one of the most advanced civilizations on earth at the time. The Cucuteni–Trypillian culture flourished in this area from roughly 5300 to 2600 BC, leaving behind thousands of archeological sites. Their settlements had up to 15,000 inhabitants, making them among
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#17327904677012068-568: The Kingdom of Poland , where they came to constitute a significant proportion of the population in many urban centers such as Gdańsk . During the 13th century, the Teutonic Knights began conquering the Old Prussians , and established what would eventually become the powerful German state of Prussia . Further south, Bohemia and Hungary developed as kingdoms with their own non-German speaking elites. The Austrian March on
2162-706: The Middle Danube stopped expanding eastwards towards Hungary in the 11th century. Under Ottokar II , Bohemia (corresponding roughly to modern Czechia) became a kingdom within the empire, and even managed to take control of Austria, which was German-speaking. However, the late 13th century saw the election of Rudolf I of the House of Habsburg to the imperial throne, and he was able to acquire Austria for his own family. The Habsburgs would continue to play an important role in European history for centuries afterwards. Under
2256-675: The Neuri . Subsequently, the Dacians and the Getae arrived. The Romans left traces of their rule in Trajan's Wall , which stretches through the modern districts of Kamianets-Podilskyi, Nova Ushytsia, and Khmelnytskyi. During the Migration Period , many peoples passed through this territory or settled within it for some time, leaving numerous traces in archaeological remains. Nestor in
2350-691: The Radomysl Castle . Dniester The Dniester ( / ˈ n iː s t ər / NEE -stər ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe . It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria ), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Ukrainian territory again. The name Dniester derives from Sarmatian dānu nazdya "the close river." (The Dnieper , also of Sarmatian origin, derives from
2444-530: The Romantic era saw a notable flourishing of German culture. Germans of this period who contributed significantly to the arts and sciences include the writers Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , Friedrich Schiller , Johann Gottfried Herder , Friedrich Hölderlin , E. T. A. Hoffmann , Heinrich Heine , Novalis and the Brothers Grimm , the philosopher Immanuel Kant , the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel ,
2538-648: The Soviet Union controlling parts of it at different times. Podolian culture is renowned for its folk icon-painting tradition, with red, green, and yellow colors dominating the art. Collections of these iconic works can be found in the Vinnytsya Art Museum and the Museum of Ukrainian Home Icons in Radomysl Castle . The name derives from Proto-Slavic po 'by, next to, along' and dolъ 'valley, lowland' (cf. English dale , German Tal ). The area
2632-672: The Soviet Union . In 1919, on Easter Sunday , the bridge was blown up by the French Army to protect Bender from the Bolsheviks . During World War II, German and Romanian forces battled Soviet troops on the western bank of the river. After the Republic of Moldova declared its independence in 1991, the small area to the east of the Dniester that had been part of the Moldavian SSR refused to participate and declared itself
2726-578: The Western and Southern Bug rivers to the Dniester, and includes mountainous regions with canyon -like fluvial valleys. Podolia lies east of historic Red Ruthenia , i.e. the eastern half of Galicia , beyond the Seret River , a tributary of the Dniester. In the northwest, it borders on Volhynia . It is largely made up of the present-day Ukrainian Vinnytsia Oblast and southern and central Khmelnytskyi Oblast . The Podolian lands also include parts of
2820-644: The Zbruch River and with Bessarabia across the Dniester . Its area was 36,910 km (14,251 sq mi). In 1772 First Partition of Poland , the Austrian Habsburgs had taken control of a small part of Podolia west of the Zbruch River (sometimes also called "Southern Podolia") around Borschiv , in what is today Ternopil Oblast. At this time, Emperor Joseph II toured the area,
2914-401: The celtic La Tène culture . However, the Germanic languages associated with later Germanic peoples were approaching the Rhine area since at least the 2nd century BC. The resulting demographic situation reported by Caesar was that migrating Celts and Germanic peoples were moving into areas which threatened the Alpine regions and the Romans. The modern German language is a descendant of
