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121-458: Wittlingen ( German pronunciation: [ˈvɪtlɪŋən] ) is a municipality in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg , part of the district Lörrach . The coat of arms of Wittlingen was granted 1906 and shows the arms of Baden impaled by a plow iron as a symbol for the agricultural character of the town. The blazon is Or a Bend Gules impaling Azure a Plowshare Or point upwards . This Lörrach location article

242-748: A general armistice ended the fighting. In the German Revolution (November 1918), Wilhelm II and the ruling princes abdicated their positions, and Germany was declared a federal republic . Germany's new leadership signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, accepting defeat by the Allies . Germans perceived the treaty as humiliating, which was seen by historians as influential in the rise of Adolf Hitler . Germany lost around 13% of its European territory and ceded all of its colonial possessions in Africa and

363-513: A sustainable energy supply, the debt brake for balanced budgets, measures to increase the fertility rate ( pronatalism ), and high-tech strategies for the transition of the German economy, summarised as Industry 4.0 . During the 2015 European migrant crisis , the country took in over a million refugees and migrants. Germany is the seventh-largest country in Europe . It borders Denmark to

484-567: A temperate climate, ranging from oceanic in the north and west to continental in the east and southeast. Winters range from the cold in the Southern Alps to cool and are generally overcast with limited precipitation, while summers can vary from hot and dry to cool and rainy. The northern regions have prevailing westerly winds that bring in moist air from the North Sea, moderating the temperature and increasing precipitation. Conversely,

605-715: A Monetary, Economic and Social Union. Taking into account the agreements and decisions of the victorious powers from the wartime and postwar periods, the Two-plus-Four Treaty of September 12, 1990, made final arrangements with regard to Germany. Accordingly, the united Germany comprises the territories of the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic and the whole of Berlin. It does not make any territorial claims over and above these against other states. Since then,

726-460: A NATO effort to provide security in that country after the ousting of the Taliban . In the 2005 elections , Angela Merkel became the first female chancellor. In 2009, the German government approved a €50 billion stimulus plan. Among the major German political projects of the early 21st century are the advancement of European integration , the energy transition ( Energiewende ) for

847-658: A centralised totalitarian state , withdrew from the League of Nations , and dramatically increased the country's rearmament . A government-sponsored programme for economic renewal focused on public works, the most famous of which was the Autobahn . In 1935, the regime withdrew from the Treaty of Versailles and introduced the Nuremberg Laws which targeted Jews and other minorities. Germany also reacquired control of

968-573: A corresponding resolution of the People's Chamber the previous day, the Council of Ministers of the GDR decided to introduce a control "at the borders of the German Democratic Republic, including the border with the western sectors of Greater Berlin," "as is customary at the borders of any sovereign state." GDR citizens were now only allowed to cross these borders with special permission. A special certificate

1089-615: A framework laid out in the 1949 constitution known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). Amendments generally require a two-thirds majority of both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat ; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the rule of law , are valid in perpetuity. The president , currently Frank-Walter Steinmeier ,

1210-543: A global power in industrial, scientific and technological sectors, it is both the world's third-largest exporter and importer . As a developed country , it offers social security , a universal health care system , and tuition-free university education . Germany is a member of the United Nations , Council of Europe , NATO and OECD , and a founding member of the European Union, G7 and G20 . It has

1331-680: A joint responsibility of the international community. It was the world's second-biggest aid donor in 2019 after the United States. Germany's military, the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence), is organised into the Heer (Army and special forces KSK ), Marine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Cyber- und Informationsraum (Cyber and Information Domain Service) branches. In absolute terms, German military spending in 2023

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1452-518: A new demarcation in order to find their own state identity. With its willingness to engage in dialogue, the state had gained international recognition. In 1973, the Federal Republic and the GDR became members of the UN . Increasing economic performance also raised the nation's self-confidence, which led the Volkskammer in 1974 to delete the terms German nation and reunification from the constitution of

1573-547: A provisional capital, to emphasise its stance that the two-state solution was temporary. West Germany was established as a federal parliamentary republic with a " social market economy ". Starting in 1948 West Germany became a major recipient of reconstruction aid under the American Marshall Plan . Konrad Adenauer was elected the first federal chancellor of Germany in 1949. The country enjoyed prolonged economic growth ( Wirtschaftswunder ) beginning in

1694-645: A renewed application be made to the Ministry of the Interior (Headquarters of the German People's Police). Persons up to the age of 25 were prohibited from leaving the country. While around 2.5 million travel permits to the Federal Republic had been issued annually before the Wall was built, only 623 permits to travel to West Germany and 645 passes to enter West Berlin had been issued since then until 1965. Travel

1815-587: A state, the East German authorities eased border restrictions, but this actually led to an acceleration of the Wende reform process culminating in the Two Plus Four Treaty under which Germany regained full sovereignty. This permitted German reunification on 3 October 1990, with the accession of the five re-established states of the former GDR. The fall of the Wall in 1989 became a symbol of

1936-663: A symbol of the Cold War . Tensions between East and West Germany were reduced in the late 1960s by Chancellor Willy Brandt 's Ostpolitik . In 1989, Hungary decided to dismantle the Iron Curtain and open its border with Austria , causing the emigration of thousands of East Germans to West Germany via Hungary and Austria. This had devastating effects on the GDR, where regular mass demonstrations received increasing support. In an effort to help retain East Germany as

