  | If you're looking for a new home that has a past steeped in rich history, then Germany is the place for you. Consider Germany's history: Early on, Germanic tribes conquered the Roman Empire. Noblemen within the "Holy Roman Empire" - which Charlemagne (in German: Karl der Grosse) called his empire - began to gain more and more power, until the power of the princes and churchmen usurped that of the emperor himself. The Hapsburg Emperor Charles V attempted to crush Lutheranism, but was unable to, during the Schmalkaldic War, which occurred from 1545 to 1555. Shortly after, the Thirty Years War broke out, and the resulting Treaty of Westphalia left Germany fragmented. Soon Prussia rose to power in the area, and German nationalism arose shortly after. Germany unification soon resulted under Otto von Bismarck. The German Second Reich was established during this time period. However, World War I was catastrophic for Germany, and this disaster rocked the nation and shaped the following events in Germany's history. As a result of the war, and the hyperinflation that occurred as a result of it, the Nazi party was able to take power. Starving people were captivated by Nazi rhetoric that promised an improved economy and an end to the rampant unemployment. This allowed the Nazis to win 1/3 of the German vote by 1932, and thus the Third Reich, under Adolf Hitler, was born. World War II and the Third Reich under Hitler marks a dark time in Germany's history. It is undeniable that, yes, during the Holocaust, 6 million innocent Jews were slaughtered by Hitler. However, Germany has since overcome this dark period and moved past the terrible crimes the Nazis committed during World War II. During the Cold War, the United States provided aid to Germany through programs such as the Marshall Plan, and through the Berlin airlift. In 1989, the Cold War in Germany ended for good with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of formerly communist East Germany with democratic West Germany. If you remember only one thing about Germany's history, remember this - Germany's complex, and at times troubled, past has ensured that today Germany's government is stable, secure, and a champion of the rights of all. |