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3008-440: The royal election period . Podolia was invaded several times by the Crimean Tatars and Turks , and during the Deluge , also by Transylvanians and Russians , with notable Polish victories at Udycz (1606), Czarny Ostrów (1657), Uścieczko (1694). From 1672, Podolia became part of the Ottoman Empire , when and where it was known as Podolia Eyalet . During this time, it was a province, with its center being Kamaniçe , and
3102-433: The " Yizkor Book " for Podolia: "It brought an end to the cultural separation of Jews from the surrounding world. Jews began to learn modern sciences and languages, read world literature and participate in the cultural life of the nations among whom they lived." Just as was the case in other areas of former Poland, Jews started to learn the language of the country they lived in and to write about secular subjects. The writers of
3196-409: The "humiliation of Versailles", continuing traditions of authoritarian and antisemitic ideologies, and the Great Depression all contributed to the rise of Austrian-born Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, who after coming to power democratically in the early 1930s, abolished the Weimar Republic and formed the totalitarian Third Reich . In his quest to subjugate Europe, six million Jews were murdered in
3290-402: The 10th century, forming the core of the Holy Roman Empire . In subsequent centuries the political power and population of this empire grew considerably. It expanded eastwards, and eventually a substantial number of Germans migrated further eastwards into Eastern Europe . The empire itself was politically divided between many small princedoms, cities and bishoprics. Following the Reformation in
3384-446: The 16th century, many of these states found themselves in bitter conflict concerning the rise of Protestantism . In the 19th century, the Holy Roman Empire dissolved, and German nationalism began to grow. At the same time however, the concept of German nationality became more complex. The multiethnic Kingdom of Prussia incorporated most Germans into its German Empire in 1871, and a substantial additional number of Germans were in
3478-487: The Austrian crown. At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, Austrian Podolia witnessed a large-scale emigration of its peasant population to western Canada. Several battles of the Polish uprisings of 1809 , 1830–1831 and 1863–1864 were fought in Podolia. As to the Jewish community in Podolia, the Haskalah or Jewish Enlightenment reached it in the 19th century, introduced by Jews from Western Europe. Says I A. Bar-Levy (Weissman), author of
3572-421: The Black Sea shore. The navigation near the western shore of Black Sea contained stops at Aspron (at the mouth of Dniester), then Conopa, Constantia (localities today in Romania ) and Messembria (today in Bulgaria). From the 14th century to 1812, part of the Dniester formed the eastern boundary of the Principality of Moldavia . Between the World Wars, the Dniester formed part of the boundary between Romania and
3666-411: The Elbe river. It is likely that first Germanic consonant shift , which defines the Germanic language family, occurred during this period. The earlier Nordic Bronze Age of southern Scandinavia also shows definite population and material continuities with the Jastorf Culture, but it is unclear whether these indicate ethnic continuity. Under Caesar's successors, the Romans began to conquer and control
3760-415: The German inventor Johannes Gutenberg contributed to the formation of a new understanding of faith and reason. At this time, the German monk Martin Luther pushed for reforms within the Catholic Church. Luther's efforts culminated in the Protestant Reformation . Religious schism was a leading cause of the Thirty Years' War , a conflict that tore apart the Holy Roman Empire and its neighbours, leading to
3854-456: The German lands were relatively decentralized, leading to the maintenance of a number of strong regional identities. The German nationalist movement emerged among German intellectuals in the late 18th century. They saw the Germans as a people united by language and advocated the unification of all Germans into a single nation state, which was partially achieved in 1871. By the late 19th and early 20th century, German identity came to be defined by
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3948-415: The German lands. The Habsburg dynasty managed to maintain their grip upon the imperial throne in the early modern period . While the empire itself continued to be largely de-centralized, the Habsburgs own personal power increased outside of the core German lands. Charles V personally inherited control of the kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia, the wealthy low countries (roughly modern Belgium, Luxembourg and
