Germany - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

History

Of the Saint Worsens with the principalities

The Latin linguistics and texts show us that the mention of the German people goes up at the time Roman. However the historians intend themselves to find the origins of a German territory to the Partage of Verdun of 843. Louis Germanic the obtained, at the time of this division, is Carolingian Empire, named Francie Eastern. It is of Francie Eastern that is resulting the Saint Germanic Roman Empire founded by Otton {{Ier}}, said the Large one (936-973). This empire includes/understands, in addition to the territory of current Germany, the Italy and the Burgundy. As of its foundation, this new empire is blocked by the little of institutions on which the emperor can sit his authority and the weakness of the incomes, emperors having only their own fields to finance their policy. The system of election of the emperor by the prince-voters often resulted in weakening the capacity of the monarch. Traditionally, the elected emperor undertook a voyage to Rome to be crowned by the Pape.

Délitement of the imperial capacity is accentuated by the obsession of certain emperors to want to establish a strong authority in their Italian possessions. At the 13th century, Frederic II is occupied so much by its Italian businesses which it gives up all being able and any control in the many German principalities ecclesiastical and that it abdicates most of those in the laic principalities. Of this fact the German grounds are practically independent of the imperial capacity as of this time.

From the 11th century, the Germanie overflows of its traditional limits between the Rhine and Oder. Then begin the colonization of the Central Europe under the action of large lords, banks of the the Baltic by a crusade carried out by the Chevaliers Teutoniques and of the south of the country starting from the reign of Otton {{Ier}}. Hundreds of thousands of Germans of the West pushed by overpopulation thus migrated towards the East where vaster tenures and lighter feudal rights await them. The Rhenish cities and the ports develop but take a not very active share with the European big business of the 12th century. After 1438, the emperor carries the title of a “emperor elected” after his formal election by the seven " électeurs" empire in Frankfurt. At the time modern, the Saint Worsens account more than 300 States which obey only by far the emperor Habsbourg.

At the 16th century, the reform Lutheran continues to divide Germany. In 1546, the emperor Charles Quint enters in war against the many German princes and cities which converted with the Luthéranisme. Its failure to reduce Protestantism in the Saint Empire is sanctioned by the Paix of Augsburg of 1555 which allows each prince and free city to choose its religion but obliges the subjects to have the same religion as their sovereign - cujus regio, ejus religio . Germany therefore did not finish of it with the wars of religion. Progress of the Calvinism in Germany at the end of the 16th century, the will of the emperor Ferdinand II to impose his authority and that of the Catholic religion on the States of the Saint Empire involves the Guerre Thirty Year old which devastates the country of 1618 to 1648. The Traités of Westphalia ratify the weakening of the imperial capacity by supporting the rights of the 350 German States. The religious liberty of the princes is reaffirmed.

Germanic Confederation with the German Empire

From one war to another

Germany, which had become one of the major political powers in Europe engaged in the First World War at the sides of the Austria-Hungary (1914) and invades the France. After the first attacks, the war was directed towards long and slow war of position in the trenches, loophole on a side like other. It ended in 1918, and the German emperor, Kaiser Guillaume II, had to abdicate because of the German Révolution. At the time of the treated of Versailles, Germany was regarded as person in charge of the war and was condemned to pay very heavy repairs.

Germany, thing single in the diplomatic history, is not invited to the discussions of Versailles. She is judged like mainly responsible (with the Austria-Hungary) for the war. Preserving the Rhineland, with the regret of France which wanted to fix the border on the the Rhine. France does not obtain the the Saar (51 million tons of coal, that is to say 2/3 of the French needs) but the England makes pressure. The Saar is placed under the supervision of the Société of the Nations and a referendum will be organized 15 years to later decide its fastening in France or Germany. Schleswig is attached to Denmark after consultation of the population. The cantons of Eupen and Malmédy are attached to the Belgium. The Poland obtains a corridor, famous “the Corridor of Dantzig”, with the Kachoubes populations speaking a Polish dialect but being favorable to German. The town of Dantzig is attached neither to Germany, nor with Poland, it is a free city under control of the SDN. Compromise solutions which nobody likes. 80 kilometers separate the Prussia-Eastern from the remainder of Germany. The High-Silesia, attached after plebiscite to Germany in March 1921 is occupied by Poland shortly after. The SDN referee the situation and the division, denounced by the two parts is carried out arbitrarily.

