GERMANY

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GERMANY
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GERMANY

• Germany is a large country in central Europe. It
  has more people than any other European country
  except Russia. Berlin, Germany's capital and
  largest city, is a cultural, economic, and
  political center of Europe.

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• Germany's land ranges from a low, flat plain in
  the north to mountainous regions in the south.
  The country has a number of world-famous scenic
  areas. The Bavarian Alps, along Germany's
  southern border, are a favorite winter sports
  region.

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• The Black Forest, a mountainous area in southwest
  Germany, is known for its mineral springs and
  health resorts.

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• In western Germany, many people enjoy boat rides
  on the beautiful Rhine River. The Rhine winds
  through valleys where grand castles overlook the
  river.

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• For hundreds of years, Germans lived in many
  separate states, one of the most powerful of
  which was the kingdom of Prussia. During the late
  1800's, Otto von Bismarck, the prime minister of
  Prussia, united most of these states and cities
  under Prussian leadership. After Bismarck, German
  leaders tried to expand their influence in Europe
  and overseas. These policies helped trigger World
  War I in 1914. When the war ended in 1918,
  Germany had been defeated, and a period of
  political and economic crises followed.

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• In 1933, Adolf Hitlerleader of the Nazi Party,
  an extremely militaristic and nationalistic
  political movementestablished his dictatorship
  and began to rebuild Germany's military power. In
  1939, Hitler started World War II. Germany was
  defeated in 1945 and was divided into zones that,
  in 1949, became West Germany and East Germany.
  Berlin was also divided. West Germany became a
  parliamentary democracy with strong ties to
  Western Europe and the United States. East
  Germany became a Communist dictatorship closely
  associated with the Soviet Union.

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• After World War II, the West Germans and East
  Germans rebuilt their shattered industries and
  made them more productive than ever. West Germany
  became one of the leading industrial nations.
  Although East Germany's economic development was
  not as rapid, the country ranked as one of the
  most economically advanced of the nations that
  adopted Communism.

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• Yet dissatisfaction led millions of East Germans
  to flee to West Germany in the mid-1900's. In
  1961, however, East Germany built a wall through
  the city of Berlin. The purpose of the Berlin
  Wall was to prevent East Germans from emigrating
  to the West.

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• In 1989, reform movements swept through the
  Communist nations of Europe. In East Germany,
  political protests and massive emigration set in
  motion the chain of events that ended in the
  unification of East and West Germany.

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• In November 1989in response to the proteststhe
  East German government allowed its citizens to
  travel freely for the first time. The end of
  travel restrictions included the opening of the
  Berlin Wall. Also for the first time,
  non-Communist political parties were permitted to
  organize. In March 1990, East Germany held free
  parliamentary elections, and non-Communists
  gained control of the government.

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• With the end of Communist control in East
  Germany, many Germans, in both East and West
  Germany, began considering unification. In July
  1990, East Germany and West Germany united their
  economies into a single system. In August, both
  nations signed a treaty that would finalize
  unification. The treaty took effect on October 3.
  That December, the first national elections after
  unification were held.