...of a horrific genocide. Today, Germany dominates Europe on many levels. Participating in two world wars caused havoc on Germany’s economy and for many years, their future seemed bleak. They rebuilt their economy with great success. While most of Europe entered recession in late 2008, Germany was going from strength to strength economically. These topics are very relevant to our personal lives, not a day goes by without the economic state or fiscal crises being mentioned in the various forms of media. These issues affect us directly. Germany as a whole has developed greatly in recent years, in it’s society, it’s economy and other important areas. In my speech I will address many points that discuss Germany’s evolvement into a European economic superpower. I will discuss most importantly the history of Germany in the European Union and how it’s connected to the role of the economy in German history, exploring how Germany has developed in areas such as foreign policy, Gross Domestic Product and Inflation figures, the great divide between East Germany and West Germany after World War II and then Reunification. I will explore and refer to journals, books and popular press sources in Germany throughout my speech. After the First World War, Germany was left in a vulnerable state. Germany was economically devastated after a gruesome defeat in World War I. The economy was completely ruined. The Versailles Treaty didn’t help matters and forced Germany to give up 13% of its land, a...
Words: 2992 - Pages: 12
...but the separation of East and West Germany began years before. The life span of the wall lasted until November 9th 1989, just a mere 28 years later. The purpose of the Berlin wall was to separate the East and the West sides of Germany. The result of WWII divided Germany into zones; those zones were given to Great Britain, the United States, France and the Soviet Union. The rise and the fall of the Berlin Wall were key moments in our global history, as it was a series of events that shaped a country. World War II was a success in conquering Germany; The Potsdam Agreement officially broke up Germany into 4 zones. The furthest South was the United States territory, the Southwest territory belonged to the French, the British were in control of the Northwest Territory and Soviets had the East. This division was eventually broken down into a division of the West and East Germany, the West part of Germany was called composed of the United States, France and Great Britain, and was also known as the Federal Republic of Germany. The East side of Germany was the Soviet Union’s portion after the Potsdam Agreement; this side was also known as the German Democratic Republic. The West side of the berlin wall was very different than the East. The west side was the one that sought after to live in by the people of the East side. After the war and the separation of Germany between the four countries West Germany had a large and development in their economy. West of Berlin during the time of...
Words: 2246 - Pages: 9
...With the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Germany became reunified after over forty years of physical and ideological division. Discuss the costs and benefits of German unification Despite the fact that there are few remnants left of the Berlin Wall and nowadays, it is widely seen as a popular tourist attraction, it is still very much present in the mind-set of the Germans as a bitter reminder of when the families, friends and the entire nation were divided in 1961. After the Second World War, Germany was split into four occupation zones with the Soviet Union taking control of East Germany and France, the United Kingdom and United States taking control of parts in West Germany. Similarly, Berlin was split into 4 sectors despite the fact that it was located deep in the Soviet zone. It soon became apparent that there were extreme political divisions between the Soviet Union and the other three occupying powers; whilst West Germany was developed into a capitalist democracy with financial help from the Marshall Plan, East Germany became a communist, socialist republic. In East Germany, also known as the German Democratic Republic, the indoctrination of Marxism-Leninism was introduced as a compulsory part of school curricula and the media became completely controlled by the state’s communist government in order "to direct the thinking of the people into correct political lines.” The East German population were becoming increasingly repressed under these economical and political...
Words: 3127 - Pages: 13
...Once the proud capital of Germany Berlin was divided by a barrier that was patrolled day and night by armed soldiers and guard dogs. On August 13, 1961 shortly after midnight police and soldiers in the Communist controlled Berlin moved quickly to set up barriers. Berliners woke to find their city divided into east and west sectors. A communist nation led by the Soviet Union was in control of East Berlin. While West Berlin was controlled by a democratic nation led by the United States (Epler, 1992). The Berlin Wall known as Berliner Mauer in German (Rosenberg, 2016). It was a symbol of the Cold War. Trying to cross the Wall meant risking one’s life. One side of the Wall people were free to do all the normal things. While the other side of the wall people’s freedom was being taken away. Imagine that your best friend lives a mile away. You have been pals since first grade. You do everything together: school, soccer games, sleepovers. One day, men come and put up a barbed-wire fence between your house and your buddy’s house. Later, they replace it with a very long, very tall concrete wall. Each slab weighs 6,000 pounds, and many of them are topped with sharp wire. When they finish, you stare at the giant wall that has split your home town in two. On your side the wall is ugly but not too scary. On the other side, rattling tanks, soldiers with machine guns and growling dogs keep people from trying to cross the barrier. The wall stands 12 feet high. Your friend...
