Germany is one of the many states of Europe and is well known for its distinctive linguistic identity. The Germanic tribes as the people were previously known set foot in Germany around 100 BC. They came from Scandinavia and were split into two groups: those living to the west and south of the Rhine River who joined the Roman Empire and those to the east and north who lived freely.
The ruler of this territory was Charlemagne and due to the vastness of the region it was hence later split into two groups of people, those speaking an early form of French and those speaking an early form of German. Charlemagne's empire did not survive long after his death. After he died, his territory was divided into three kingdoms west, middle and east.
In 911 BC Germany elected its first king. He was known as Conrad duke of Franconia. Rule of Germany under a king lasted for many years and it was during these years that Germany was richest and politically very powerful.
However later in the middle years Germany became a feudal society led by military nobility. These leaders were constantly rebelling against the king. Germany prospered in the middle ages and its population also grew manifold. Business expanded and towns grew larger and its numbers increased. Towards the early 14 century Germany witnessed a change. Its climate became colder hence leading to several famines. Death and destruction was prominent. The population decreased. This was also the period where killings of Jews started which would in later years continue. Germany during the middle years towards the end of the 19 century witnessed many a revolution and uprising
The start of the 20 century saw Europe divided into two sides Germany and Austria-Hungary on one side and Britain, France and Russia on the other. A war began with both sides fighting a battle for control of the seas.
The 1910's saw Germany forming its first constitution. In 1919 Germany signed the Versailles treaty .The Germans resented the treaty .It blamed them for causing the war and restricted the number of soldiers allowed. They were not allowed submarines, battleships or air force and were also made to pay 'reparations', a form of compensation for the damages caused by the war. This was a tremendous burden on their financial state. The 1920's were the black years for Germany. The people were starving and life was hard. The 1920's also saw the formation of the famous "Nazi 'party and Adolf Hitler became its leader. By this time Germany fell behind in its reparation payments. Inflation increased, production of goods fell, prices increased tremendously and inflation led to hyper inflation. Unemployment rose and USA agreed to lend Germany money to rebuild its economy.
The Nazis were successful in eliminating unemployment. Hitler constructed roads and huge buildings like the Olympic Stadium in 1936. This helped in increasing employment. Hitler hated Jews and they were forbidden from marrying the Aryans of pure Germanic blood. In 1939 the Second World War started .Germany invaded Poland then Britain and France attacked Germany. Jews were murdered in the millions. They were sent to the death camps and were gassed to death. The Nazis brought Germany to its destruction. Industry collapsed. This was the brutality of Nazism.
Germany surrendered and was divided into West Germany and East Germany. The Nazi criminals were punished. West Germany was allowed to join NATO and East Germany became a communist region. This led to many fleeing to the west region. Due to the fleeing the government built the Berlin Wall between the two regions. The communist control collapsed in 1989 and the wall was demolished. Germany was reunited. Today Germany is a prosperous country with a high standard of living.
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