2057-409: A total duration of 30 days per year. Travel permits were virtually not granted to persons who could not state urgent family matters or who were of retirement age. It "can therefore be said that the period 1961-1975 was one of extensive travel prohibition throughout." In many cases, personal meetings took place at transit highway rest stops, even though travelers there had to reckon with surveillance by

2178-528: A total population of over 82 million in an area of 357,596 km (138,069 sq mi), making it the most populous member state of the European Union . It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France , Luxembourg , Belgium , and the Netherlands to the west. The nation's capital and most populous city

2299-658: Is Berlin and its main financial centre is Frankfurt ; the largest urban area is the Ruhr . Settlement in the territory of modern Germany began in the Lower Paleolithic , with various tribes inhabiting it from the Neolithic onward, chiefly the Celts . Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity . A region named Germania was documented before AD 100. In 962,

2420-750: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Germany – in Europe  (light green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (light green) Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe . It lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have

2541-648: Is devoted to agriculture, while 30% is forested and 14% is covered by settlements or infrastructure. Plants and animals include those generally common to Central Europe. According to the National Forest Inventory, beeches , oaks , and other deciduous trees constitute just over 40% of the forests; roughly 60% are conifers , particularly spruce and pine . There are many species of ferns , flowers , fungi , and mosses . Wild animals include roe deer , wild boar , mouflon (a subspecies of wild sheep), fox , badger , hare , and small numbers of

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2662-608: Is largely autonomous in regard to its internal organisation. As of 2017 , Germany is divided into 401 districts ( Kreise ) at a municipal level; these consist of 294 rural districts and 107 urban districts . Germany has a civil law system based on Roman law with some references to Germanic law . The Bundesverfassungsgericht (Federal Constitutional Court) is the German Supreme Court responsible for constitutional matters, with power of judicial review . Germany's specialized supreme court system includes

2783-653: Is the head of state and invested primarily with representative responsibilities and powers. He is elected by the Bundesversammlung (federal convention), an institution consisting of the members of the Bundestag and an equal number of state delegates. The second-highest official in the German order of precedence is the Bundestagspräsident ( President of the Bundestag ), who is elected by

2904-488: Is vested in the parliament consisting of the Bundestag (Federal Diet) and Bundesrat (Federal Council), which together form the legislative body. The Bundestag is elected through direct elections using the mixed-member proportional representation system. The members of the Bundesrat represent and are appointed by the governments of the sixteen federated states. The German political system operates under

3025-463: The Gründerzeit period following the unification of Germany, Bismarck's foreign policy as chancellor of Germany secured Germany's position as a great nation by forging alliances and avoiding war. However, under Wilhelm II , Germany took an imperialistic course, leading to friction with neighbouring countries. A dual alliance was created with the multinational realm of Austria-Hungary ;

3146-491: The Bundestag and responsible for overseeing the daily sessions of the body. The third-highest official and the head of government is the chancellor, who is appointed by the Bundespräsident after being elected by the party or coalition with the most seats in the Bundestag . The chancellor, currently Olaf Scholz , is the head of government and exercises executive power through his Cabinet . Since 1949,

3267-889: The Allies de jure abolished the German state and partitioned Berlin and Germany's remaining territory into four occupation zones. The western sectors, controlled by France, the United Kingdom , and the United States , were merged on 23 May 1949 to form the Federal Republic of Germany ( German : Bundesrepublik Deutschland ); on 7 October 1949, the Soviet Zone became the German Democratic Republic (GDR) ( German : Deutsche Demokratische Republik ; DDR). They were informally known as West Germany and East Germany. East Germany selected East Berlin as its capital, while West Germany chose Bonn as

3388-625: The Battle of Britain in the same year. In 1941, German troops invaded Yugoslavia , Greece and the Soviet Union . By 1942, Germany and its allies controlled most of continental Europe and North Africa , but following the Soviet victory at the Battle of Stalingrad , the Allied reconquest of North Africa and invasion of Italy in 1943, German forces suffered repeated military defeats. In 1944,

3509-798: The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest . The outcome of this battle dissuaded the Romans from their ambition of conquering Germania and is thus considered one of the most important events in European history . By 100 AD, when Tacitus wrote Germania , Germanic tribes had settled along the Rhine and the Danube (the Limes Germanicus ), occupying most of modern Germany. However, Baden-Württemberg , southern Bavaria , southern Hesse and

3630-597: The Berchtesgaden National Park . In addition, there are 17 Biosphere Reserves , and 105 nature parks . More than 400 zoos and animal parks operate in Germany. The Berlin Zoo , which opened in 1844, is the oldest in Germany, and claims the most comprehensive collection of species in the world. Germany is a federal , parliamentary , representative democratic republic. Federal legislative power

3751-706: The Black Death of 1348–1350. The Golden Bull issued in 1356 provided the constitutional structure of the Empire and codified the election of the emperor by seven prince-electors . Johannes Gutenberg introduced moveable-type printing to Europe, laying the basis for the democratization of knowledge . In 1517, Martin Luther incited the Protestant Reformation and his translation of the Bible began

