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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Germany
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_Germany
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Germany

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-In 1914 East Prussia invaded Germany.
-The Royal Navy imposed a tight blockade that causes severe shortage of food within the cities.
-Germany was defeated by the end of the war and it became widespread.
-The German Revolution of 1918-1919 overthrew the monarchy and established the Weimar Republic

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Celebrations 'may affect relations between Germany and UK'

But some Britons feel the horror of the war overshadows heroism

Germany has called on Britain not to celebrate the centenary of the First World War but to focus on the idea that the European Union brought peace to the continent.

The government in Berlin recently sent a special envoy to the UK amid fears that the way Britain marks the Great War could affect relations with Angela Merkel's administration.

Andreas Meitzner called for talks with defence minister Andrew Murrison as well as officials from the Foreign Office and the Department of Culture who are handling the commemorations, which start next year.

British historians have called on the UK Government to acknowledge that the conflict was a just war to prevent German domination of Europe and to celebrate victory.

But Norman Walter, press attaché at the German embassy in London, said 'it would be easier' for Britain to adopt a 'less declamatory tone' if it wants Germany to take part.

In an interview yesterday he said: 'We can't tell you how you should celebrate, but our feeling is that issues about who was guilty and all that should be left more or less to historians and shouldn't feature dominantly in politicians' speeches.

'The biggest single contribution to the start of the First World War was Germany, but others played a part. Whether it was a win or not, it wasn't worth it.

'We would prefer not to have any celebrations, having lost. We don't want to commemorate the battles. We want to commemorate the dead.'

He said that commemorations on the continent would focus on the benefits of the EU. He said: 'The European idea is something that helped us overcome the situation where a war like this could start, where European countries could go to war with one another.

'It may sound far-fetched here, but it doesn't elsewhere in Europe. The European community will very much be part of the German commemoration. Thankfully we have the European Union.'

Philip Davies, who sits on the Culture Select Committee, denounced the idea that the European Union has kept peace since the Second World War as 'outrageous', since tensions over the eurozone have led to anti-German sentiment across the EU.

He told the Mail: 'This attitude is unacceptable. The Germans might want to forget their history and pretend things didn't happen, but we are not prepared to do that.

'As for Europe being a cause of peace, this chap's obviously forgotten the reaction Angela Merkel got from the Greeks the last time she went there. People dressed up in Nazi uniforms, accusing her of completing Hitler's work.

'I don't think people in Greece are celebrating peace. The European Union seems to be having the opposite effect.'

Tory MP Chris Skidmore, a historian who sits on the Speaker's advisory committee on the war, told the Mail the events to mark the 100th anniversary should focus on why the war began and acknowledge the victors.

He said: 'The Great War still casts a shadow over modern Europe today. It's entirely right that we be respectful and commemorate the fallen from whichever side. But it would be a failure to history if we didn't recognise not only the causes and consequences of the war, but that there were winning sides and losing sides.'

The Centenary Advisory Board of historians, writers, religious leaders and retired military figures is the main body advising the Government on commemorations.

Professor Sir Hew Strachan of Oxford University, one of the panel members who has called for a greater emphasis on celebrations, said: 'I understand Germany's position. There is no virtue in offending Germany.

'But if we are going to be honest to the history of this war from a British perspective, then it can't all be about waste and futility. A lot of people fought and died thinking it was worthwhile. We need to respect what those motivations were.'

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'Don't mention the war': German embassy calls for Britons not to celebrate First World War victory as centenary of conflict looms

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Celebrations 'may affect relations between Germany and UK' But some Britons feel the horror of the war overshadows heroism Germany has called on Britain not to celebrate the centenary of the First World War but to focus on the idea that the European Union brought peace to the continent.

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-The German Empire was one of the Central Powers that lost the war.
-The forces of Germany fought the Allies on both the eastern and western fronts.
-German's territory was safe from invasion that was widespread
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history of Germany, a survey of important events and people in the history of Germany from ancient times to the present.

Ancient history

Germanic peoples occupied much of the present-day territory of Germany in ancient times. The Germanic peoples are those who spoke one of the Germanic languages, and they thus originated as a group with the so-called first sound shift ( Grimm's law), which turned a Proto-Indo-European dialect into a new Proto-Germanic language within the Indo-European language family. The Proto-Indo-European consonants p, t, and k became the Proto-Germanic f, [thorn] ( th), and x ( h), and the Proto-Indo-European b, d, and g became Proto-Germanic p, t, and k. The historical context of the shift is difficult to identify, because it is impossible to date it conclusively. Clearly, the people who came to speak Proto-Germanic must have been isolated from other Indo-Europeans for some time, but it is not obvious which archaeological culture might represent the period of the shift. One possibility is the so-called Northern European Bronze Age, which flourished in northern Germany and in Scandinavia between about 1700 and 450 bce. Alternatives would be one of the early Iron Age cultures of the same region (e.g., Wessenstadt, 800-600 bce, or Jastorf, 600-300 bce).

Evidence from archaeological finds and place-names suggests that, while early Germanic peoples probably occupied much of northern Germany during the Bronze and early Iron ages, peoples speaking Celtic languages occupied what is now southern Germany. This region, together with neighbouring parts of what are now France and Switzerland, was the original homeland of the Celtic La Tène culture. About the time of the Roman expansion northward, in the first centuries bce and ce, Germanic groups were expanding southward into present-day southern Germany. The evidence suggests that the existing population was gradually Germanized rather than displaced by the Germanic peoples arriving from the north.

Solid historical information begins about 50 bce when Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars brought the Romans into contact with Germanic as well as Celtic peoples. Caesar did cross the Rhine in 55 and 53 bce, but the river formed the eastern boundary of the province of Gaul, which he created, and most Germanic tribes lived beyond it. Direct Roman attacks on Germanic tribes began again under Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, who pushed across the Rhine in 12-9 bce, while other Roman forces assaulted Germanic tribes along the middle Danube (in what are now Austria and Hungary). Fierce fighting in both areas, and the famous victory of the Germanic leader Arminius in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 ce (when three Roman legions were massacred), showed that conquering these tribes would require too much effort. The Roman frontier thus stabilized on the Rhine and Danube rivers, although sporadic campaigns (notably under Domitian in 83 and 88 ce) extended control over Frisia in the north and some lands between the Rhine and the upper Danube.

Both archaeology and Caesar's own account of his wars show that Germanic tribes then lived on both sides of the Rhine. In fact, broadly similar archaeological cultures from this period stretch across central Europe from the Rhine to the Vistula River (in what is now Poland), and Germanic peoples probably dominated all these areas. Germanic cultures extended from Scandinavia to as far south as the Carpathians. These Germans led a largely settled agricultural existence. They practiced mixed farming, lived in wooden houses, did not have the potter's wheel, were nonliterate, and did not use money. The marshy lowlands of northern Europe have preserved otherwise perishable wooden objects, leather goods, and clothing and shed much light on the Germanic way of life. These bogs were also used for ritual sacrifice and execution, and some 700 "bog people" have been recovered. Their remains are so well preserved that even dietary patterns can be established; the staple was a gruel made of many kinds of seeds and weeds.

Clear evidence of social differentiation appears in these cultures. Richly furnished burials (containing jewelry and sometimes weapons) have been uncovered in many areas, showing that a wealthy warrior elite was developing. Powerful chiefs became a standard feature of Germanic society, and archaeologists have uncovered the halls where they feasted their retainers, an activity described in the Anglo-Saxon poem . This warrior elite followed the cult of a war god, such as Tyr (Tiu) or Odin (Wodan). The Roman historian Tacitus relates in the Germania that in 59 ce the Hermunduri, in fulfillment of their vows, sacrificed defeated Chatti to one of these gods. This elite was also the basis of political organization. The Germanic peoples formed numerous tribes that were also united in leagues centred on the worship of particular cults. These cults were probably created by one locally dominant tribe and changed over time. Tribes belonging to such leagues came together for an annual festival, when weapons were laid aside. Apart from worship, these were also times for economic activity, social interaction, and settling disputes.

Coexistence with Rome to 350 ce

After Rome had established its frontiers, commercial and cultural contacts between Germanic peoples and the Roman Empire were as important as direct conflict. Although it was heavily fortified, the frontier was never a barrier to trade or travel. About 50 ce, tribes settled along the Rhine learned to use Roman money. Germanic graves-at least the richer ones-began to include Roman luxury imports such as fine pottery, glass, and metalwork. In return, raw materials, such as amber and leather, and many enslaved people went back across the frontier. Germanic tribesmen also served in Roman armies.

Border raiding was endemic, and periodically there were much larger disturbances. About 150 ce the Marcomanni, a Germanic tribe, moved south into the middle Danube region, and they even invaded Italy in 167. The emperor Marcus Aurelius and his son spent the next 20 years curbing their inroads, and archaeology shows that the wars were highly destructive. This migration was one manifestation of a broader problem, for between about 150 and 200 a whole series of Germanic groups moved south along the river valleys of central and eastern Europe. These migrations resulted in great violence along the entire frontier during the 3rd century. Parts of Gaul suffered greatly, and Goths, a Germanic people that originated in southern Scandinavia, ravaged the Danube region, even killing the emperor Decius in 251. Yet intensive campaigns brought the Germanic tribes back under control, so that by about 280 stability had returned to the Rhine and Danube. The Roman army and an alliance system involving, among others, Franks, Alemanni, and Goths maintained the frontier until about 370.