Germany loses 88.000 km ² and 8 million inhabitants. The military service is abolished and the army is reduced to 100.000 men including 5000 officers. It can have neither armor-plated, neither heavy artillery, nor aviation. Its fleet of war scuttles with Scapa Flow the June 26th 1919. It loses its colonies, placed under mandates with the winners by the SDN. Like person in charge of the war, it must yield material and agricultural produce. The war reparations are evaluated in 1921 to 132 billion mark-but to pay in 30 years. All the German patents are lost, the winners obtain the clause of “most favoured nation” and the Rhine, the Oder and the Elba are internationalized, Germany loses any capacity on their controls. The left bank occupied then is regarded as demilitarized perpetually.

The Pan-Germanism canted in a racist Nationalism, the resentment against the conditions of the treaty of Versailles and the particularly hard consequences of the world economic crisis of 1929 made it possible NSDAP (left Nazi) of Adolf Hitler to reach the capacity in 1933. Hitler eliminated any opposition quickly and took the absolute control of the German State. In 1935, Germany became officially anti-semite by promulgating the Lois of Nuremberg. The policy of Hitler consisting to annex or invade its neighbors ends up causing the Second world war on September 1st 1939.

Germany dominated the beginning of the conflict. It conquered most of the Europe, the USSR, North Africa. But in 1942 - 1943, the war turned in favor of the allied countries: the the United Kingdom, the Canada, the the United States, the the USSR crushed finally the armies of the Axe, invading Berlin in particular. The April 30th 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide.

Devastated by the war, Germany and Berlin were divided into four sectors, each one being controlled by one of the nations winners (including the France). Germany was finally divided into two parts during all the Cold war: FRG (the Federal Republic of Germany) created the May 23rd 1949 in the west and GDR (German Democratic republic) created the October 7th 1949 in the east. The territories more in the east were integrated into the Poland and the USSR.

The demographic hollow caused by the war was compensated by the arrival of approximately 13 million Germans expelled of the old territories of Germany-Eastern and the countries of Eastern Europe where they lived since generations, even centuries; the Prussia-Eastern , the Sudètes, the Baltic States, the Silesia, etc Under the impulse of the Marshall plan, the West Germany joined again quickly with the economic growth, contrary to East Germany. With the fall of the Berlin Wall the November 9th 1989, prelude to the reunification of Germany, the two countries did not have the same economic level at all. This difference remains today and Is remainder poorer than the West. The cost of the reunification involved important economic difficulties for the country since the Années 1990. Its unification however made it possible to make a nation politically impossible to circumvent of it within the European Union.

November 9th in the German history

November 9th, 1848: Robert Blum, an active person in the Revolution of Mars, is assassinated.
November 9th, 1918: insurrection of Berlin and proclamation of the Republic
November 9th, 1923: failure of the “Putsch of the brewery” to Munich, where Hitler proclaims the “national Revolution”
November 9th, 1925: Setting-up of the S.
November 9th, 1938: pogrom with the national scales, known under the name of “Night of crystal”
November 9th, 1939: assassination attempt of Georg Elser against Hitler in the brewery Bürgerbräukeller
November 9th, 1989: fall of the Berlin Wall

Cultural and political aspects

Spoken languages

Classical music

The country counts several orchestras of international repute, the first of which the Philharmonic orchestra of Berlin, the Staatskapelle of Dresden, the Orchestre of Gewandhaus of Leipzig, the Symphony orchestra of Bavarian Broadcasting and the Philharmonic orchestra of Munich.

Policy

Institutions

The Western allies reintroduced a federalistic structure in Germany in 1949. The goal was to preserve the unit of the part occupied by the Westerners by preventing the return of too powerful Germany on the political plan. The operation of the German political system is thus governed since 1949 by a Constitution called Fundamental law ( Grundgesetz ). The constitutional court which sits at Karlsruhe day before with its respect. Since this date, Germany is thus a federal République , initially made up of 11 (after the foundation of the Bade-Wurtemberg in 1952 and the integration of the the Saar in 1957) Länder, then of 16 since 1990. Since the reunification of both Allemagnes the federal Capitale is Berlin. The capacities exerted by the only Federation relate to the foreign affairs, defense, nationality, the currency, the borders, the air traffic, the posts and telecommunications, and part of the revenue duty. The German Parliament is composed of two rooms, the Bundestag, is elected with the mixed poll for four years, and the Bundesrat (Federal council) which includes/understands 68 representatives of the governments of Länder. Each Land gives all its voices for or against a law.