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3872-831: The Carolingian Empire in 800; it was divided in 843 . The eastern successor kingdom of East Francia stretched from the Rhine in the west to the Elbe river in the east and from the North Sea to the Alps. Subsequently, the Holy Roman Empire emerged from it. The Ottonian rulers (919–1024) consolidated several major duchies . In 996, Gregory V became the first German Pope, appointed by his cousin Otto III , whom he shortly after crowned Holy Roman Emperor. The Holy Roman Empire absorbed northern Italy and Burgundy under

3993-639: The Celtic , Iranian , Baltic , and Slavic tribes. Southern Germany was inhabited by Celtic-speaking peoples, who belonged to the wider La Tène culture . They were later assimilated by the Germanic conquerors. Under Augustus , the Roman Empire began to invade lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes, creating a short-lived Roman province of Germania between the Rhine and Elbe rivers. In 9 AD, three Roman legions were defeated by Arminius in

4114-1186: The Eurasian beaver . The blue cornflower was once a German national symbol . The 16 national parks in Germany include the Jasmund National Park , the Vorpommern Lagoon Area National Park , the Müritz National Park , the Wadden Sea National Parks , the Harz National Park , the Hainich National Park , the Black Forest National Park , the Saxon Switzerland National Park , the Bavarian Forest National Park and

4235-485: The Fall of Communism , the dissolution of the Soviet Union , German reunification and Die Wende ("the turning point"). United Germany was considered the enlarged continuation of West Germany so it retained its memberships in international organisations. Based on the Berlin/Bonn Act (1994), Berlin again became the capital of Germany, while Bonn obtained the unique status of a Bundesstadt (federal city) retaining some federal ministries. The relocation of

4356-450: The German question has been regarded as settled in political terms and under international law. On August 23, 1990, the People's Chamber decided on the East German's accession to the Federal Republic of Germany in accordance with Article 23 of the Basic Law. On September 20, 1990, the German Bundestag and the Volkskammer (People's Chamber) approved the Unification Treaty with the required two-thirds majority. Effective October 3, 1990,

4477-513: The Imperial Estates . The legal system initiated by a series of Imperial Reforms (approximately 1495–1555) provided for considerable local autonomy and a stronger Imperial Diet . The House of Habsburg held the imperial crown from 1438 until the death of Charles VI in 1740. Following the War of the Austrian Succession and the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle , Charles VI's daughter Maria Theresa ruled as empress consort when her husband, Francis I , became emperor. From 1740, dualism between

4598-401: The Kingdom of Germany formed the bulk of the Holy Roman Empire . During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation . Following the Napoleonic Wars and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the German Confederation was formed in 1815. Formal unification of Germany into the modern nation-state commenced on 18 August 1866 with

4719-467: The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact that divided Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence. On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland , beginning World War II in Europe ; Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September. In the spring of 1940, Germany conquered Denmark and Norway , the Netherlands , Belgium , Luxembourg , and France , forcing the French government to sign an armistice . The British repelled German air attacks in

4840-399: The North German Confederation Treaty establishing the Prussia -led North German Confederation , which became the German Empire in 1871. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919 , the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic . The Nazi rise to power in 1933 led to the establishment of a totalitarian dictatorship , World War II , and the Holocaust . In 1949, after

4961-430: The Saarland in 1935, remilitarised the Rhineland in 1936, annexed Austria in 1938, annexed the Sudetenland in 1938 with the Munich Agreement , and in violation of the agreement occupied Czechoslovakia in March 1939. Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) saw the burning of synagogues, the destruction of Jewish businesses, and mass arrests of Jewish people. In August 1939, Hitler's government negotiated

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5082-423: The Salian emperors (1024–1125), although the emperors lost power through the Investiture controversy . Under the Hohenstaufen emperors (1138–1254), German princes encouraged German settlement to the south and east ( Ostsiedlung ). Members of the Hanseatic League , mostly north German towns, prospered in the expansion of trade. The population declined starting with the Great Famine in 1315, followed by

5203-543: The Swabian Jura , including 42,000-year-old flutes which are the oldest musical instruments ever found, the 40,000-year-old Lion Man , and the 41,000-year-old Venus of Hohle Fels . The Nebra sky disk , created during the European Bronze Age , has been attributed to a German site. The Germanic peoples are thought to have emerged from the Jastorf culture during the Nordic Bronze Age or early Iron Age . From southern Scandinavia and northern Germany , they expanded south, east, and west, coming into contact with

5324-450: The Triple Alliance of 1882 included Italy. Britain, France and Russia also concluded alliances to protect against Habsburg interference with Russian interests in the Balkans or German interference against France. At the Berlin Conference in 1884, Germany claimed several colonies including German East Africa , German South West Africa , Togoland , and Kamerun . Later, Germany further expanded its colonial empire to include holdings in

5445-417: The inquisitorial Federal Court of Justice for civil and criminal cases, along with the Federal Labour Court , Federal Social Court , Federal Fiscal Court , and Federal Administrative Court for other matters. Criminal and private laws are codified on the national level in the Strafgesetzbuch and the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch respectively. The German penal system seeks the rehabilitation of

5566-440: The popular uprising on June 17, 1953 , which was ended with Soviet military help. On August 13, 1961, the communist regime de facto separated Berlin into East and West Berlin by building the Berlin Wall . In this way, the GDR put a temporary end to the increasing exodus of its highly educated population and to any lingering hopes of reunification in the near future. The GDR was stabilized in this way. The people who remained in