In the meantime, the Germanic world was being transformed. For the balance of power in Europe, the most important development was the rise of larger and more cohesive Germanic political units, at least among the Germanic peoples living on the borders of the empire. This was largely a response to the military threat from Rome. Despite their occasional successes, more Germanic tribesmen than Romans had been killed in 3rd-century conflicts, and the Germanic peoples had learned that larger groups were more likely to survive. In the 4th century there were two powerful Germanic confederations: the Alemanni on the Rhine and the Goths on the Danube, both controlled by the military elite whose power over their fellow tribespeople continued to increase. Other contacts with the empire resulted in cultural borrowings. In the 3rd century Germanic peoples began to master the potter's wheel, and there is evidence of improved farming techniques; both were adopted from Rome. The empire was also partly responsible for Germanic groups' first steps toward literary culture. A written form of Gothic, the oldest literary Germanic language, was created about 350 ce by Ulfilas, a Roman-sponsored Arian Christian missionary, in order to translate the Bible.

The migration period

The situation was transformed by nomadic non-Germanic Hunnish horsemen from the east who pushed Germanic peoples into the Roman Empire in several waves. First, in 376, Visigoths were admitted by the emperor Valens as foederati ("allies") to farm and defend the frontier. This procedure was not without precedent and was unusual only in the enormity of the group involved (traditionally estimated at about 80,000). The Romans were unprepared for such a large group, and their failure to accommodate the group and outright hostility toward the Visigoths led to confrontation. Two years later the Visigoths killed Valens, winning a famous victory at Adrianople (now Edirne, Turkey), though by 382 they had been subdued. Yet, as the Huns moved west, Rome's frontiers came under increasing pressure, and further large incursions (by Germanic as well as other peoples) occurred in 386, 395, 405, and 406. Some of the invaders were defeated, but Germanic Vandals and Suebi established themselves in Spain and later in North Africa, and the Visigoths exploited the disorder to rebel, especially after the election of Alaric as king. Marching to Italy, they demanded better terms, and, when these were not forthcoming, they sacked Rome on August 24, 410. Even though Rome was no longer capital of the empire, the sack was a profound shock for the people of the empire.

The Roman Empire nevertheless remained an important power in Europe, both militarily and economically. Hence Germanic groups on the run from the Huns were anxious to make peace; even the Visigoths accepted a settlement in Gaul in 418. Since Germanic peoples had no sense of either common interests or common identity, they could be played off against one another; thus, the Vandals were savaged by the Visigoths between 416 and 418. Until about 450 fear of the Huns meant that the empire could, in moments of crisis, mobilize at least Visigoths, Burgundians (received into Gaul after being defeated by the Huns in 439), and Franks for its defense. Soon after Attila's death in 453, however, the Hun empire collapsed, and Rome lost this diplomatic weapon. It also suffered a progressive loss of revenue as territories were either occupied or-like Britain-abandoned by the imperial government. The balance thus swung further in the Germanic peoples' favour, and they eventually declared themselves independent. In the 470s a Visigothic kingdom emerged in southwestern Gaul and later gained control of most of the Iberian Peninsula. Meanwhile, a Burgundian kingdom arose in southeastern Gaul, and Clovis created a Frankish kingdom in the north. The Vandals already controlled North Africa and the Suebi part of Spain, and Gepid and Lombard kingdoms dominated the Danube. A band of Germans, led by Odoacer, deposed the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, in 476 and set up a kingdom in Italy. Ostrogoths freed by the collapse of the Hun empire struggled for a generation to find a new homeland. Their struggles sometimes brought them into conflict with the Eastern Roman Empire, whose ruler, Zeno, sought to mitigate the situation by elevating the Ostrogothic king, Theodoric, to the office of patrician. When this solution failed, Zeno sent Theodoric against Odoacer. Theodoric ultimately defeated Odoacer and established a successful Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy that lasted from 493 to 555.

These Germanic successor states brought the Roman Empire in western Europe to an end. The empire could have resisted any of them singly, but the Hun invasions had pushed too many Germanic groups across the frontier too quickly. Battles, however, were the exception. More often the empire unwillingly, but peacefully, granted areas for settlement, and, as Rome became increasingly weaker, the local Roman provincial population looked to the newly settled Germanic peoples for protection. This period thus continued the transformation of the Germanic world. Because of the danger from Rome and the Huns, Germanic political units again increased in size. The new Germanic groups also fell under the influence of the Roman populations they came to rule. Literate, educated Romans enabled German kings systematically to raise taxation and expand their legal powers. The successor states to the Roman Empire were thus a fusion of Germanic military power and the administrative know-how of Roman provincial aristocrats. Transformation was complete in these regions when Germanic warrior and Roman provincial elites quickly intermarried, bringing into being a new aristocracy that was to shape medieval Europe.

Within the boundaries of present-day Germany, the Hunnish conquest drove Germanic peoples out of the region to the east of the Elbe and Saale rivers during the early 5th century. This area was subsequently settled by peoples speaking Slavic languages, and present-day eastern Germany remained Slavic for some seven centuries. To the west and south, Germanic peoples such as the eastern Franks, Frisians, Saxons, Thuringians, Alemanni, and Bavarians-all speaking West Germanic dialects-had merged Germanic and borrowed Roman cultural features. It was among these groups that a German language and ethnic identity would gradually develop during the Middle Ages.
Peter John Heather

Merovingians and Carolingians

When the Western Roman Empire ended in 476, the Germanic tribes west of the Rhine were not politically united. The West Germanic tribes, however, spoke dialects of a common language and shared social and political traditions. These traditions had been influenced by centuries of contact with the Roman world, both as federated troops within the empire and as participants in the broader political and economic network that extended beyond the Roman frontier. In particular, a strongly military structure of social organization, under the direction of commanders termed kings or dukes, had developed among the federated tribes within the empire and spread to tribes living outside the empire proper. Likewise, the Ostrogothic kings in Italy extended their influence over much of the Germanic world north of the Alps.

Merovingian Germany

The Franks, settled in Romanized Gaul and western Germany, rejected Ostrogothic leadership and began to expand their kingdom eastward. Clovis's eventual conversion to Roman Catholic Christianity improved the position of the Franks in their new kingdom, because it earned them the support of the Catholic population and hierarchy of late Roman Gaul. Clovis and his successors, particularly Theodebert I (reigned 534-548), brought much of what would later constitute Germany under Frankish control by conquering the Thuringians of central Germany and the Alemanni and Bavarians of the south. Generally, these heterogeneous groups were given a law code that included Frankish and local traditions and were governed by a duke of mixed Frankish and indigenous background who represented the Frankish king. In times of strong central rule, as under Dagobert I (629-639), this leadership could have real effect. When the Frankish realm was badly divided or embroiled in civil wars, however, local dukes enjoyed great autonomy. This was particularly true of the Bavarian Agilolfings, who were closely related to the Lombard royal family of Italy and who by the 8th century had come to enjoy virtual royal status. In the north the Frisians and Saxons remained independent of Frankish control into the 8th century, preserving their own political and social structures and remaining for the most part pagan. In areas under Frankish lordship, Christianity made considerable progress through the efforts of native Raetians in the Alpine regions, of wandering Irish missionaries, and of transplanted Frankish aristocrats who supported monastic foundations.

The rise of the Carolingians and Boniface

By the end of the 7th century and the beginning of the 8th, Merovingian authority throughout the Frankish world had been seriously diminished by internal divisions among rival noble factions. Although the dynasty would retain possession of the crown until 751, it was effectively replaced by a rising power, the Carolingian family, which controlled the office of mayor of the palace. The Carolingians, or Pippinids, as they are known in their early days, first rose to power in the second decade of the 7th century when they assisted Chlothar II in the overthrow of Queen Brunhild. Their leader, Pippin I, was rewarded with the office of mayor, and his descendants would use the office as a means to enhance their power. However, both the Merovingians and the Carolingians faced the claims of rival aristocratic families, including the Agilolfings, who also held the office of mayor of the palace. The victory of Pippin II over the Agilolfing mayor at the Battle of Tertry in 687 reunited the kingdom in the name of the Merovingian king Theuderic IV and signaled the rising power of the Carolingians. Pippin's son Charles Martel, after a struggle with Pippin's widow, assumed his father's position and came to be the leading figure in the realm. His position was so secure that he was able to rule during the last three years of his life without a Merovingian king on the throne, and he also was able to divide the kingdom between his two sons as the Merovingians had traditionally done.

The early Carolingians consolidated control over the Frankish heartland and the duchies east of the Rhine, partly by supporting the missionary activities of churchmen who espoused Roman hierarchical forms of ecclesiastical organization that favoured political centralization; looser indigenous and Irish ecclesiastical structures meanwhile lost ground. Frankish penetration followed a pattern in which communities or churches were settled on land newly won from forest or marsh and granted them by their Carolingian protectors. Thus, from Frisia in the north to Bavaria in the south, religious, economic, and political penetration went hand in hand. A distinguished part was played by Anglo-Saxon missionaries, who linked the Frankish world not only with the high culture of their homeland but also with Rome. One of the most prominent of these was St. Willibrord (c. 658-739), who worked as a missionary and Frankish agent among the Frisians and later the Thuringians. Of even greater significance was Willibrord's disciple St. Boniface (c. 675-754), the "apostle of Germany," who preached the Word to the pagan Germans and introduced religious reform to the Frankish church. Supported by Charles Martel, Boniface led missions into Franconia, Thuringia, and Bavaria, where he founded or restructured diocesan organization on a Roman model. In 742, with the support of the new mayors of the palace Pippin and Carloman, he played a large part in the first council of the new German church. By the time of his martyrdom at the hands of northern Frisians, all the continental Germanic peoples except the Saxons were well on the way toward integration into a Roman-Frankish ecclesiastical structure.