4042-407: The German language is widely seen as the primary, though not exclusive, criterion of German identity. Estimates on the total number of Germans in the world range from 100 to 150 million, most of whom live in Germany. The history of Germans as an ethnic group began with the separation of a distinct Kingdom of Germany from the eastern part of the Frankish Empire under the Ottonian dynasty in
4136-431: The German states, including the German emperor Wilhelm II , were overthrown in the November Revolution which led to the establishment of the Weimar Republic . The Germans of the Austrian side of the Dual Monarchy proclaimed the Republic of German-Austria , and sought to be incorporated into the German state, but this was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles and Treaty of Saint-Germain . What many Germans saw as
4230-402: The Germanic languages which spread during the Iron Age and Roman era. Scholars generally agree that it is possible to speak of Germanic languages existing as early as 500 BCE. These Germanic languages are believed to have dispersed towards the Rhine from the direction of the Jastorf culture , which was itself a Celtic influenced culture that existed in the Pre-Roman Iron Age , in the region near
4324-428: The Germans. By the late 18th century, German intellectuals such as Johann Gottfried Herder articulated the concept of a German identity rooted in language, and this notion helped spark the German nationalist movement, which sought to unify the Germans into a single nation state . Eventually, shared ancestry, culture and language (though not religion) came to define German nationalism. The Napoleonic Wars ended with
4418-409: The Haskalah in Podolia included: the forerunner Isaac Satanow (1733–1805), Menachim Mendel Lapin, author and translator, Ben-Ami (Mordecai Rabinowitz), who wrote in Russian, and many others. With the collapse of Austria-Hungary following World War I in November 1918, western Podolia was included in the West Ukrainian People's Republic , but came under Polish control in 1919 which was confirmed in
4512-439: The Holocaust led to World War II in which the Nazi regime was defeated by allied powers , led by the United States , the United Kingdom , and the former Soviet Union . In the aftermath of Germany's defeat in the war, the country was occupied and once again partitioned. Millions of Germans were expelled from Central and Eastern Europe. In 1990, West Germany and East Germany were reunified . In modern times, remembrance of
4606-449: The Holocaust . WWII resulted in widespread destruction and the deaths of tens of millions of soldiers and civilians, while the German state was partitioned. About 12 million Germans had to flee or were expelled from Eastern Europe. Significant damage was also done to the German reputation and identity, which became far less nationalistic than it previously was. The German states of West Germany and East Germany became focal points of
4700-474: The Holocaust, known as Erinnerungskultur ("culture of remembrance"), has become an integral part of German identity. Owing to their long history of political fragmentation, Germans are culturally diverse and often have strong regional identities. Arts and sciences are an integral part of German culture , and the Germans have been represented by many prominent personalities in a significant number of disciplines, including Nobel prize laureates where Germany
4794-552: The Ister (lower Danube ), and formed part of the boundary between Dacia and Sarmatia. It fell into the Pontus Euxinus to the northeast of the mouth of the Ister, the distance between them being 900 stadia – approximately 210 km (130 mi) – according to Strabo (vii.), while 210 km (130 mi) (from the Pseudostoma ) according to Pliny (iv. 12. s. 26). Scymnus (Fr. 51) describes it as of easy navigation, and abounding in fish. Ovid ( ex Pont. iv.10.50) speaks of its rapid course. Greek authors referred to
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#17327904677014888-605: The Jewish inhabitants were subjected to mass extermination by shooting in a German campaign carried out by four Einsatzgruppen ("operational groups") specially organized for the purpose. Reliable estimates including German, Soviet, and local records indicate that upwards of 1.6 million, perhaps as many as 2 million, Jews were murdered in this fashion. Most were buried in mass graves, but there were also instances of communities being forced en masse into community buildings or synagogues that were then burnt, or herded into local mines that were subsequently dynamited. The Germans operated
4982-400: The Nazi past and each other. After German reunification in 1990, the political discourse was characterized by the idea of a "shared, ethnoculturally defined Germanness", and the general climate became increasingly xenophobic during the 1990s. Today, discussion on Germanness may stress various aspects, such as commitment to pluralism and the German constitution ( constitutional patriotism ), or