5687-428: The revolutions of 1848 in the German states , raising the German question. King Frederick William IV of Prussia was offered the title of emperor, but with a loss of power; he rejected the crown and the proposed constitution, a temporary setback for the movement. King William I appointed Otto von Bismarck as the Minister President of Prussia in 1862. Bismarck successfully concluded the war with Denmark in 1864 ;

5808-419: The sovereignty of each of the two states was limited to its national territory. Moreover, the independence and autonomy of each of the two states in its internal and external affairs were respected. Strategies such as the Hallstein Doctrine , which the GDR had responded to with the Ulbricht Doctrine , were overcome with Article 4 of the Basic Treaty, in which both sides assumed "that neither state can represent

5929-438: The third-highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites , 54 , of which 51 are cultural. The English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania , which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine . The German term Deutschland , originally diutisciu land ('the German lands'), is derived from deutsch ( cf. Dutch ), descended from Old High German diutisc 'of

6050-445: The "policy of small steps," "change through rapprochement" and "human facilitation." Within just three years, after the symbolic prelude with the Erfurt summit in 1970, the Eastern treaties with Moscow, Warsaw and Prague, the four-power agreement on Berlin , the declaration of renunciation of force vis-à-vis the Eastern European states and the Basic Treaty with the GDR were concluded. For the first time, these treaties recognized that

6171-420: The 1980s. The guarantee of DM 1 billion granted to the Foreign Trade Bank of the GDR by the Federal Government to a consortium of West German banks on June 29, 1983, was not only for economic reasons, but was also seen politically by the Federal Government "as an important contribution to improving relations with the GDR". Section 12 of the Treaty on Monetary, Economic and Social Union of May 18, 1990 adapted

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6292-424: The Agreement on Facilitation and Improvement of Travel and Visits initially allowed persons permanently residing in West Berlin to enter East Berlin and the GDR for humanitarian, family, religious, cultural and tourist reasons. The Transport Treaty of May 26, 1972, then regulated traffic into and through the respective territories on roads, railways, and waterways "in accordance with customary international practice on

6413-411: The Austrian Habsburg monarchy and the Kingdom of Prussia dominated German history. In 1772, 1793, and 1795, Prussia and Austria, along with the Russian Empire , agreed to the Partitions of Poland . During the period of the French Revolutionary Wars , the Napoleonic era and the subsequent final meeting of the Imperial Diet , most of the Free Imperial Cities were annexed by dynastic territories;

6534-429: The Berlin Agreement of September 20, 1951 with regard to monetary and economic union. The clearing system regulated there was terminated and the closing balance of the swing was settled. Existing obligations were settled in German marks. The complete abolition of goods controls at the inner-German border was a consequence of the Unification Treaty. The demarcation lines between the four occupation zones were established by

6655-428: The GDR also gained new momentum, resulting in nationwide Monday demonstrations . On November 9, 1989, Günter Schabowski , a member of the Politburo of the SED , declared at a press conference that East German citizens were free to travel, whereupon all inner-German border crossings were opened. The fall of the Berlin Wall represented a high point in the course of the peaceful revolution. The "window of history" that

6776-408: The GDR from West Germany, an official identity card and a residence permit issued by the council of the district of the place to be visited were required; when entering East Berlin, a special permit was required from 1960. For travel between West Germany and West Berlin, an identity card was sufficient. In June 1968, passport and visa requirements were introduced. On August 12, 1961, following

6897-403: The GDR no longer had the option of going to the West via West Berlin and had to come to terms with the regime. The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the world was on the brink of nuclear war , marked the turning point of the Cold War, towards a policy of cooperation and détente, which also affected inner German relations through a changed political climate. Nevertheless, the last time there

7018-539: The GDR then "increased by leaps and bounds in the further course of the 1970s."“ After government representative Günter Schabowski declared at a press conference on October 9, 1989, that it should be possible to apply for private travel abroad without having to meet certain requirements (reasons for travel and family relationships), the border crossings throughout Germany were literally overrun with people wanting to travel. Since then, de facto border controls no longer took place. The decree of 21 December 1989 abolished

7139-405: The GDR was incorporated into the Eastern Bloc : The GDR joined the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon) and, with its newly formed National People's Army , the Warsaw Pact . While Chancellor Konrad Adenauer succeeded in gradually bringing the Federal Republic of Germany closer to the West, reconciling the country with its European neighbors and finding a close partner in France ,

7260-404: The GDR. The decision went into effect on August 13, 1961, and led not only to the construction of the Berlin Wall, but also to a significant tightening of German-German travel regulations overall. Existing permits for travel by GDR citizens to "capitalist foreign countries" were declared invalid and confiscated. Only in cases where there was "a justified state, social or cultural interest" could

7381-617: The GDR. The unit of payment agreed upon was the so-called clearing unit (VE). The two economies, both poor in raw materials, exchanged mainly basic materials and production goods, with a share of over 50%. While the Federal Republic supplied the GDR mainly with chemical products and high-grade raw materials ( coal , coke ) as well as protein animal feed (5.1%) and crude oils (2.5%), it also purchased refined products such as motor gasoline , heating oil and plastics as well as cattle for slaughter (3.4%), cereals (2.1%) and confectionery (1.5%). Exports of machinery and equipment to