Boniface's missionary activities and religious reforms also influenced political developments in the Frankish kingdom. His close contact and frequent correspondence with the pope in Rome reinforced a developing trend in the Frankish world that involved the increasing devotion to St. Peter and his vicar. When Charles Martel's son and successor, Pippin, sought justification for his usurpation of the Frankish throne in 750, he appealed to Pope Zacharias, asking whether the person with the title or the power should be king. In the following year, Pippin assumed the throne and was crowned by the bishops of his realm, including, according to one account, the pope's representative in the Frankish kingdom, St. Boniface. Three years later, Pope Stephen II traveled to Pippin's kingdom to seek aid from the king against the Lombards. While there, Stephen strengthened the alliance with the Carolingians and Pippin's claim to the throne when he crowned Pippin and, according to some accounts, Pippin's sons Carloman and the future Charlemagne.

Charlemagne

Charlemagne built on the foundations laid by Boniface, Charles Martel, and Pippin. Contemporary writers were vastly impressed by Charlemagne's political campaigns to destroy the autonomy of Bavaria and his equally determined efforts against the Saxons. Under their Agilolfing dukes, who had at times led the opposition to the rising Carolingians, the Bavarians had developed an independent southward-looking state that had close contacts with Lombard Italy and peaceful relations with the Avar kingdom to the east. Charlemagne's conquest of the Lombards in 774 left Bavaria isolated, and in 788 Charlemagne succeeded in deposing the last Agilolfing duke, Tassilo III, and replacing him with a trusted agent. Thereafter Charlemagne used Bavaria as the staging ground for a series of campaigns in 791, 795, and 796 that destroyed the Avar kingdom.

The subjugation of the north proved much more difficult than that of the south. In the wake of the missionaries, Frankish counts and other officials moved into northeastern Frisia, raising contingents for the royal host and doing the other business of secular government. As for the Rhineland, the richer it grew, the more necessary it became to protect its hinterland, Franconia (including what is now Hessen) and Thuringia, from Saxon raids. Because there was no natural barrier behind which to hold the Saxons, this was a difficult task.

Unlike the Bavarians, the Saxons were not politically united. Their independent edhelingi (nobles) lived on estates among forest clearings, dominating the frilingi (freemen), lazzi (half-free), and unfree members of Saxon society and leading raids into the rich Frankish kingdom. Thus, each of Charlemagne's punitive expeditions, which began in 772 and lasted until 804, bit deeper into the heart of Saxony, leaving behind bitter memories of forced conversions, deportations, and massacres. These raids were inspired by religious as well as political zeal; with fire and sword, Charlemagne tried to break Saxon resistance both to Christianity and to Frankish dominance. Still, the decentralized nature of Saxon society made ultimate conquest extremely difficult. Whenever the Frankish army was occupied elsewhere, the Saxons could be counted on to revolt, to slaughter Frankish officials and priests, and to raid as far westward as they could. Charlemagne in turn would punish the offending tribes, as he did when he executed 4,500 Saxons at Verden, and garrison the defense points abandoned by the Saxons. In time, resistance to the Franks gave the Saxons a kind of unity under the leadership of Widukind, who succeeded longer than any other leader in holding together a majority of chieftains in armed resistance to the Franks. Ultimately, internal feuding led to the capitulation even of Widukind. He surrendered, was baptized, and, like Tassilo, was imprisoned in a monastery for the remainder of his life. Despite this victory, it would take another 20 years before Saxony would be finally subdued.

Charlemagne's efforts were not limited to military repression, however. He also issued two edicts concerning the pacification and conversion of Saxony, which reveal the brutality of the process as well as its gradual success. The Capitulatio de Partibus Saxoniae (c. 785; "Capitulary for the Saxon Regions") was intended to force the submission of the Saxons to the Franks and to Christianity, imposing the death penalty for destruction of churches, refusal of baptism, and violating the Lenten fast. The Capitulare Saxonicum (797; "Saxon Capitulary"), although not necessarily abrogating the earlier decree, replaced the harsher measures of the earlier capitulary with conversion through less brutal methods. Moreover, Frankish churchmen and aristocrats loyal to Charlemagne were introduced to secure and pacify the region. Although the northern regions that enjoyed Danish support remained outside Frankish control, most of Saxony gradually moved into the united Frankish realm and would become a great centre of political, cultural, and religious life in the 10th century.

The emergence of Germany

The kingdom of Louis the German

After his conquest of the German lands, Charlemagne administered the area as he did the rest of his kingdom, or empire ( Reich)-through his counts and bishops. He established his primary residence at Aachen (now in Germany), which was not far from the conquered territories, though his decision probably had more to do with the town's hot springs than with strategic planning. His son Louis I (Louis the Pious) remained involved in the affairs of the German, Danish, and Slavic lands, but his primary focus was on the regions of his empire where the Romance, or proto-Romance, language was spoken. In 817, however, Louis issued the Ordinatio Imperii, an edict that reorganized the empire and established the imperial succession. As part of the restructuring, he awarded his young son Louis II (Louis the German; 804-876) the government of Bavaria and the lands of the Carinthians, Bohemians, Avars, and Slavs. Becoming the king of Bavaria in 825, Louis the German gradually extended his power over all of Carolingian Germany.

Louis the German's rise to power, however, was not a smooth one, because internal turmoil plagued the Carolingian empire in the 830s and early 840s. Although he would ultimately rescue Louis the Pious on both occasions, the younger Louis was involved in revolts against his father in 830 and 833-834. In the final settlement of the succession, Louis the German's inheritance was restricted to Bavaria by his father, who had reconciled with his eldest son and the heir to the imperial throne, Lothar. After their father's death, the surviving sons of Louis fell into three years of civil wars, which led to the division of the Carolingian empire. During these wars, Louis took sides with his brother Charles the Bald and confirmed this alliance in the Oath of Strasbourg in 842 (an important political and linguistic document that contains versions of the Romance language and Old High German). The success of Charles and Louis against their elder brother Lothar led to a formal end to the civil wars in the Treaty of Verdun in 843, which divided the realm among the three leaders and laid out the rough outlines of late medieval France and Germany. In this settlement, Louis received the eastern kingdom, which included the lands east of the Rhine River (Bavaria, Franconia, Saxony, Swabia, and Thuringia).

As ruler of the eastern Frankish kingdom, Louis faced the challenge of maintaining the unity of a very diverse kingdom as well as asserting his place in the wider Carolingian world and protecting the frontiers from invaders. Like his brothers, Louis sought to establish his preeminence in the old empire. On two occasions he invaded Charles the Bald's kingdom and on a third occasion supported the invasion of the kingdom by his son. Louis also invaded the territory of the heirs of Lothar and attempted to seize the imperial crown. Moreover, much of Louis's reign was taken up with campaigns against neighbouring Slavs. Although he faced attacks by the Slavs and Vikings and the challenge of powerful aristocratic families, Louis maintained stability and royal authority over the aristocracy as a result of his external focus. By 870 Louis's dominions reached almost the boundaries of medieval Germany. On the east they were bordered by the Elbe and the Bohemian mountains; on the west, beyond the Rhine, they included the districts afterward known as Alsace and Lorraine. Ecclesiastically, they included the provinces of Mainz, Trier, Cologne, Salzburg, and Bremen. Although the close kinship and rivalries of the descendants of Charlemagne still united the eastern and western Frankish lands, the eastern region was taking on the identity of Germany, and the west was emerging as France.

Louis's long reign provided a degree of unity and continuity for the peoples of his varied kingdom and also laid the foundation for developments in later medieval Germany. His appointment of his sons as subkings over regions of the kingdom foreshadowed the later territorial dukes, and his support for and reliance on monasteries prefigured the policy of the Saxon dynasty in the 10th century. In good Carolingian tradition, he promoted missionary activity in concert with his military campaigns in the east. Louis also cultivated the German language and literature for the first time as a source of self-conscious cultural and political identity. Under his patronage, the Gospels were translated into German dialects, and the first attempts at writing German poetry with Christian and traditional themes were undertaken.

After his death the kingdom was divided among his three sons according to Frankish tradition, but the deaths of two of them, in 880 and 882, restored its unity, under Charles III (Charles the Fat). The ceaseless attacks by Danes, Saracens, and Magyars in the later 9th and 10th centuries, however, weakened the kingdom's cohesion and led to the creation of new kingdoms within the boundaries of the Carolingian realm. Incompetence in mounting effective resistance to invaders also led to revolts and civil wars, as for instance in 887 when Arnulf, an illegitimate son of Louis the German's son Carloman, led an army of Bavarians in a successful revolt against his uncle, Charles the Fat. Arnulf, however, was not equally successful in defending his eastern possessions. After his death in 899, the German kingdom came under the nominal rule of the last Carolingian king of Francia Orientalis, his young son Louis IV (Louis the Child), and, in the absence of strong military leadership, it became the prey of the Magyar horsemen and other invaders from the east.

Rise of the duchies

Because the Carolingians themselves were unable to provide effective defense for the whole kingdom, military command and the political and economic power necessary to support it necessarily devolved to local leaders whose regions were attacked. The inevitable result was the decentralization and decay of royal authority to the benefit of the regional dukes. Contrary to popular opinion, these dukes were not appointed by their peoples, nor were they descendants of the tribal chieftains of the postmigration period. The so-called Stammesherzogtümer (tribal duchies) were new political and, ultimately, social units. Their dukes were Carolingian counts, part of the international "imperial aristocracy" of the Carolingians, who organized defense on a local basis without questioning loyalty to the Carolingians. All the same, their initial success established them in the hearts of those whom they protected. In Saxony the Liudolfings, descendants of military commanders first established by Louis the German, achieved spectacular successes against the Slavs, Danes, and Magyars. In Franconia the Konradings rose to prominence over this largely Frankish region with the assistance of Arnulf but became largely independent during the minority of his son. Similarly, the Luitpoldings, originally named as Carolingian commanders, became dukes of Bavaria. Thuringia fell increasingly under the protection and lordship of the Liudolfings. In Swabia (Alemannia) several clans disputed control with one another and with regional ecclesiastical lords. Throughout the kingdom the only force for preserving unity remained the church, but the bishops approved the secularization of much monastic land to sustain troops who could counter the threat of external foes, thus further strengthening the power of the dukes.