5076-419: The Netherlands), the Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Sicily, Naples, and Sardinia, and the Dukedom of Milan. Of these, the Bohemian and Hungarian titles remained connected to the imperial throne for centuries, making Austria a powerful multilingual empire in its own right. On the other hand, the low countries went to the Spanish crown and continued to evolve separately from Germany. The introduction of printing by
5170-450: The Poland– Ukrainian People's Republic agreement in April 1920. Podolia was briefly occupied in 1920 by Soviets during the course of the Polish–Soviet War . At same war, Poland briefly occupied eastern Podolia in 1919 and again in 1920. After the Peace of Riga the Polish control of western Podolia was recognized by the USSR. USSR retained eastern Podalia. There were pogroms during this period. In Poland from 1921 to 1939, western Podolia
5264-684: The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, or Transnistria , with its capital at Tiraspol on the river. In Moldova, the Dniester Day ( Romanian : Ziua Nistrului ) is celebrated every year in the last Sunday of May. From source to mouth, right tributaries , i.e. on the southwest side, are the Stryi (231 km or 144 mi), Svicha [ uk ] (107 km or 66 mi), Limnytsia [ de ] (122 km or 76 mi), Bystrytsia (101 km), Răut (283 km or 176 mi), Ichel [ ro ] (101 km or 63 mi), Bîc (155 km or 96 mi), and Botna (152 km or 94 mi). Left tributaries, on
5358-471: The Roman general and dictator Julius Caesar , who gave an account of his conquest of neighbouring Gaul in the 1st century BC. Gaul included parts of what is now Germany, west of the Rhine river. He specifically noted the potential future threat which could come from the related Germanic peoples ( Germani ) east of the river. Archaeological evidence shows that at the time of Caesar's invasion, both Gaul and Germanic regions had long been strongly influenced by
5452-446: The Stalag 310, Stalag 329, Stalag 349 and Stalag 355 prisoner-of-war camps in Podolia. In 1944 the Soviets re-occupied Podolia and in 1945, when Poland's eastern border was formally realigned along the Curzon line , the whole of Podolia remained in the Ukrainian and Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republics. Most remaining Poles and Jews fled or were expelled to the People's Republic of Poland . The Podillia's folk icon-painting tradition
5546-435: The adjacent Ternopil Oblast in the west and Kyiv Oblast in the northeast. In the east it consists of the neighbouring parts of Cherkasy , Kirovohrad and Odesa Oblasts , as well as the northern half of Transnistria . Two large rivers, with numerous tributaries, drain the region: the Dniester, which forms its boundary with Moldova and is navigable throughout its length, and the Southern Bug, which flows almost parallel to
5640-532: The arts and crafts. In the late Middle Ages the German economy grew under the influence of urban centers, which increased in size and wealth and formed powerful leagues, such as the Hanseatic League and the Swabian League , in order to protect their interests, often through supporting the German kings in their struggles with the nobility. These urban leagues significantly contributed to the development of German commerce and banking. German merchants of Hanseatic cities settled in cities throughout Northern Europe beyond
5734-439: The city of Turka , close to the border with Poland, and flows toward the Black Sea . Its course marks part of the border of Ukraine and Moldova , after which it flows through Moldova for 398 kilometres (247 mi), separating the main territory of Moldova from its breakaway region Transnistria . It later forms an additional part of the Moldova-Ukraine border, then flows through Ukraine to the Black Sea, where its estuary forms
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#17327904677015828-415: The death of millions of Germans. The terms of the Peace of Westphalia (1648) ending the war, included a major reduction in the central authority of the Holy Roman Emperor. Among the most powerful German states to emerge in the aftermath was Protestant Prussia , under the rule of the House of Hohenzollern . Charles V and his Habsburg dynasty defended Roman Catholicism. In the 18th century, German culture
5922-399: The dominance of the western Franks starting with Clovis I , who established control of the Romanized and Frankish population of Gaul in the 5th century, and began a process of conquering the peoples east of the Rhine. The regions long continued to be divided into " Stem duchies ", corresponding to the old ethnic designations. By the early 9th century AD, large parts of Europe were united under