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7502-442: The GDR. Since 1969, numerous treaties, agreements and arrangements have been concluded by SPD-led federal governments. Article 7 of the Basic Treaty provided for agreements in the fields of economics, science and technology, transportation, legal relations, postal and telecommunications services, health care, culture, sports, environmental protection and other areas. These included: Interzone trade, which had already begun in 1946,

7623-437: The German Bundestag , though they have never been part of the federal government. In the 2017 German federal election , the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany gained enough votes to attain representation in the parliament for the first time. Germany is a federation and comprises sixteen constituent states which are collectively referred to as Länder . Each state ( Land ) has its own constitution, and

7744-426: The German Democratic Republic . The fact that too much independence could also lead to conflict with the Soviet Union had already been felt in 1971 by Walter Ulbricht , who had been replaced in his position as first secretary of the SED by Erich Honecker because of his refusal to reform. Meanwhile, the two oil crises in the 1970s had a devastating effect on the GDR's economic development and led to discontent among

7865-416: The German Democratic Republic was a communist Eastern Bloc state and member of the Warsaw Pact . After the fall of the communist led-government in East Germany, German reunification saw the former East German states join the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990 . Germany has been described as a great power with a strong economy ; it has the largest economy in Europe by nominal GDP . As

7986-428: The Holocaust , the German government persecuted minorities , including interning them in concentration and death camps across Europe. The regime systematically murdered 6 million Jews, at least 130,000 Romani , 275,000 disabled , thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses , thousands of homosexuals , and hundreds of thousands of political and religious opponents . Nazi policies in German-occupied countries resulted in

8107-423: The Ministry for State Security. As a result of the travel facilitations for West Germans that came with the Transit agreement and the Basic Treaty (including residence in the entire GDR, free choice of border crossing, visits also to acquaintances and not only to relatives, trips several times a year, tourist trips, permission for car traffic, opening of new road crossings, traffic close to the border), travel with

8228-507: The Pacific and China. The colonial government in South West Africa (present-day Namibia ), from 1904 to 1907, carried out the annihilation of the local Herero and Namaqua peoples as punishment for an uprising; this was the 20th century's first genocide . The assassination of Austria's crown prince on 28 June 1914 provided the pretext for Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia and trigger World War I . After four years of warfare, in which approximately two million German soldiers were killed,

8349-464: The Pacific. On 11 August 1919, President Friedrich Ebert signed the democratic Weimar Constitution . In the subsequent struggle for power, communists seized power in Bavaria , but conservative elements elsewhere attempted to overthrow the Republic in the Kapp Putsch . Street fighting in the major industrial centres, the occupation of the Ruhr by Belgian and French troops, and a period of hyperinflation followed. A debt restructuring plan and

8470-472: The Protocol on the Establishment was signed in Bonn. The Federal Chancellery , rather than the Foreign Office , was responsible for the Permanent Mission of the GDR in Bonn, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the GDR was responsible for matters concerning the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany in East Berlin. On May 7, 1974, Willy Brandt resigned after the Guillaume affair . The policy of normalization nevertheless served to defuse

8591-426: The Reichstag after a special election in 1932 and Hindenburg appointed Hitler as chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933. After the Reichstag fire , a decree abrogated basic civil rights and the first Nazi concentration camp opened. On 23 March 1933, the Enabling Act gave Hitler unrestricted legislative power, overriding the constitution, and marked the beginning of Nazi Germany. His government established

8712-672: The Soviets pushed into Eastern Europe ; the Western allies landed in France and entered Germany despite a final German counteroffensive . Following Hitler's suicide during the Battle of Berlin , Germany signed the surrender document on 8 May 1945, ending World War II in Europe and Nazi Germany. Following the end of the war, surviving Nazi officials were tried for war crimes at the Nuremberg trials . In what later became known as

8833-520: The West were limited because products manufactured in the GDR were not competitive enough in the Western capital goods market. In the 1970s, the share of intra-German trade in total foreign trade turnover averaged 5.1% in the Federal Republic, but was almost twice as high in the GDR at 9.4%. The benefits that the GDR derived from intra-German trade in the form of interest and customs duty savings and VAT reductions were estimated at around DM 750 million for

8954-602: The Western military alliance NATO and the establishment of a defensive military, the Bundeswehr . Economically, the young Federal Republic was bound to the Western powers on the basis of the 1957 Treaty of Rome , which led to membership in the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the predecessors of today's European Union (EU). Meanwhile,

9075-803: The basis of reciprocity and nondiscrimination." On May 30, 1972, the Politburo of the SED presented "Principles for the Processing of Applications for Departures of Citizens of the GDR to Non-Socialist States [...] and Entries of Citizens of the FRG into the GDR," concretized by an order of the Minister of the Interior of October 17, 1972. Travel on the occasion of births, marriages, life-threatening illnesses, and deaths of grandparents, parents, children, and siblings could be approved thereafter once or several times up to

9196-575: The citizens of the Federal Republic benefited from the Wirtschaftswunder , the upswing brought about by the market economy and integration in the Western European economy . The GDR government, on the other hand, relied on five-year plans and was slow to stabilize the economic situation. Due to the lack of free elections , the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) also lacked legitimacy, which led, among other things, to