The structural transformation of the "imperial aristocracy" into a local elite accompanied the emergence of an increasingly particularist, dynastically oriented aristocratic society that was bound together through ties of vassalage and in which local rulers exercised personal lordship over the free and half-free populations of the regions. This process did not advance as far in Germany as it did in France. Everywhere German society remained closer to older, regional varieties of social organization as well as to traditions of Carolingian government by ecclesiastical authorities and imperial deputies.
John Michael Wallace-Hadrill Patrick J. Geary

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History of Germany | Flag, Maps, Facts, Unification, & Pictures

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History of Germany, a survey of important events and people in the history of Germany from ancient times to the present. Germanic peoples occupied much of the present-day territory of Germany in ancient times. The Germanic peoples are those who spoke one of the Germanic languages, and they thus

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Social Justice:
-Social Justice is becoming a bigger issue in Germany.

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When thinking about social justice and Germany what immediately pops into one's head is World War II and the Nazi regime. There is no denial that there was social injustice under the Nazi regime...

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Rights and Responsibilities of citizens:
-Rights: freedom of speech, freedom of press, no torture, voting, freedom of assembly.
-Responsibilities: taxation (goods and services). , military/civil services. (at the age of 18 German citizens serving in the military or civil services is required.

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The 'women's march' demonstration in Berlin following Donald Trump's inauguration. Photo. DPA.

For International Women's Day on Wednesday, The Local takes a look at how Germany stacks up when it comes to women's rights.

Germany may have a female Chancellor, but there are also some areas where the country could step up its game in the name of women's rights.

1. Abortion rights

While abortions may be performed legally in Germany, the procedure is actually technically defined as "illegal" under the criminal code, and the circumstances under which it can be performed are labelled as "exceptions".

In order to get an abortion, the following conditions must generally be met: the woman must request the abortion, undergo counselling at least three days before the operation, a physician must perform it, and it must occur within the first 12 weeks of the pregnancy. Women seeking abortions due to medical reasons or because the pregnancy was caused by a crime, such as rape, do not have to go to counselling.

A woman found to be under "exceptional distress" may also be able to have an abortion up to 22 weeks into the pregnancy, if she also undergoes counselling.

Still, the wording of the German law concerning the required counselling has a pro-life ring to it: The counselling is meant to "protect unborn life", and to "encourage the woman to continue the pregnancy and to open her to the prospects of a life with the child", the law states.

Insurance providers will generally cover the costs of an abortion if there is a medical risk or criminal aspect to the pregnancy. For other kinds of abortions, women must take on the costs themselves, unless they are considered low income.

2. Contraception rights

Photo: DPA

Emergency contraception - also known as the morning after pill - has been available at pharmacies without a prescription needed since 2015. Women under age 20 can have this pill covered by insurance, if the woman sees a doctor and gets a prescription, meaning those without a prescription or over 20 have to pay out of pocket.

Regular contraceptive methods like the birth control pill are not generally covered by insurance.

3. A wide wage gap

Germany has one of the largest wage gaps in Europe, with women earning 21.6 percent less than men. The European average, meanwhile, is 17 percent. And only two European countries pay women less than Germany: Estonia and Austria.

The German Federal Statistics Office reported last year that the gender pay gap can be attributed to various factors, such as the different industries in which men and women tend to work, as well as "poor opportunities for women to access certain professions or career levels, which may be the result of discriminatory structures".

Women in Germany are more likely to work in low-paid sectors, or only part time.

When adjusted for comparable qualifications and positions, women in Germany made 7 percent less per hour than men in 2010.

4. Small amount of women are political or business leaders

Photo: DPA

About 36 percent of Germany's parliamentary representatives are women, which placed the country 24th worldwide in the World Economic Forum 's gender gap ranking last year. This meant that Germany was directly behind Tanzania, Slovenia, Angola and the Netherlands.

When taking into account German women's representation in other high-ranking positions - like company managers - Germany fell to 75th place worldwide with only 29 percent of women at such levels professionally.

According to an EY report earlier this year, women made up just 6.7 percent of executive boards of the 160 market-listed companies surveyed.

5. Comparatively low amount of women in higher education

While most of the more than 100 countries surveyed by the World Economic Forum had either equal ratios of men to women in tertiary education, or even higher amounts of women, Germany had slightly more men enrolled.

6. But it's trying to close the pay and achievement gaps

Photo: DPA

In recent years, Germany has pushed two different laws aimed at closing its wage and achievement gaps. The first is the so-called 'women's quota', which went into effect last year. It obliges Germany's largest companies to ensure 30 percent of all supervisory board positions are held by women.

DAX 30 companies have already met the 30 percent quota for women on supervisory boards, according to research by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW).

But the EY report from January showed that overall, the law is having a slow impact.

The second law is still yet to be passed by the German parliament, but was approved by Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet in January. This proposal is intended to create more wage transparency as it would ask larger companies to disclose what men and women in equal positions are paid.

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Six things to know about women's rights in Germany

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The 'women's march' demonstration in Berlin following Donald Trump's inauguration. Photo. DPA. For International Women's Day on Wednesday, The Local takes a look at how Germany stacks up when it comes to women's rights. Germany may have a female Chancellor, but there are also some areas where the country could step up its game in the name of women's rights.

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-Key Documents of German-Jewish History:
-Illustrates central thematic aspects of Hamburg's Jewish history from the Early Modern Period to the present time period.
-A model for broader developments and questions of German-Jewish history.

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April 22, 2015

"What ever caused history and geography (the two subjects in which Americans seem to be severely lacking) to be replaced by Social Studies?" As a social studies teacher by training (who mostly taught outside of the social studies area these past 30 years), I think constantly of this question.

History USED to be taught as a "grand narrative" giving students a global sense of when things happened, and what happened where, and WHY things were happening. That was apparently replaced by the "units" system in the early 1960s (the system I went through as a student). The unit system is far easier for teachers who lack sufficient background knowledge to teach the grand narrative, because with units, teachers can learn as they teach. Teaching with the narrative method takes far more reading, research, and thinking-maybe teachers, or even education as a profession just isn't up to asking that of new teachers. The result of this has been that most younger Americans now know neither history, nor geography, compared with other countries, or even compared with earlier times in America.

Looking briefly at social studies standards from New York state (pre-Common Core), it is clear to see that even a student who mastered everything in the curriculum would still end up not knowing history or geography. What they would know instead is a large amount of disjointed information, such as feudalism, capitalism, the major religions, the neolithic revolution, etc., but without ANY sense of the narrative of history, nor any sense of the locations and boundaries of modern countries (geography), nor any sense of the cultures or modern thinking of these countries-much less, any of the history of those countries! Therefore, they are unprepared to understand those cultures, and countries' behavior in the modern world.

Looking at the new Common Core Social Studies for New York State, the standards do a much better job. However, there is a new problem. The standards are so extensive that students rush through these time periods without seeing the overall grand scheme of things. The standards are heavily focused on reading original source material and pulling out facts for writing; in reality, those parts of the curriculum are actually LITERACY standards. Only the best students are able to measure up to these reading and writing standards. While I am highly in favor of helping students become more highly literate, not every student is able to attain this level of literacy. One of the reasons we will always need good teachers is that not every student is able to "teach themselves." They need to hear the teacher's thoughts, insights, and conclusions, in order to stimulate their own thinking and understanding.

One reason social studies has become focused too highly on facts, and less highly on analysis is that it avoids contentious discussions and political issues.

It's easy and NON-CONTROVERSIAL to say, "This happened, that happened," or read non-controversial facts in a text book. But all of the-important questions are side-stepped. "Why did ethnic cleansing happen here at this time?" "Why did the Salem Witch Trials happen? Could something like this happen again today? What similarities were there between the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism in America, in the 1950s?" These are examples of the important questions in history, and the types of questions that inspire students toward critical thinking and an interest in history that will make its study useful in their lives. Unfortunately, questions and discussions of this type often get teachers in trouble with parents, principals, and school boards. So these important questions are mostly ignored, and students are usually given a barrage of facts, but often without the useful threads to tie them together.

It would be better to cover fewer facts and fewer original sources at the high school level. Students would be better served in their lives with general trends and principles looked at, which are then supported by fewer facts and documents; however those facts and documents used would be the most important. For example, we should be actually reading and discussing the Declaration of Independence point-by-point and how it relates to the world of today, compared to the world it was created in. We should be reading some writings by the founding fathers and discussing those writings, as well as the hopes and worries the founding fathers had for the future of our country. These are far more important than reading many obscure documents such as the private correspondence of a minor ambassador in a Middle Eastern culture of 1,000 years ago, that has little bearing on today's events. Some things are just more important to know about than others.

Jumping from time period to time period, and civilization to civilization, is appropriate when we want to look at a general principle and see how it works in various societies. This style is less appropriate when we want to show cause and effect, or trends throughout generations. The old narrative method was far superior in helping students to remember what events happened, and why. It is also easier to remember a story than to remember disjointed events. What is really lacking in social studies education of today are the master teachers' summaries for students, and discussions with students, of why we are studying certain facts and events, and what general conclusions we can learn from historic events to use for the future.