6016-740: The end of World War I , Austria-Hungary and the German Empire were partitioned, resulting in many Germans becoming ethnic minorities in newly established countries. In the chaotic years that followed, Adolf Hitler became the dictator of Nazi Germany and embarked on a genocidal campaign to unify all Germans under his leadership. His Nazi movement defined Germans in a very specific way which included Austrians , Luxembourgers , eastern Belgians , and so-called Volksdeutsche , who were ethnic Germans elsewhere in Europe and globally. However, this Nazi conception expressly excluded German citizens of Jewish or Roma background. Nazi policies of military aggression and its persecution of those deemed non-Germans in
6110-430: The entire region between the Rhine and the Elbe which centuries later constituted the largest part of medieval Germany. These efforts were significantly hampered by the victory of a local alliance led by Arminius at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, which is considered a defining moment in German history. While the Romans were nevertheless victorious, rather than installing a Roman administration they controlled
6204-475: The first large farming communities in the world. In antiquity, the river was considered one of the principal rivers of European Sarmatia , and it was mentioned by many Classical geographers and historians. According to Herodotus (iv.51) it rose in a large lake, whilst Ptolemy (iii.5.17, 8.1 &c.) places its sources in Mount Carpates (the modern Carpathian Mountains ), and Strabo (ii) says that they are unknown. It ran in an easterly direction parallel with
6298-454: The formation of a united German Empire . In the years following unification, German society was radically changed by numerous processes, including industrialization, rationalization, secularization and the rise of capitalism. German power increased considerably and numerous overseas colonies were established. During this time, the German population grew considerably, and many emigrated to other countries (mainly North America), contributing to
6392-782: The former in a higher, sometimes swampy, valley, interrupted in several places by rapids. The Dniester forms an important channel for trade in the areas of Mohyliv-Podilskyi , Zhvanets , and other Podolian river ports. In Podolia, 'black earth' ( chernozem ) soil predominates, making it a very fertile agricultural area. Marshes occur only beside the Bug. A moderate climate predominates, with average temperatures at Kamianets-Podilskyi of 9 °C ( −4 °C in January, 20 °C in July). Russian-ruled Podolia in 1906 had an estimated population of 3,543,700, consisting chiefly of Ukrainians . Significant minorities included Poles and Jews , as well as 50,000 Romanians , some Germans , and some Armenians . The chief settlements include Kamianets-Podilskyi,
6486-567: The growth of the German diaspora . Competition for colonies between the Great Powers contributed to the outbreak of World War I , in which the German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires formed the Central Powers , an alliance that was ultimately defeated, with none of the empires comprising it surviving the aftermath of the war. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires were both dissolved and partitioned, resulting in millions of Germans becoming ethnic minorities in other countries. The monarchical rulers of
6580-446: The later control of powerful German dynasties it became an important region within modern Germany, and home to its modern capital, Berlin. German population also moved eastwards from the 11th century, in what is known as the Ostsiedlung . Over time, Slavic and German-speaking populations assimilated, meaning that many modern Germans have substantial Slavic ancestry. From the 12th century, many Germans settled as merchants and craftsmen in
6674-503: The leadership of Otto von Bismarck , Prussia expanded its sphere of influence and together with its German allies defeated Denmark in the Second Schleswig War and soon after Austria in the Austro-Prussian War , subsequently establishing the North German Confederation . In 1871, the Prussian coalition decisively defeated the Second French Empire in the Franco-Prussian War , annexing the German speaking region of Alsace-Lorraine . After taking Paris, Prussia and their allies proclaimed
6768-406: The leadership of the Habsburgs the Holy Roman Empire itself remained weak, and by the late Middle Ages much of Lotharingia and Burgundy had come under the control of French dynasts, the House of Valois-Burgundy and House of Valois-Anjou . Step by step, Italy, Switzerland, Lorraine , and Savoy were no longer subject to effective imperial control. Trade increased and there was a specialization of