9317-479: The communist-controlled Socialist Unity Party of Germany , supported by the Stasi , an immense secret service. While East German propaganda was based on the benefits of the GDR's social programmes and the alleged threat of a West German invasion, many of its citizens looked to the West for freedom and prosperity. The Berlin Wall , built in 1961, prevented East German citizens from escaping to West Germany, becoming

9438-573: The country's GDP, well below the NATO target of 2%. In 2024, Germany reported $ 97.7 billion to NATO, exceeding the NATO target of 2% at 2.12% of GDP. Inner German relations After the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht in May 1945, the anti-Hitler coalition between the United States and the Soviet Union broke up, and the idea of dividing the defeated country was from then on determined by

9559-469: The creation of a new currency in 1924 ushered in the Golden Twenties , an era of artistic innovation and liberal cultural life. The worldwide Great Depression hit Germany in 1929. Chancellor Heinrich Brüning 's government pursued a policy of fiscal austerity and deflation which caused unemployment of nearly 30% by 1932. The Nazi Party led by Adolf Hitler became the largest party in

9680-472: The creation of a more unified European political, economic and security apparatus. The governments of Germany and the United States are close political allies . Cultural ties and economic interests have crafted a bond between the two countries resulting in Atlanticism . After 1990, Germany and Russia worked together to establish a "strategic partnership" in which energy development became one of

9801-536: The criminal and the protection of the public. With the exceptions of petty crimes, tried by a single professional judge, and of serious political crimes, all charges are adjudicated by mixed tribunals where lay judges ( Schöffen ) and professional judges preside together. As of 2016, Germany's murder rate stood at a low of 1.18 murders per 100,000. In 2018, the overall crime rate fell to its lowest since 1992. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Germany since 2017, and LGBT rights are generally protected in

9922-461: The deaths of an estimated 2.7 million Poles , 1.3 million Ukrainians , 1 million Belarusians and 3.5 million Soviet prisoners of war . German military casualties have been estimated at 5.3 million, and around 900,000 German civilians died. Around 12 million ethnic Germans were expelled from across Eastern Europe, and Germany lost roughly one-quarter of its pre-war territory. After Nazi Germany surrendered,

10043-561: The early 1950s. West Germany joined NATO in 1955 and was a founding member of the European Economic Community . On 1 January 1957, the Saarland joined West Germany. East Germany was an Eastern Bloc state under political and military control by the Soviet Union via occupation forces and the Warsaw Pact . Although East Germany claimed to be a democracy, political power was exercised solely by leading members ( Politbüro ) of

10164-712: The ecclesiastical territories were secularised and annexed. In 1806 the Imperium was dissolved; France, Russia, Prussia, and the Habsburgs (Austria) competed for hegemony in the German states during the Napoleonic Wars . Following the fall of Napoleon , the Congress of Vienna founded the German Confederation, a loose league of 39 sovereign states . The appointment of the emperor of Austria as

10285-540: The emerging East-West conflict ( Cold War ), which made the inner-German division part of the Iron Curtain dividing the world. Important milestones of the gradual demarcation were the US-led Marshall Plan in 1947 as well as the Western currency reform and the Berlin blockade in 1948. The integration of the western occupation zones into the community of the Western powers and that of the eastern part into

10406-415: The first German-German town twinning . Erich Honecker's visit to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1987 , which had been planned for years, was seen by both states as an important step in the development of German-German relations. The GDR leadership saw the event as the culmination of (de facto) recognition. Gorbachev's reform policy of Perestroika and Glasnost , along with the noticeable defusing of

10527-617: The government was completed in 1999, and modernisation of the East German economy was scheduled to last until 2019. Since reunification, Germany has taken a more active role in the European Union , signing the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 and the Lisbon Treaty in 2007, and co-founding the eurozone . Germany sent a peacekeeping force to secure stability in the Balkans and sent German troops to Afghanistan as part of

10648-427: The international East-West conflict and set the stage for the 1975 Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) and the talks on troop limitations. However, the "regulated coexistence" achieved cemented the status quo to such an extent that after more than 20 years in both German states, few still believed in the feasibility of reunification. In the GDR, people reacted to the new developments in détente with

10769-654: The international East-West conflict through binding disarmament agreements between the USSR and the USA, ultimately led to the revolutions in 1989 in the individual states of the Eastern Bloc as well. Under Gorbachev's Sinatra Doctrine , Moscow no longer stood in the way of gradual democratization . Thus, Hungary was able to open its border with Austria in August 1989. With the onset of mass exodus, opposition movements within

10890-574: The meantime, Inner German relations were strained by a new wave of international rearmament, culminating in the NATO Double-Track Decision and the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. Domestically, the government under Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was no longer able to cope with these pressures and eventually paved the way for a CDU/CSU - FDP coalition under Chancellor Helmut Kohl . This coalition tried to maintain contact with

11011-477: The most important factors. As a result of the cooperation, Germany imported most of its natural gas and crude oil from Russia. Germany's development policy functions as a distinct sector within its foreign policy framework. It is formulated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and carried out by the implementing organisations. The German government sees development policy as