The National Council for the Social Studies (founded in 1921, just about the same time as the "narrative style" of history teaching went out of fashion) social studies promotes knowledge of, and involvement in, civic affairs. Instead of the old narrative method of studying history, they promote today's curriculum standard s which focus on ten areas:

2.) Time, Continuity, and Change

3.) People, Places, and Environments

4.) Individual Development and Identity

5.) Individual Groups and Institutions

6.) Power, Authority, and Governance

7.) Production, Distribution, and Consumption

8.) Science, Technology, and Society

9.) Global Connections

10.) Civic Ideals and Practices

Most students now know a smattering about the above topics, but lack the cohesion to tie them together, and know very little about any particular society. This new form of social studies education has not made students more prepared to be good civic citizens. Returning to history as a narrative and studying more about the implications of world geography (rather than only studying names of countries and capitals) would be far better! Few of today's teachers, however, would be able to teach in this manner.

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April 22, 2015 "What ever caused history and geography (the two subjects in which Americans seem to be severely lacking) to be replaced by Social Studies?" As a social studies teacher by training (who mostly taught outside of the social studies area these past 30 years), I think constantly of this question.

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Political controversies:
-Bohmermann affair: a political affair following an experimental poem that insulted the Turkish president using profane language.
-Operation Kaninchenjagd: an anonymous paper that became public in September 2016 that led to accusations about German politicians and the general secretary.

Key political figures:
-Willy Brandt
-Helmut Kohl
-Otto von Dismarck

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If you want to use this image commercially and we've indicated* that Alamy doesn't have a release, you might need additional permission from the model, artist, owner, estate, trademark or brand. More information.

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Stock Photo - Berlin, Germany. 15th Mar, 2017. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble presents the key figures for the 2018 German federal budget and the financial plan until 2021

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Download this stock image: Berlin, Germany. 15th Mar, 2017. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble presents the key figures for the 2018 German federal budget and the financial plan until 2021, during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, 15 March 2017.

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Political System:
Germany is a democratic, federal parliamentary republic, and federal legislative power that is vested in the Bundestag and Bundesrat. (the parliament of Germany and the representative body of the Lander, Germany's regional state).

Rule of Law:
-Since 2008 the EU Rule of Law Initiative in central Asia has been coordinated together with France.
- The initiative is coordinated by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection within German.
-They all have primary responsibility.

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As of mid 1995, Germany was a country coming to terms with the recent unification of its western and eastern portions following four decades of Cold War division. Achieved in October 1990, German unification consisted, in effect, of the incorporation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany) into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or West Germany). Thus, the unified country, rather than reflecting a mix of both states' systems, largely represented a continuation of the West German political and economic system. West German chancellor Helmut Kohl preferred this "fast track" to unification, outlined in Article 23 of the West German Basic Law, or constitution, because he feared that international circumstances might change and the chance for unification might be missed. The alternative path to unification, detailed in Article 146, would have required the replacement of the Basic Law with a constitution developed specifically for a unified Germany.

During the summer of 1990, the governments of the two German states drafted a 1,000-page treaty outlining the terms of political union. The document explained how the political structures and policies of West Germany would be extended to the east, how other institutions-such as the education system-would be coordinated, and which issues would be resolved later-for instance, abortion policy. The parliaments of both German states ratified the treaty, and the territory of East Germany joined the Federal Republic under Article 23 on October 3, 1990.

The West German system of government, outlined in the Basic Law, reflects in particular a desire to transcend the interwar period of democratic instability and dictatorship. A federal system of government, considered vital to a stable, constitutional democracy, was put in place as a direct response to lessons learned from the Nazis' misuse of centralized structures. After four years of Allied occupation, the FRG was established in 1949. The country attained sovereignty in 1955 when the Allies transferred responsibility for national security to the newly formed armed forces, the Bundeswehr.

Creating a climate of political stability was a primary goal of the authors of West Germany's Basic Law. Among other things, the Basic Law established the supremacy of political parties in the system of government. In the resulting "party state," all major government policies emanated from the organizational structure of the political parties. In the decades since 1949, West Germany's parties have tended toward the middle of the political spectrum, largely because both the historical experience with fascism and the existence of communist East Germany greatly diminished the appeal of either extreme. This reigning political consensus, challenged briefly in the late 1960s by the student protest movement and in the early 1980s by economic recession, has led many observers to judge the "Bonn model" a success. However, it remains an open question whether the legal, economic, and political structures of the past will serve the unified Germany as well in the future.

Related articles:
The Chancellor of Germany
The President in Germany
The Legislature in German Politics
Bundestag
Bundesrat of Germany
Electoral System of Germany
German Political Parties
Extra Party Political Forces in Germany
German Flag

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As of mid 1995, Germany was a country coming to terms with the recent unification of its western and eastern portions following four decades of Cold War division. Achieved in October 1990, German unification consisted, in effect, of the incorporation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany) into the Federal Republic of Germany...

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Industrialization:
-Railways play a very important in Germany's economic growth. They increase efficiency because it gets everything done quicker.

Scarcity:
Water is scarce and continues to be wasted. Water sources can cause a major conflict and and bring billions of losses for the German Market.
Germans imports will be cut off due to water shortages in producer states.

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As the growing world population's consumption of water increases, fresh water resources are also becoming scarcer due to climate change. Water sources are melting and drying out. Scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) have calculated how much of the essential resource the world risks losing to the effects of climate change.

To get a clearer picture of such effects, the researchers collected data from five global climate models and 11 global hydrologic models. Their study aims at finding new ways to counter looming water scarcity.

Not too late

Understanding the potential effects of climate change on water resources is important in part because climate change can still be curbed, says Jacob Schewe, lead author of the PIK study.

"From a scientific point of view, climate change can definitely still be delayed," he explains, adding that if climate protection were significantly strengthened worldwide over the next decades, "global warming could be limited to about 1.5 degrees [Celsius], which in turn would prevent a good part of the developments impacting water resources."

The Potsdam study assumes a 2.7-degree increase in temperatures over the pre-industrial era - or two degrees higher than current temperatures.

For the world population, that increase means that one out of ten people would suffer from absolute water scarcity by the end of this century. When the amount of renewable fresh water available per person each year drops below 500 cubic meters, scientists speak of absolute water scarcity. Global use today is at about 1,200 cubic meters per year per person, but industrialized countries use significantly more water than developing countries.

Investment in agriculture

37 nations already make do with the bare minimum in water resources, according to experts at the World Resources Institute (WRI), a co-author of the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas. Massive investments in efficient water management are necessary to counter the effects of water scarcity, says Paul Reig, an associate at the Washington-based WRI.

Agriculture is the world's largest consumer of water

"The largest potential is in agriculture, since agriculture is one of the largest water users," Reig told DW. "There are a number of technical innovations and solutions that investors are looking into, and I think that is going to play a large role in solving the increasing challenge to meeting our water demands."

In times of rising food prices, the agricultural sector has become more interesting for investors. Asian companies, particularly in China, as well as their European counterparts are buying up large swaths of land in Africa to grow food products. They, too, have a vested interest in good harvests and are keen on "investment in any aspect of agriculture that offers a significant opportunity to reduce its demand for water," water risk expert Reig says. "Either because of changes in crop type or based on improved irrigation technologies or improved drainage."

Hunger follows on the heels of water scarcity

Agriculture must change in order to counter dwindling water resources. Climate researchers warn of an increased risk of hunger, in particular in poorer countries, while farmers will have to adapt to recurring drought and extreme, torrential rains.

Swiss agronomist Hans Rudolf Herren, one of the winners of this year's Right Livelihood Awards, doubts that agriculture can be brought into line through investments in technology and irrigation alone. "Technical solutions to save water in agriculture will play but a small role even 50 years from now - the corresponding costs are just too high," Herren told DW. The natural properties of many crops, including root crops and grasslands, can't be influenced much by technology, he says.

Herren won the 2013 Alternative Nobel Prize for his work on promoting a sustainable food supply

Herren predicts that in the future, agriculture will mainly grapple with two consequences of climate change: drought and flooding. The way to counter that development, he argues, is through organic farming, which "strengthens the capacity of the soil to absorb water, to enrich it and later deliver it again to the plants."

New global menu

Organic farming could also limit the spread of diseases and pests without farmers having to resort to pesticides. Crop rotation and diversity would make it more difficult for diseases and crop destroyers to infest cultivated areas. By contrast, Herren says planting monocultures is like putting down a highway for pests, allowing them to tap into even more habitats as global temperatures rise.

According to the agronomist, consumers, too, must alter their habits in ways that include eating less meat and seeking out crops more attuned to local conditions. In dry regions of the world, farmers could plant the cereal crop millet, which needs significantly less water than corn.

The agronomist is confident such changes would help feed a constantly growing global population. Even today, he says, the world produces enough food for 14 billion people. "We don't need to produce more food - what we need is better quality and more diversity." Herren notes an additional climate-friendly measure: growers and consumers should be located closer to one another to decrease the amount of shipments and transports.

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potsdam institute for climate impact research

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Climate change fuels water scarcity and hunger | Globalization | DW.COM | 26.12.2013

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As the growing world population's consumption of water increases, fresh water resources are also becoming scarcer due to climate change. Water sources are melting and drying out. Scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) have calculated how much of the essential resource the world risks losing to the effects of climate change.

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Poverty:
-Children are usually more poor than adults.
-75% of children live on welfare.
-12.5 million Germans are classified as poor.
Wealth:
-One percent of people in Germany are the richest and have at least 800,000 euros (1.09 million)

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I went strolling through Münich's Marienplatz this morning. It's the center of the city, and has been since 1158. Chunky snowflakes dumped on me as I went in search of a big German pretzel and a coffee. I soon discovered that Marienplatz (and consequently the economy of Germany) seem to be in no need of the ECB's quantitative easing.