Länder

Länder are often named Bundesländer.

Last census: 30.11.2006

^* Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg are “cities-Länder” (in German Stadtstaat). For Hamburg and Bremen, it is about a commercial legacy of the past of these cities (see Hanse). They are of Länder with whole share.

Each Land has its own constitution ( Verfassung ). It is also equipped with a Parliament (Landtag) and a government ( Landesregierung ) resulting from the majority from Landtag. It is sovereign as regards culture (teaching, theater, music, etc), of organization of the police services, communal right. The Federation can widen competences of Länder by regulation-frameworks: higher education, town and country planning, the protection of nature and the conservation of the natural sites passed from the competence of the federation to that of Länder. Lastly, Länder have the responsibility to make respect the federal decisions on their territory. Each one of Länder can also raise taxes. So 36% of the collected direct taxes return in Länder, the Federal state while receiving nearly 50% and the communes dividing the remainder. The fundamental law did not delimit strictly certain legislative fields: For the civil law, the criminal law, the economic right, the law the labor, the housing policy, the energy policy, the road traffic or the management of waste Länder can legislate provided that the Federal state authorizes it. This one can intervene to legislate only for one uniform need with the national scales.

One of the characteristics of the German democracy is the institutionalization of the role of the political parties: to represent the Citizen S and to bring a Political formation to them.

The place of Germany in the world and in Europe

Geography of Germany

The territory

Germany knew successive territorial changes at the 20th century. The defeat of 1918 rang the knell of the German Empire. The Treated of Versailles of 1919 which regulates the fate of Germany made pass the surface of Germany of: 540848 km ² with: 468776 km ². This one is cut down by the Alsace-Lorraine, of the North of Schleswig and Eupen and Malmedy. Moreover, to make it possible the Poland to have an access to the sea, the Eastern Prussia is separated from the remainder of Germany by the Corridor of Dantzig.

After the defeat of 1945, Germany is occupied by the winners. In the East, 11 million Germans is driven out or flees towards the West. Approximately: 110000 km ² in the East are attached to Poland or the the USSR. One of the consequences of the Cold war is creation in 1949 of FRG in the West in the zones of occupations of the Westerners followed by that of GDR in the zone occupied by Soviet to the East. There are from now on two German States: the FRG, a pluralist and capitalist democracy and GDR, a People's democracy with a sole party with the capacity, the Socialist party unified of Germany (SED), and an economy copied on that of the USSR.

November 9th, 1989, the Berlin Wall, built in 1961, falls. The following year GDR is absorbed by FRG. The Germans are again brought together in only one State, FRG. This new State must overcome the cost of the German Réunification, i.e. to invest to make up for economic lost time of Länder of the East compared to those of the West. It is about reconnecter the two territories cut by the iron curtain during the Cold war: the government in particular implemented building sites of transport infrastructures: the project “German Unit” launched in 1992, envisages work until 2010 for an entire amount of several tens of billion euros. The effort is related in particular to the highways with even numbers, of East-West orientation: for example, the Bundesautobahn 4 which goes from the Rhineland-of-North-Westphalia at the Polish border while passing by the Thuringe. The channels are modernized or supplemented, like the Mittellandkanal . The integration of ex-Germany of the East to the European Union remains still unfinished and the inequalities are always present.

Population

Economy

See also: Economy of Germany, List of German companies

Germany is the first economic power of the European Union. It appears in the 4th world rank behind the the United States, Japan, the Popular republic of China but in front of the the United Kingdom and the France. It has for that of many assets: an important interior market, an active population qualified thanks to the professional training, and a high standard of living. The German companies and trade unions function in Cogestion. The German GDP rises to 2.907 billion dollars (GDP 2006, World Bank). The foreign trade represents a third of the GNP: with a volume of exports of 734 billion euros (2004). The main motor of this foreign trade is the Industrie, of which the percentage in the total of exports accounts for some 84% (2004).

The German economy has a communication network of the first quality: the longest highway network of Europe, a particularly dense rail network and three navigable axes, the the Rhine first world river for freight, the Rhine-Hand-Danube connection and the channel of Mittelland.

Industry

Industry is a very important economic sector in Germany. Eight million people, is 33% of the active population, work in this sector. The principal sectors in turnover are automotive engineering with: 777000 paid in 2004, followed by electrical engineering with: 799000 paid, mechanical engineering with 868.000 paid and chemical industry. Beside the large companies universally known like Siemens, Thyssen-Krupp or Bayer, the P.M.E. /P.M.I employ more than 20 million employees. In the mechanical engineering, sector where FRG holds 19,3% of the worldwide market, the great majority of the companies than 200 paid less. These successes must with the reputation of good quality of the German products in general.