11132-660: The nation. Germany has a network of 227 diplomatic missions abroad and maintains relations with more than 190 countries. Germany is a member of NATO , the OECD , the G7 , the G20 , the World Bank and the IMF . It has played an influential role in the European Union since its inception and has maintained a strong alliance with France and all neighbouring countries since 1990. Germany promotes

11253-459: The neighboring German state, which had been strengthened by Schmidt's visit to the GDR in 1981. It was also only possible to save the GDR from financial ruin solely through billions in loans from West Germany. The SED's refusal to apply to the GDR the reforms introduced by Soviet state and party leader Mikhail Gorbachev isolated the SED dictatorship to some extent even within the communist camp. In 1986, Eisenhüttenstadt and Saarlouis established

11374-550: The north, Poland and Czechia to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France , Luxembourg , Belgium , and the Netherlands to the west. Germany is also bordered by the North Sea and, at the north-northeast, by the Baltic Sea. German territory covers 357,596 km (138,069 sq mi). Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps (highest point: the Zugspitze at 2,963 metres or 9,721 feet) in

11495-554: The other internationally or act on its behalf." Nevertheless, the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR did not recognize each other as independent states in the sense of international law . Therefore, no ambassadors were sent, but permanent representatives based with the respective governments in Bonn and East Berlin were exchanged, to whom the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations applied accordingly. On March 14, 1974,

11616-613: The party system has been dominated by the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party of Germany . So far every chancellor has been a member of one of these parties. However, the smaller liberal Free Democratic Party and the Alliance 90/The Greens have also been junior partners in coalition governments . Since 2007, the democratic socialist party The Left has been a staple in

11737-460: The people' (from diot or diota 'people'), originally used to distinguish the language of the common people from Latin and its Romance descendants . This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic * þiudiskaz 'of the people' (see also the Latinised form Theodiscus ), derived from * þeudō , descended from Proto-Indo-European * tewtéh₂- 'people', from which

11858-477: The permanent president reflected the Congress's rejection of Prussia 's rising influence. Disagreement within restoration politics partly led to the rise of liberal movements, followed by new measures of repression by Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich . The Zollverein , a tariff union, furthered economic unity. In light of revolutionary movements in Europe , intellectuals and commoners started

11979-573: The perspective of the Federal Republic, inner German trade was neither foreign trade nor conventional domestic trade, but "trade sui generis ." The Statistical Yearbook of the Federal Republic of Germany also did not list interzone trade, and later inner German trade, under the heading "foreign trade," but classified it under "trade, hotels and restaurants, travel." The GDR, on the other hand, regarded intra-German trade as foreign trade at an early stage and kept statistics on it accordingly. The Ministry for Intra-German Trade, Foreign Trade and Material Supply

12100-553: The population, but not to structural reforms. Emerging opposition groups were repressed by the state security's tightly meshed network of informers in order to maintain political stability in the country. A disruption of Inner German relations followed the Spiegel publication of the manifesto of the League of Democratic Communists of Germany (an alleged opposition group within the East German state party SED) in January 1978. In

12221-607: The south to the shores of the North Sea ( Nordsee ) in the northwest and the Baltic Sea ( Ostsee ) in the northeast. The forested uplands of central Germany and the lowlands of northern Germany (lowest point: in the municipality Neuendorf-Sachsenbande , Wilstermarsch at 3.54 metres or 11.6 feet below sea level ) are traversed by such major rivers as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe. Significant natural resources include iron ore, coal, potash , timber, lignite , uranium , copper, natural gas, salt, and nickel. Most of Germany has

12342-919: The southeast regions have more extreme temperatures. From February 2019 – 2020, average monthly temperatures in Germany ranged from a low of 3.3 °C (37.9 °F) in January 2020 to a high of 19.8 °C (67.6 °F) in June 2019. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 30 litres per square metre in February and April 2019 to 125 litres per square metre in February 2020. Average monthly hours of sunshine ranged from 45 in November 2019 to 300 in June 2019. The territory of Germany can be divided into five terrestrial ecoregions : Atlantic mixed forests , Baltic mixed forests , Central European mixed forests , Western European broadleaf forests , and Alps conifer and mixed forests . As of 2016 , 51% of Germany's land area

12463-568: The standardization of the language; the 1555 Peace of Augsburg tolerated the "Evangelical" faith ( Lutheranism ), but also decreed that the faith of the prince was to be the faith of his subjects ( cuius regio, eius religio ). From the Cologne War through the Thirty Years' Wars (1618–1648), religious conflict devastated German lands and significantly reduced the population. The Peace of Westphalia ended religious warfare among

12584-523: The states of Brandenburg , Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , Saxony , Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia became states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Since then, this day has been a public holiday in place of June 17 as German Unity Day . On the night of October 2 to 3, 1990, the German federal flag was hoisted at the Reichstag building in Berlin. The Federal Ministry for Internal German Relations

12705-762: The subsequent decisive Prussian victory in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 enabled him to create the North German Confederation which excluded Austria . After the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War , the German princes proclaimed the founding of the German Empire in 1871. Prussia was the dominant constituent state of the new empire; the King of Prussia ruled as its Kaiser, and Berlin became its capital. In

12826-522: The system of the USSR finally accompanied the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany and that of the GDR in 1949. The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 led to an intensive debate in West Germany about German rearmament as a contribution to the defense of Western Europe within the framework of a European Defense Community (EDC). In 1955, the discussion culminated in Germany's accession to