Snowplows were pushing around several inches of snow that had fallen overnight. The street vendors selling assorted warm and candied nuts were setting up their shops for the day, as were the women selling huge clementines, dates and other fruit. A couple of young girls at the H&M outlet were rearranging a window display. A small gaggle of German professionals and civil workers from nearby offices pooled outside of a popular bakery. And at the nearby Victuals Market, my destination, florists, bakers, juice sellers, butchers, cheesemongers, a woman selling 50 different kinds of honey, another woman who imports Spanish ham and wine for a local clientele and the morning staff at several small eateries were preparing for the day.

In other words: just another normal day in a bustling German town, in the middle of yet another Greek/euro dustup.

And that's precisely the point. For all you hear about the struggles in the German economy being signs that the euro zone is in trouble again, life on the ground is a bit different than what you're led to believe. And it's this life on the ground that serves as another indication of the misinformation we're all fed by the media, and proves that Europe is where you want some of your wealth invested today.

Clearly, a snapshot of a morning in the life of Marienplatz does not a bigger trend make. This is, after all, a tourist hotspot and the center of Münich's municipal government. One would expect to see more economic activity in the area. Though, to be fair, the only tourists I saw crazy enough to visit Münich in the dead of snowy winter were a few Chinese couples, some Brits and me (but I'm here finishing a book and taking the pulse of the German economy for my Sovereign Investor readers).

Even if Marienplatz isn't necessarily indicative of the Germany economy as a whole, it is, nevertheless, a great spot from which to comment on the German economy as a whole. Even a casual observer of economic conditions can tell a lot about those conditions simply by strolling a city's main streets.

During our own financial crisis in the States, the abundance of "for lease" signs on new and entirely empty office buildings, the "closed" signs on restaurants and shops, the forests of "for sale" signs in front yards across every major American city ... they all told you that America was not in a good way. I saw similar signs while wandering the beachside barrio of Barceloneta in Barcelona, Spain, during the height of the European debt crisis - and Barcelona was one of Spain's healthier cities.

Here in Münich, well not so much.

Beyond the Media's Doom and Gloom

This part of Germany, a region called Bavaria, is the wealthiest state in Germany, and Germany is the wealthiest state in Europe. In business, wealth trickles up as much as it trickles down. If Europe was sucking wind as badly as we're told, Germany would be floundering and Münich would clearly be feeling the effects.

And yet, business optimism here is upbeat. In fact, it's rising across Germany.

Much-watched indicators - such as the Ifo Business Climate index, a business-expectations index and an index that assesses the business situation in Germany - are all on the rise. As Ifo noted in its January report, "Companies were far more satisfied with their current business situation and the majority was also optimistic about the business outlook." The German Purchasing Manager's Index, reflecting economic health in Germany's all-important manufacturing sector, is rising. And German consumer confidence is on the upswing and retail sales are rising.

All of that is reflected in broad expectations that the German economy will grow by as much as 2% this year.

But still we're told that Europe is a basket case and the euro is a disaster waiting to happen.

Maybe the snow that piled atop my head walking through Marienplatz froze my noggin, but something just ain't adding up. Either the U.S. and British media have an agenda - and, in large measure, they're the only real media we hear about Europe from the U.S. - or life in Europe just isn't the bed of nails we're told it is.

My stroll through Münich tells me it's the latter.

As the Germans last month celebrated the highest consumer-sentiment readings in 13 years, Spaniards were celebrating retail sales for December that rose a very healthy 6.5% from a year ago - and this was one of the PIIGS nations the media insisted was destined for collapse. The French were celebrating their own retailing victory, as well.

So it is, then, that three of euro zone's four biggest economies are improving. (And, actually, Greece was looking up, too, having grown by 1.7% in the third quarter. How that plays forward now that the anti-austerity Syriza Party has won is a crapshoot. Syriza, in a fit of childish martyrdom, wants to go cold turkey on its reliance on debt from the European Union, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund, even though that promises to be a massive disaster in a country so corrupt that ordinary Greek citizens have stopped paying taxes, which could leave government coffers empty by the end of this month.)

The only real problem in the euro zone is the ECB itself. In Federal Reserve-like fashion, it's bastardizing the money and contorting interest rates without allowing the European economy to heal naturally. But underneath the ECB's wrongheaded prescription, it's clear from my stroll in snowy Münich that the real economy is working nevertheless.

Trade Expensive for Cheap

It's for all of these reasons that Europe is a bargain today for investors. It's why I just recently put my Sovereign Investor monthly readers into a European investment that will prosper as it becomes clear to the world that Europe simply isn't the calamity the media write about. Better still, there's no euro risk.

European stocks are cheap. American stocks are expensive, really expensive. Time to trade some of those expensive assets for cheap assets that you can ride higher when the tide turns ... and based on what I saw here in Münich, it will.

Until next time, stay Sovereign ...

Jeff Opdyke
Editor, Profit Seeker

- Jeff Opdyke

As a lifelong world traveler, Jeff Opdyke has been investing directly in the international markets since 1995, making him one of the true pioneers of foreign trading. He is Investment Director for The Sovereign Society and the editor of Frontline Investor, a weekly trade alert, and Total Wealth Insider, The Sovereign Society's exclusive monthly research newsletter.

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Marienplatz, Germany: A Sign of Hope For Europe's Economy

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I went strolling through Münich's Marienplatz this morning. It's the center of the city, and has been since 1158. Chunky snowflakes dumped on me as I went in search of a big German pretzel and a coffee. I soon discovered that Marienplatz (and consequently the economy of Germany) seem to be in no need of the ECB's quantitative easing.

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Good and services:
-Some of the top exports in Germany is:
-chemical goods
-equipment
-basic metals
-food products
-rubber and plastics

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File:Environmental goods and services sector turnover by environmental domains in thousand euros, Germany 2007.png - Statistics Explained

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Transportation:
-The U-Bahn (underground train)
The S-Bahn (suburban express train)
-Bus (Busse)
-Bus station (Busbahnhof)

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"A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation." Mayor of Bogota
Public transport in Germany is outstanding, covering effectively regions inside the big cities, interconnecting cities as well as connecting smaller towns along the way. Its excellent reputation refers to it being reliable, comfortable and relatively fast. Albeit the fact that Germans are known to be car lovers, most citizens living inside big cities, especially expats choose to use public transport in their everyday lives. Bigger cities offer various types of public transportation compared to smaller towns yet even in the smallest towns there is at least a bus system. The information on schedules, ticket fees and possible discounts are elaborately presented on the respective official websites.

Modes of Transportation

The major cities feature four distinct types of public transportation. The fastest and vastly used is the Rapid transit system involving five U-Bahn systems covering the city center and thirteen S-Bahn systems that operate underground in the city center and over ground towards the suburbs.

Public transport is enforced also by Straßenbahn (tramlines) and the bus system.

Buses are a great way of transportation at night time. Though they are cheaper compared to a cab and to be found in the middle of the night, they tend to be pretty slow and not so comfortable. On the other hand tramlines, have a higher capacity than buses, they are faster since they run on their own tracks yet they have a predetermined line therefore they lack flexibility.

U-Bahn (subway/underground)

Most of Germany's metropolitan areas have the Untergrundbahn also known as U-Bahn, the underground rapid transit. In the most central areas they run underground raising at ground level as they get closer to the periphery.

The lines are systematically organized and numbered with a U followed by the corresponding number meanwhile they operate quite frequently, every 5 to 15 min.

S-Bahn (suburban commuter rail)

This is the railway that operates within city center traffic including the suburbs and nearby towns. There express trains travelling from the city center deep into the periphery work flawlessly in the bigger cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt-Mainz-Wiesbaden, Stuttgart, Cologne-Düsseldorf-Ruhr District, Nuremburg, Dresden, Leipzig-Halle, Mannheim-Heidelberg-Karlsruhe, Magdeburg, and Rostock.

In the largest cities the S-Bahn standard is quite similar to the metro system. Service is relatively frequent every 20-30 min. The train, after making several stops in and around the city center, prologues its way towards the suburbia.

Service in the weekdays differs from that of weekends, it vastly condensed particularly on Sundays and during holidays.

Bus

Bus stops in Germany are marked with a capital H. The bigger the city, the number of bus systems operating in it increases. Berlin has several bus systems operating simultaneously, and as other large cities it has a night bus service. Instead smaller towns operate under the GermanRail system.

Straßenbahn/Trambahn (streetcar/tram)

Most cities, especially the eastern ones have this type of over ground transportation. In the major cities it even goes underground in the central part, obviously avoiding the overpopulated parts. It even has a nickname, the tube.

Stadtbahn (light rail)

Similar to the U-Bahn, yet operating mainly in the suburbia and over ground some of the large cities have also this means of transportation called Stadtbahn or light rail. This servise has an exclusive predetermined unique way which makes it faster than the Trahmbahn.
The frequency is flattering as well running every 10-20min.

The Stadtbahn stations are marked with the same U as U-Bahns, an ideal situation for confusion however they have Stadtbahn written below.

Ticket Fees

Tickets come in one time pass, a daily pass, weekly pas and a monthly pass.

With a valid ticket one has access to all public transport inside the city: S-Bahn, U-Bahn, buses, trams and ferries.

Tickets are bought at ticket machines on the platforms of S-and U-Bahn stations which fortunately for expats are multilingual. In buses the money is given to the bus driver pretty old school while in trams you get the ticket from the machines machines inside the trains.

Tickets must be validated before the journey. This is done by going at the yellow or red boxes on the platforms to get them stamped. In buses or trams the person in charge does it manually. In case of inspection, a ticket that is not stamped is invalid and you are charged around a 40 Euro fine.