6862-574: The long-term separation between the states of West Francia , Middle Francia and East Francia . Beginning with Henry the Fowler , non-Frankish dynasties also ruled the eastern kingdom, and under his son Otto I , East Francia, which was mostly German, constituted the core of the Holy Roman Empire . Also under control of this loosely controlled empire were the previously independent kingdoms of Italy , Burgundy , and Lotharingia . The latter
6956-613: The majority of the population. There are also sizable populations of Germans in Austria, Switzerland, the United States, Brazil, France, Kazakhstan, Russia, Argentina, Canada, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Paraguay, and Namibia. The Germans are marked by great regional diversity, which makes identifying a single German culture quite difficult. The arts and sciences have for centuries been an important part of German identity. The Age of Enlightenment and
7050-590: The multiethnic kingdom of Austria-Hungary . During this time, a large number of Germans also emigrated to the New World , particularly to the United States , especially to present-day Pennsylvania . Large numbers also emigrated to Canada and Brazil , and they established sizable communities in New Zealand and Australia . The Russian Empire also included a substantial German population. Following
7144-496: The natives or inhabitants of Germany , or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language . The constitution of Germany , implemented in 1949 following the end of World War II , defines a German as a German citizen . During the 19th and much of the 20th century, discussions on German identity were dominated by concepts of a common language, culture, descent, and history. Today,
7238-645: The nobility for power. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, Germans actively participated in five Crusades to "liberate" the Holy Land . From the beginnings of the kingdom, its dynasties also participated in a push eastwards into Slavic-speaking regions. At the Saxon Eastern March in the north, the Polabian Slavs east of the Elbe were conquered over generations of often brutal conflict. Under
7332-475: The noble families, who often sought to have weak kings elected in order to preserve their own independence. This prevented an early unification of the Germans. A warrior nobility dominated the feudal German society of the Middle Ages, while most of the German population consisted of peasants with few political rights. The church played an important role among Germans in the Middle Ages, and competed with
7426-908: The northeast side, are the Strwiąż (94 km or 58 mi), Zubra , Hnyla Lypa (87 km or 54 mi), Zolota Lypa (140 km or 87 mi), Koropets (78 km or 48 mi), Strypa (147 km or 91 mi), Seret (250 km or 160 mi), Zbruch (245 km or 152 mi), Smotrych (169 km or 105 mi), Ushytsia [ uk ] (122 km or 76 mi), Zhvanchyk [ de ] (107 km or 66 mi), Liadova [ uk ] (93 km or 58 mi), Murafa (162 km or 101 mi), Rusava [ uk ] (78 km or 48 mi), Yahorlyk [ uk ] (73 km or 45 mi), and Kuchurhan (123 km or 76 mi). Ethnic Germans Germans ( German : Deutsche , pronounced [ˈdɔʏtʃə] ) are
7520-591: The opposite meaning, "the river on the far side".) Alternatively, according to Vasily Abaev Dniester would be a blend of Scythian dānu "river" and Thracian Ister , the previous name of the river, literally Dān-Ister (River Ister). The Ancient Greek name of Dniester, Tyras (Τύρας), is from Scythian tūra , meaning "rapid." The names of the Don and Danube are also from the same Indo-Iranian word *dānu "river". Classical authors have also referred to it as Danaster. These early forms, without - i - but with -
7614-493: The painter Caspar David Friedrich , and the composers Johann Sebastian Bach , Ludwig van Beethoven , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Joseph Haydn , Johannes Brahms , Franz Schubert , Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner . Popular German dishes include brown bread and stew . Germans consume a high amount of alcohol , particularly beer, compared to other European peoples. Obesity is relatively widespread among Germans. Carnival (German: Karneval , Fasching , or Fastnacht )
7708-656: The region and suppressed the unrest, causing around 4000 deaths, according to US correspondents sent to report about the insurrection, which was at the time completely denied by the Kremlin official press. In 1939 after the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union and the Soviet invasion of Poland on September 17, 1939, the area became part of Soviet Ukraine. Many local inhabitants were deported to labour camps . In January 1940,
7802-550: The region indirectly for centuries, recruiting soldiers there, and playing the tribes off against each other. The early Germanic peoples were later famously described in more detail in Germania by the 1st century Roman historian Tacitus . At this time, the Germanic peoples, or Germani , were fragmented into a large number of peoples who were frequently in conflict with both the Roman Empire and one another. He described them as
