A Brief History of Germany

The country we know as Germany today was throughout history mostly an association of states.

Following the French revolution, the German states fought against Napoleon’s army.

After the revolutions of 1848, the first German Parliament was created.

After a victory in the French-Prussian war in 1871, a unification of the German states was attained, which initiated a period of great advances in various areas, the economy, the political area and the military. This is the time when Germany becomes one of the great world powers alongside the United Kingdom.

During the next two decades, the Bismarckian systems, which dominate the European politics, were established.

William II was crowned as Kaiser, which caused a confrontation with Bismarck. This was the source of the fall of the Chancellor.

In 1914, when World War broke out, the fall of the Hohenzollern dynasty started as Germany was defeated. The winning nations impose the Versailles Treaty and the German territory splits in two once more.

After the defeat, the Weimar Republic was initiated. There was an economic crisis and the German National Socialist Workers’ Party (Nazi) obtains the power doing away with democracy.

Nazi Germany lasted 12 years (1933-1945). Hitler got the full control succeeding also the head of state.

At first Germany had great military successes gaining control over countries in Europe Belgium, France, Denmark, The Netherlands, Luxemburg, Greece, The Balkans and Norway, Tunes and Libya in North Africa. But its attack on Russia in 1941 failed.

In spite of being one of the defeated countries, its economic recovery was quick after 1950 and it becomes the third economic world power.

In 1990 the four allied powers and the 2 federal states signed an agreement in Moscow to end the rights of the allied powers in Germany.

As a founding country, Germany had a main role in the constructions of the European Union.