12947-478: The victorious powers on the basis of the zone protocols after the end of World War II . The western border of the Soviet occupation zone became the inner German border between West Germany and the GDR when the states were founded in 1949. The interzone passport, which had still been introduced by the Allies, was replaced in 1953 by the so-called personal certificate for travel from the GDR to West Germany. To enter

13068-467: The visa requirement for citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany entering the GDR, and the decree of 16 May 1990 also abolished the passport requirement. Since July 1, 1990, there have been no more controls on the movement of persons across the inner-German borders. Germans and foreigners who met the entry requirements were allowed to cross the inner-German borders at any point. Many East Germans had tried to leave for West Germany illegally. Some of

13189-406: The war and a period of Allied occupation , Germany was organized into two separate polities with limited sovereignty: the Federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany , and the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany . Berlin continued its de jure Four Power status . The Federal Republic of Germany was a founding member of the European Economic Community and the European Union , while

13310-637: The western Rhineland had been incorporated into Roman provinces . Around 260, Germanic peoples broke into Roman-controlled lands. After the invasion of the Huns in 375, and with the decline of Rome from 395, Germanic tribes moved farther southwest: the Franks established the Frankish Kingdom and pushed east to subjugate Saxony and Bavaria . Areas of what is today eastern Germany were inhabited by Western Slavic tribes. Charlemagne founded

13431-615: The word Teutons also originates. Pre-human ancestors, the Danuvius guggenmosi , who were present in Germany over 11 million years ago, are theorized to be among the earliest ones to walk on two legs. Ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The first non-modern human fossil (the Neanderthal ) was discovered in the Neander Valley . Similarly dated evidence of modern humans has been found in

13552-428: Was also intended to serve the Federal Republic as a "political instrument to secure free access to Berlin". Since the two German states did not want to recognize each other as independent states in the sense of international law, domestic German economic relations were not governed by the foreign trade law otherwise applicable to foreign trade, but by the foreign exchange control laws of the occupying powers. Thus, from

13673-591: Was an all-German team was at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo . At the same time, the GDR began to release political prisoners from its prisons. The new Ostpolitik of the social-liberal government under Chancellor Willy Brandt played a decisive role in political rapprochement. Even in the period before the grand coalition that ended the Adenauer era in 1966, Brandt, together with his press spokesman Egon Bahr , had prepared these foreign policy guiding principles of

13794-657: Was dissolved on January 1, 1991. By organizational decree of the Federal Chancellor of October 27, 1998, a Federal Government Commissioner for the New States of Germany was appointed. Even 30 years after the establishment of German unity, there are significant differences in the living conditions of the western and eastern states of Germany. Germany policy since the Grand Coalition of 1966 consisted primarily of seeking negotiations and treaties with

13915-466: Was fixed from an equivalent of initially 5 to finally 25 GDR marks at the conversion ratios applicable in the GDR. The border could only be crossed with valid documents at the existing control crossing points. Violations were punishable by imprisonment under Section 8 of the 1954 Passport Act, and under Section 213 of the Criminal Code as of July 1, 1968, as unlawful border crossing. From 1972,

14036-512: Was now open for reunification moved all parties to act quickly: The SED offered the opposition roundtable talks, and Helmut Kohl single-handedly presented his ten-point program for overcoming the division of Germany. On May 18, 1990, the East German government under Lothar de Maizière , which had emerged from the People's Chamber elections on March 18, 1990 , concluded the Treaty on the Creation of

14157-675: Was placed on a new footing after the currency reforms and the two state foundations on September 20, 1951, with the Agreement on Trade between the Currency Areas of the German Mark ( German Mark, DM ) and the Currency Areas of the German Mark of the German Central Bank ( East German mark, DDM ). With an amendment to the agreement on August 16, 1960, the GDR was granted an interest-free overdraft facility (swing). This

14278-635: Was required to cross the borders from East to West Berlin. Visits "by peaceful citizens of West Berlin to the capital of the German Democratic Republic" were possible upon presentation of the West Berlin identity card. The previous control regulations remained in force for visits to East Berlin by citizens of the West German Federal Republic, for travel abroad by citizens of West Berlin via the GDR's connecting routes, and for transit traffic between West Berlin and West Germany through

14399-417: Was responsible for this. The exchange of goods was regulated on the basis of lists of goods. These required approval and were subject to quotas in terms of quantity and value (initially to a considerable extent). Payment transactions were not carried out by direct payments between the companies involved, but were settled by clearing via various sub-accounts at the central banks of the Federal Republic and

14520-444: Was the seventh-highest in the world . In response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that German military expenditure would be increased past the NATO target of 2%, along with a one-time 2022 infusion of 100 billion euros, representing almost double the 53 billion euro military budget for 2021. In 2023, military spending according to NATO criteria amounted to $ 73.1 billion, or 1.64% of

14641-505: Was to be prevented "where there is no absolute necessity or where there is reasonable suspicion that it is intended to be exploited to leave the German Democratic Republic illegally." In 1964, travel conditions were eased for persons receiving old-age, accident, or disability pensions, and later for so-called travel cadres. By order of November 25, 1964, a mandatory minimum exchange of foreign currencies had been introduced for private visitors from West Germany. The amount per day of duration

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