7896-646: The river as Tyras ( Greek : ὁ Τύρας ). At a later period it obtained the name of Danastris or Danastus , whence its modern name of Dniester (Niester), though the Turks still called it Turla during the 19th century. The form Τύρις is sometimes found. According to Constantine VII , the Varangians used boats on their trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks , along Dniester and Dnieper and along
7990-693: The rule of the Frankish leader Charlemagne , who expanded the Frankish empire in several directions including east of the Rhine, consolidating power over the Saxons and Frisians , and establishing the Carolingian Empire . Charlemagne was crowned emperor by Pope Leo I in 800. In the generations after Charlemagne the empire was partitioned at the Treaty of Verdun (843), eventually resulting in
8084-559: The same meaning as Ponizie, and in 1366 western Podolia with Kamieniec Podolski passed under Polish sovereignty. In 1375, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamianets-Podilskyi was founded. Polish colonisation began in the 14th century. After the death of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas in 1430, Podolia was incorporated into Podolian Voivodeship of the Kingdom of Poland , with the exception of its eastern part,
8178-581: The temporary Frankfurt Parliament , but failed in their aim of forming a united German homeland. The Prussians proposed an Erfurt Union of the German states, but this effort was torpedoed by the Austrians through the Punctation of Olmütz (1850), recreating the German Confederation. In response, Prussia sought to use the Zollverein customs union to increase its power among the German states. Under
8272-595: The term "Germans" is also occasionally used as a way to refer to members of the Germanic peoples during the time of the Roman Empire . The German endonym Deutsche is derived from the Old High German term diutisc , which means "ethnic" or "relating to the people". This term was used for speakers of West-Germanic languages in Central Europe since at least the 8th century, after which time
8366-482: The traditional capital, Vinnytsia , Khmelnytskyi , Rîbnița , Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Haisyn , Balta , Bar , Camenca , Yampil , Bratslav , and Letychiv . Podolia is known for its cherries , mulberries , melons , gourds , and cucumbers . The region has had human inhabitants since at least the beginning of the Neolithic period. Herodotus mentions it as the seat of the Graeco - Scythian Alazones and possibly
8460-404: Was a Roman and Frankish area which contained some of the oldest and most important old German cities including Aachen , Cologne and Trier , all west of the Rhine. Leaders of the stem duchies which constituted this eastern kingdom — Bavaria , Franconia , Swabia , Thuringia , and Saxony ― continued to wield considerable power independently of the king. German kings were elected by members of
8554-587: Was divided into the sanjaks of Kamaniçe, Bar , Mejibuji and Yazlovets (Yazlofça). It returned to Poland in 1699 with the Treaty of Karlowitz . The region was the site of two notorious massacres, the Batoh massacre of 1652, in which several thousand Poles were murdered by the Cossacks, and the Massacre of Uman of 1768, in which several thousand Poles, Jews and Uniates were murdered by haidamaks . In 1768,
8648-518: Was impressed by the fertility of the soil, and was optimistic about its future prospects. Poland disappeared as a state in a third partition in 1795 but the Polish gentry continued to maintain local control in both eastern and western Podolia over a peasant population which was primarily ethnically Ukrainian whose similarity to the other East Slavs already subject to the Habsburg monarchy was showcased in
8742-743: Was part of the Tarnopol Voivodeship . Eastern Podolia remained in the Ukrainian SSR and between 1922 and 1940, in the southwestern part, the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created. In 1927 there was a massive uprising of peasants and factory workers in Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Kamianets-Podilskyi , Tiraspol and other cities of southern Ukrainian SSR against Soviet authorities. Troops from Moscow were sent to
8836-522: Was significantly influenced by the Enlightenment . After centuries of political fragmentation, a sense of German unity began to emerge in the 18th century. The Holy Roman Empire continued to decline until being dissolved altogether by Napoleon in 1806. In central Europe, the Napoleonic wars ushered in great social, political and economic changes, and catalyzed a national awakening among
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