The automotive Engineering provides 40% of German exports. An employee on seven works in this sector. The large manufacturers Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche, Opel, subsidiary allemande of General Motors make of Germany the third world producer of cars. Approximately six million cars leaves each year the German assembly lines and 4,8 million cars of German mark is produced abroad.

Other sectors

As in all the developed economies, the tertiary sector is the first German employer. Nearly 28 million people work there including 10 million in the trade, hotel trade, restoration and transport. This sector is made up with more than 40% of P.M.E. /P.M.I.

Agriculture is also very important, contrary to the generally accepted ideas; in term of comparison, Germany is located just behind France in term of cereal production but precedes it and occupies thus the 1st European rank with regard to the production of milk.

An economy turned towards world space

The German economy is particularly directed towards the worldwide market. The large business partners of Germany are the France, the the United States and Great Britain. But Germany which found a role of pivot of Europe since the fall of Communism and the reunification seeks to develop new outlets. It increased its presence in Eastern Europe. Since the beginning of the years 1990, part of the German production was delocalized towards these countries and in 2002,830 000 people worked for German companies in the old communist countries in 2001, against almost any before 1990. Germany also absorbed local companies as Volkswagen which repurchased the Czech manufacturer Skoda. On the whole, more than 10% of German exports are done towards these countries, that is to say as much as worms the the United States.

Germany knew during 10 years of the difficulties. International competition is important and, the companies must be modernized quickly or delocalize, under penalty of bankruptcy. The West of the country is most dynamic, while in East (old GDR), of many companies had to close, which caused a big rise of unemployment. However in 2006, the GDP grew of 2,9%, after several years of stagnation.

The emerging countries constitute a challenge of size for Germany. The importance of the economic relations with China or India thus does not cease growing. The trade balance is strongly adverse: 32 billion Chinese imports against 21 billion exports to this country in 2004. The exchanges with India are more modest. Germany must take up the challenge of competitiveness vis-a-vis countries where the cost of the labor is very weak. Germany put little on the weak price of its products to export, but much more on their quality or their specificity. The German products not are bought because they are cheap, but because they are of good quality, or because one requires for a product that only German manufactures.

German areas

The reunification of 1990 changed the organization of German space. Rhenish space remains however the heart of Germany and the axis most frequent, as well on the economic plan as on the demographic level in spite of the necessary change of the the Ruhr. Frankfurt and the conurbation of Rhine-Hand continues to play its part of financial capital of the country.

Since the beginning of the years 1960, the areas of the south, the Bade-Wurtemberg and the Bavaria are gravitational spaces. they are areas as well industrial (state-of-the-art technologies, complexes militaro-industrialists) that tourist. Regional migratory balance is strongly positive.

Since the reunification, the center and North enjoy a privileged position. They became the new geographical center of Germany since the reunification. The ports of Hamburg and Bremen have the Hinterland of old the GDR of which they were private until 1990. These ports allow the Land Lower Saxony to occupy a major place in mondialized space.

The five Länder of the East constitute a periphery in rebuilding. The passage of a socialist economy to an market economy involved the closing-down of many decayed and not very competing factories, the development of industrial waste lands, the regional migrations towards Länder of the West and a strong increase in unemployment. Unemployment rate was, at the end of 2006, of 16,4% whereas it is of 10,1% for the whole of Germany. This is due to a weak competitiveness which has persisted for more than 15 years, in spite of the investments authorized by the federal government. This situation led to a " désamour" between the Germans of the West and the " Ossis ", ones finding that they paid too expensive the union, the others feeling forgotten by the most secured and regretting the time of GDR. This last phenomenon was called Ostalgie by the journalists. However, the authorities misent on new widenings of the European Union in the East to instigate the economy of the five Länder of the East.

Various figures

Telephone lines: 150,2 million (in 1997)
Cellphones: 81 million (in 2006)
Radios: 77,8 million (in 1997)
Television stations: 51,4 million (in 1998)
Users of Internet: 50,5 million (in 2006)
Many suppliers of access Internet: 200 (in 2001)
Roads: 231.000 km (in 2005)
Railways: 47.000 km (in 2005)
inland Waterways: 7500 km
Many airports: 554 (in 2006)

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