Travelling with a dog is possible under the certain conditions; the dog has to be leashed and wearing a schnozzle (mouth-mask). If the dog is small enough to hold it, the size of a cat really it can ride without a ticket whereas for big dogs a ticket of 1.5 euros is usually paid.

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A Foreigner's Guide to Public Transport in Germany

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"A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation." Mayor of Bogota Public transport in Germany is outstanding, covering effectively regions inside the big cities, interconnecting cities as well as connecting smaller towns along the way.

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Natural Resources:
Timber, natural gas, coal, lignite, uranium, iron ore, salt, nickle, copper, etc.

Major cities:
-Hamburg
-Frankfurt
-Munich
-Cologne

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A visit to Ulan Bator is not without unique rules for diplomatic protocol. When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the Mongolian capital in October, she had to pay careful attention to the direction she walked as she stepped into a yurt at the governmental palace. Moving clockwise is of paramount importance.

Before long, though, she was invited to take her seat and get down to business. It was time to address the topic she had come to discuss: raw materials.

The chancellor is more than willing to travel to the ends of the earth, if it means she can secure Germany's supply of natural resources. Indeed, Mongolia hasn't been the chancellor's only stop on the search for more; she was recently in Angola and Nigeria as well.

She plans to report on the results of her Mongolia trip at an upcoming meeting with German industrial representatives. Ten companies, including BASF, Daimler, Evonik and ThyssenKrupp, have all joined forces to ensure the future supply of natural resources.

Called the "Alliance for Securing Raw Materials," the project is to participate in drilling and mining ventures abroad, bundling their market power. On average, five out of six exploratory ventures fail -- a risk the new alliance would like to share among as many participants as possible.

Merkel's role is to provide organizational assistance for the project, open doors to leaders in countries rich in natural resources and to lend the undertaking the necessary gravitas. In the past, such an alliance between politicians and corporations would have been seen as violating the basic principles of a market economy. Today, it's considered modern industrial policy.

Resource Hunting Around the Globe

A task force from the participating companies has already agreed on many of the details. Each of the corporations will participate as a shareholder, providing a six-figure sum to the raw materials alliance. This joint venture will then go resource hunting around the globe, with the advantage for the participating companies being that they hold the right of first refusal. This is expected to provide a speedy injection of at least €1 billion ($1.4 billion) into new raw materials projects.

Three German ministries -- those for economics, foreign policy and development -- will participate as well, a role the project outline describes as "exceptional political support." Another body with an important role is the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, a governmental agency already seeking out deposits of natural resources, from manganese nodules in the Pacific Ocean to natural gas in the Arctic. This August, Federal Research Minister Annette Schavan, a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), commissioned the construction of a new research ship to be used for the exploration of the world's oceans. The deep seas are a "treasure chest," Schavan says, adding, "We want to be part of it."

The German government also hopes to reach a raw materials agreement with Kazakhstan by the end of this year. Kazakh Ambassador Nurlan Onzhanov was invited to visit the parliamentary group of the CDU and its sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) last Wednesday. Since word has gotten around about his country's wealth of manganese, tungsten, copper and molybdenum, the ambassador has become a popular man. Other countries the German government hopes to partner with include South Africa, Peru and Chile. There, the sought-after resource is lithium, crucial for the production of the latest-model electric car batteries.

Currently, supply problems are particularly severe when it comes to so-called rare earths. The term refers to 17 chemical elements with tongue-twister names such as dysprosium and praseodymium, but they are essential for manufacturing almost all modern industrial products.

Inoperable Without Rare Earths

Take, for example, fluorescent light bulbs manufactured by Osram at its factory in Augsburg. The finished tubes are coated with yttrium, cerium and europium so that they glow white. Nothing is better suited for this function, Osram representatives say, adding that these rare earth elements are "essential."

Wind turbine manufacturers need neodymium for their generators. Auto parts makers use lanthanum in their catalytic converters. The optics industry uses cerium oxide as a polishing agent. Rare earths even have an application in livestock farming, as a performance-enhancing additive in animal feed. Not a single iPod, plasma screen, electric motor or modern weapons system would be operable without rare earths.

German industry, too, has developed a serious addiction and manufacturers are complaining as prices for these high tech metals skyrocket. At the beginning of this year, terbium oxide cost around $625 per kilogram (2.2 pounds). Now, producers charge over $3,000. For other rare earths, prices have increased over a thousandfold in the space of a year. Just a few weeks ago, Osram explained its own price increases of up to 25 percent as resulting from the "explosive increase" in the prices of raw materials.

As demand for rare earths has risen, so too has the global competition to procure them. German government officials and industry leaders alike point to China as being their primary competitor. "China has gone from being an exporter to an importer of raw materials, which has fundamentally changed conditions on the market," says Volker Steinbach, head of the German Mineral Resources Agency.

China has created a global network of contracts, cooperative ventures and political deals. At the center of this network is Africa, long ignored by the West. In exchange for a $6 billion loan to the Democratic Republic of Congo, China received access to a copper and cobalt mine there. Loans of over $4.5 billion to Angola will be paid back in oil. China has also invested in Zambia, in order to access the country's copper, and is currently obtaining 7 percent of its petroleum from Sudan. Beijing has been able to secure these governments' favor through the construction of sports stadiums, roads, rail lines and hospitals.

'A Paradigm Shift'

Meanwhile, China itself is reluctant to part with its own raw materials. The country meets over 95 percent of global demand for rare earths, with reserves far larger than those of Australia or the US. In 2010, China raised its export duties and set limits on exports, and has since controlled prices more or less at will.

In recent weeks, as the global economic outlook took such a downturn that even rare earth prices dropped, Beijing took immediate action. The Baotou Group, largest producer of rare earths and supplier of nearly half the world's total demand of 125,000 metric tons (138,000 US tons), promptly discontinued production for at least a month.

The move, officially justified as an effort "to balance supply and demand," drew criticism from the World Trade Organization. Chinese representatives at the G-20 summit in Cannes this week are likely to hear their share of complaints as well. But such criticism isn't likely to change much.

Indeed, when Chancellor Merkel travels the world these days, China is always along for the ride -- in her head and in the heads of her hosts. China has considerable influence in Mongolia and Angola, and is trying to achieve the same in Nigeria.

Merkel had long made such countries an offer very different from that of China. Germany isn't looking for imperialist influence, she has always told her hosts, but wants to help in a sustainable way. Countries that allow Germany access to their raw materials receive compensation not only in money, but also especially in education, with Germany's dual system of apprenticeships and vocational training serving as Merkel's bargaining chip. You give me raw materials and I'll send teachers and trainers to educate your next generation, that was Merkel's deal.

The planned raw materials alliance puts an end to that strategy of modesty. From now on, Germany will fight more aggressively for natural resources. As the outline for the planned alliance states: "The supply of imported raw materials is undergoing a paradigm shift."

BY ALEXANDER JUNG, DIRK KURBJUWEIT, ALEXANDER NEUBACHER, CHRISTIAN SCHWÄGERL AND DIMITRI SOIBEL
Translated from the German by Ella Ornstein

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Help for German Industry: Merkel Joins the Global Hunt for Natural Resources - SPIEGEL ONLINE - International

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With rare earths in short supply the world over, Chancellor Angela Merkel has jumped in to help German industry search for more. The hope is to secure supplies well into the future -- and break the Chinese monopoly. By SPIEGEL Staff

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Economic Development:
Germany is the largest national economy in Europe. Germany's economy is based on the concept of the social market.

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Although an understanding of German culture takes time to acquire, the newcomer to Germany can facilitate the process through understanding the most common areas that make the German culture unique.

Germany is the second largest exporter and third largest importer of goods in the world. Yet despite its close links and relationships with other nations around the globe, it retains its own very distinct culture.

If you are a newcomer to Germany, insight into German culture is essential to help you integrate into your new life. However, the starting point for an understanding of any new culture is recognition that your own values, which have become ingrained over many years, are invisible. Perspectives and beliefs, which shape behaviour, are developed following the unique experience any individual has while interacting with others from the same region or with a similar belief system over a period of many years. These collective experiences will inevitably influence behaviour in any given situation.

Often these values only become apparent when meeting people from a different culture. Miscommunication and misunderstandings can therefore frequently occur when a newcomer comes into contact with the new culture, which, due to its own rich heritage, will have a very different outlook and set of values.

Insight into German culture takes time to acquire and this will be helped by specialist intercultural training before moving abroad. However, the newcomer can gain some insights through understanding the most common areas, which make the German culture unique and sometimes, surprising.

Formality

The German culture is one of formality. There is a distinction between the formal 'you' and the informal 'you'. People who have been neighbours or work colleagues for many years may still refer to each other as the German equivalent of Mr and Mrs rather than use first name terms.

It may be more difficult to make friends initially in Germany - the expat family will need to go and introduce themselves to their neighbours. This is because German culture is not a relationship-driven but a task-orientated culture. Germans do not generally participate in small-talk about the weather, but prefer to get on with the job in hand. Although it can be challenging to induce the German people to 'open up', once you succeed, you will meet their warm and generous side. Once a friendship is made, it is often for life.
Why no kitchen?
Anyone moving to Germany may be confused why rental properties frequently do not have kitchens. This is normal as 70 percent of the market is made up of long-term rentals, so when moving into a new home, the tenant would be expected to install a new kitchen and decorate for the long term. This part of the culture dates back to the post-war era where people needed 20 to 30 percent equity to obtain a mortgage, creating the trend of long-term rentals. You will find most landlords still rent long term today. Time-keeping

Attitudes towards time are also different. In the US, time is money. However, in Germany, people are expected to be on-time as this shows respect to others. If someone cannot deliver on time, they are not seen as reliable.

Clear divisions
German people tend to compartmentalise life and business and this is shown in many areas. For instance, work relationships are kept separate from social relationships. Similarly, job roles are specialised and experts from each department will attend cross-functional meetings. In the social arena, you may also see evidence of this compartmentalisation when paying the bill at a restaurant. Typically, the bill will not be divided equally as each person only pays for what they eat or drink.

'Why?' rather than 'How?'
A sense of 'responsibility' is also a key aspect of German culture. Even children are often told to 'take responsibility'. If something goes wrong or someone is late, there will be much analytical discussion about why this happened.

Germans often ask 'why', while many other western cultures ask 'how'. This is seen in the planning aspect of the culture which is particularly important. When the Congestion Charge went live in the centre of London, an 80-year-old woman was charged when her car had not left its garage for many years! In Germany, a similar Lorry Autobahn Charge was tested continuously for two years to ensure all was in order before it was officially the law.
Quality counts
This may also give an insight into the importance placed on quality, which comes back to the long-term outlook of the German culture. If a German purchases a new coat or car, they will buy quality, expecting it to last for the next 10 years.
No grey areas please!
For anyone moving to Germany, it is a clean and orderly country. Situations are viewed as right or wrong and any shades of grey are avoided. Great emphasis is placed on obeying the 'rules' and this can make Germany a comfortable place to live. However if unprepared, some may find this a little restrictive, so gaining some insight into the culture before moving is essential for a smooth and happy transition.

By Petra Schlerf, Senior Intercultural Trainer, Farnham Castle
Farnham Castle is a world leader in Intercultural Business Skills training and Global Mobility Programmes and can help with more detailed briefings on individual cultures. For further information visit www.farnhamcastle.com.

Photo credit: Arne Museler (photo 1), libertygrace0 (photo 2), 46137 (photo 3), momentcaptured1 (photo 4 & 5). / Published 2012; updated by Expatica December 2015.

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Understanding German culture: a starting point

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Although an understanding of German culture takes time to acquire, the newcomer to Germany can facilitate the process through understanding the most common areas that make the German culture unique. | Insider information on living in Germany, from expert opinions to personal anecdotes. We share your experiences.

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Civil right
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was ratified in 1969.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was ratified in 1973.
First Optional Protocol (ICCPR) was accessioned in 1993.

Struggles:
Germany struggles with the issue of deportations.

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A popular phrase I keep hearing is "Gay is the New Black." For anyone who has not heard this phrase, it is reference to the LGBT community looking for equal rights within America, one of the most discussed issues being a same-sex marriage bill, much like African Americans looked for civil rights during the early 1960's. Now I personally believe gay people should have the right to get married. Regardless of anyone's dogma concerning how natural/unnatural, whether people are born gay vs. it being choice, if anyone's God accepts Gay people; at the end of the day, the government should not be allowed to tell consenting adults if they can get married or not. People of varying religious practices should not intervene in the marriage of consenting adults. You have the right to disagree, but if you think what these people are truly doing is wrong, it is between them and God and not your duty to go around policing the public. To the Christians screaming from the rooftops about Gay Marriage (I see you Westboro Baptist Church), does the New Testament not state that Jesus intervened in the public stoning of Mary to simply state, " He who is without sin, cast the first stone." Practice what you preach.

My concern though is simply with the statement "Gay is the New Black" because I genuinely don't see how it is. If the message behind that statement is that the LGBT community would like to be treated as equal citizens, then by all means I understand that. But to say it is the new black is discounting what many African Americans went through in the 1960's.

Let's just use a scenario that before this decade is over, gays are allowed to marry and from that point on can't be "legally" discriminated against. Then that would make this decade similar to the late 1950's to early 1960's for African Americans considering that the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. I'm sorry but I don't see Gays having separate sections on buses, separate water fountains and entrances to go through..

I don't see Gay Pride Marches being stopped by Policemen striking people across the head with batons or having German Shepherds sicced on them.

I don't see news articles stating how mentally inferior Gays are. I also don't see Gay Civil Rights leaders getting murder in droves and forced to flee the country, (shouts out to Assata Shakur who is still hiding in Cuba from government officials).

The most recent Hate Crimes report, that I'm able to find, from the FBI shows that as of 2009, there are still more cases of Hate Crimes against people of varying races and religious backgrounds, with sexuality being number three.

I may be swinging for the fences but to me that says "Niggas and Muslims" are still getting attacked more frequently than homosexuals, once again this information is as of 2009.

Even looking at Television, Reality Shows are at the top of proverbial television entertainment hill and there are many prominent reality shows with gay leads or based around Gay Culture. Once again referencing my earlier reference to now being equivalent to the blacks 1960's and quick Google search would show:

May 1963: Thousands of African Americans, mostly children, arrested while protesting segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Eugene "Bull" Conner unleashes fire hoses and police dogs on demonstrators.

June 1963: Medgar Evers, civil rights activist, murdered and killer not convicted until over 30 years later.

October 1963: Sam Cooke and band arrested for registering at a whites only motel in Louisiana. Later becoming the inspiration to " A Change Is Gonna Come. "

And the stores go on and on...

I don't want this to be taken as an attempt to downplay the LGBT Movement, I hope the community gets an opportunity to feel equal in America in this lifetime and people can stop arguing over people's sexual preference. I just think that calling Gay The New Black drastically takes away from what African Americans went through to obtain the ability to be treated as equals within America, though instances like Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, and Amadou Diallo make me question if blacks can even be considered treated like equal citizens, but thats my own personal take. Calling "Gay the New Black" would be like calling the Boston Bombing the New 9/11. Both incredibly horrible events that woke up America, but on differing scales that should not be compared to one another.

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A popular phrase I keep hearing is "Gay is the New Black." For anyone who has not heard this phrase, it is reference to the LGBT community looking for equal rights within America, one of the most discussed issues being a same-sex marriage bill, much like African Americans looked for civil rights during the early 1960's.

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Key turning points:
-In 297 Constantus Chlorus who was the Roman emperor allowed the Salian Franks to settle among the Batavi.
-In 451 The Franks joined a Coalition led by the Western Roman Empire which defeated the HUns in modern northeastern France. (Battle if the Catalaunian Plains).

Key People:
-Adolf Hitler
-Karl Max
-Angela Merkel

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The School of History at St Andrews boasts a large cluster of historians working on aspects of the history of Germany and German-speaking Europe from the late fifteenth century to the late 1960s. There are particular strengths in the history of the German Reformation, the Holy Roman Empire and in German history from 1750 to the1960's.

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Land and Water forms:
-North European Plains: extends across the Northern reaches of Germany and is mostly used as farmland.
-North Sea Coastline: a low wet land with dikes, mudflats, and scattered islands.
-Batlic Sea: a hillier with jagged cliffs.
https://www.google.com/search?q=germany+geography&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijwJewwb7TAhVMw4MKHVCbAm4Q_AUIBigB&biw=1366&bih=662#imgrc=wpmElM-I_Pp0fM:

Climate:
The climate in Germany is moderate and does not have long periods of cold or hot weather.

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Festivals:
Berlin International Film Festival
Okoberfest
Leipzig Book Fair

Ethnic Groups:
German
Turkish
Haitian
Greek
Serb
Russian

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New Years in Germany

The year's first public holiday arrives on 1 January (New Year's Day). This is the time when the New Year's resolutions begin: How long will the diet work? Do you really go running every day? New Year's Eve is not a public holiday, but it is the last day of the year and ends with fireworks at midnight to say farewell to the past year and hello to the new one.

German Holidays of Christian Origin

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Many festivals and holidays in Germany are of Christian origin. The most important ones are Christmas and Easter. Christmas is usually celebrated with the family at home. On Christmas Eve (Heiligabend) families get together around the decorated Christmas tree, exchange presents and celebrate the birth of Christ. In the weeks leading up to Easter, chocolate bunnies and eggs can be seen (and bought) in shops everywhere. Part of the tradition is to hide the eggs away for the children to find. Easter is the time when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Overview of important German national public holidays:

New Year's Day (1 January)

Good Friday (Friday before Easter)

Easter Monday

1 May (Labour Day) - often accompanied by May Fires

Ascension

Whit Monday

The Day of German Unity (3 October)

Christmas Eve on 24 December is not a public holiday. But shops do shut in the afternoon, so that the celebrations can begin.

Christmas Day and Boxing Day (25/26 December) are public holidays

Shops, offices, agencies, schools and universities are closed on public holidays and Sundays.

International festivals and holidays

However, Germany has become a multicultural country. So, it can come as no surprise that the nationals of other countries living in Germany also celebrate their festivals and holidays. Turks, Greeks, Italians, Poles, Russians, Croatians and Spaniards, Arabs, Brits, Americans, and Australians, the French, Koreans and many more all have their special festivals and holidays and celebrate these together with Germans and other nationals.

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The year's first public holiday arrives on 1 January (New Year's Day). This is the time when the New Year's resolutions begin: How long will the diet work? Do you really go running every day?

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Food (common):
1. Pretzels
2. Potato salad
3. Mashed Potatoes
4. Bagels

Uncommon:
1. Schnitzel
2.  Bratwulst
3. Saverbraten

Clothes:
Leadwehosen "leather trousers" which are short, leather pants worn by men that are usually knee length.
Dirnal is an apron dress with ruffles that are usually worn by German women.

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Best German Clothes Photos 2016 - Blue Maize

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Religion:
65-70% of the population is Christian.

Health Care:
Germany has a universal multiplayer health care system. The two main types of health insurance is:
-"Statutory Health Insurance" (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung")
-"Private Health Insurance" (Private Krankenversicherung)

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Volksfest - celebration of German Culture

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Tuscaloosa's best events calendar is built by you.