Words: 6813 - Pages: 28
...Abstract This assignment is submitted as partial requirement of Global Trade. This report depicts the sequences of Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall, erected November 13, 1961, served to separate communist East Germany from Western influences. Intended to "protect" East Germans, the wall actually was erected to prevent them from leaving the country. The Wall finally came down August 13, 1989, reuniting families and symbolizing the end of the cold war was near. The initial plans for Allied occupation of Germany were prepared in 1944 in London by the European Advisory Commission. In this agreement, Germany would be divided into four occupational zones governed by Great Britain, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union. The city of Berlin, which would be in the Soviet occupational zone, would be divided among the four powers as well. By the time of the blockade, there was a major contrast between the East and West Berlin. West Berlin was a thriving democratic, capitalist city, while East Berlin was in drab poverty. Trying to escape the forced collectivization of goods and agriculture, numerous shortages, and a police state, many fled to West Berlin. To maintain the stability of the communist regime, the East German leaders felt that these floods of people had to be stopped. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………..….3 1.1 Summary...
Words: 1554 - Pages: 7
...Democratic republic started building a giant barbed wire concrete wall between east and west Germany. East Germany was a communist state and didn’t want western Germany fascists coming in and trying to change that. The Berlin wall came to be for the purpose of keeping western Germany fascists where they were. Communist government in eastern Germany tried to keep fascist out before the construction of the wall but had little success. Eastern Germany’s government went to extreme measures to keep their communist government the way it was and thus the Berlin wall was born. The wall was mainly designed to prevent the “brain drain” of smart, educated eastern professionals from high-tailing it to western Germany. People who tried to escape were shot. Families couldn’t visit each other anymore. The wall...
Words: 510 - Pages: 3
...German History Research Paper by Ryan Parker 3334798 Dr. Lisa Todd HIST 3095 Mar. 27th 2015 Throughout the 20th century the nation of German went through a number of cataclysmic, and paradigm shifting changes. One of the longest lasting changes to Germany was the division of Germany into two separate nations, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). These two nations were the results of a fundamental difference in political ideals of two of the great nation at the time, the United States of American, and the Soviet Union. Throughout the life spans of these two nations one of the largest concern were the youth; as the future population of both nations, it would be on the shoulders of the youth that the countries ideal would be preserved or forgotten. During this time the influence of Western culture was permeating throughout most of the world, and both Germanies were not excluded. Throughout the examination of the youth, this paper will attempt to expose the way in which western culture, specifically the music from the west, affected the youth of both nations. One of the earliest accounts of western music impacting German youth comes from the musician Udo Lindenberg, who recounts the story of how Elvis changed his life in 1957. In his story he recounts how the music was entirely different from all the music he had herd before, “I wasn’t sure what...
Words: 2664 - Pages: 11
...Demographic and Environmental Timeline Demographic transition is the process by which a nation/country moves from high birth rate and high death rates to low birth and low death rates as the growth population in the interim (Weeks, 2005). Some of the nations that have gone through this transitions are; Canada, Germany, United States and England. The demographic transition to an industrialized society is harmful to the environment. Industrialized countries also have the largest ecological and carbon footprint comparative to developing/non-industrialized nations. Nevertheless, demographic transitions have some notable advantages. Countries that have gone through demographic transitions have low birth and death rates. Citizens in industrialized nations have fewer children thus it is easier to control the population size (Dyson, 2010). The following is the demographic and environmental timeline of Germany between 1800 to date. STAGE YEAR SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY Stage 1 1800 Major Historical Changes: The country is resisting Napoleon, who wants to take control of Germany and cities such as Austria. Prussia provides military education to its military before it defeats Austria and France in the war. The country is under Ottoman Bismarck who improves it by introducing Liberal measures and welfare policies such as insurance for workers against illness and accidents. Changing Population Size: There is a decrease in population due to such wars between Napoleon and other cities...
Words: 897 - Pages: 4
...The Basic Law or Grundgesetz for the Federal Republic of Germany was approved on 8 May 1949, and, with the signature of the western Allies of World War 2 on 12 May, came into effect on 23 May. The authors also ensured that human rights and human dignity was made the central and core part of the Basic Law. Key concepts in the basic law are principles of democracy, republicanism, federalism and social responsibility. These principles are constitutionally entrenched and they cannot be removed or repealed by the normal amendment process. Firstly this essay will look into what lead to the development of the new Basic Law and how the new parliamentary democracy was put into place with separation of powers into different branches of government. Secondly the essay will examine what were the specific changes from pre-1945 Germany and if which areas these changes were most visible. Here it will be important to look at the fundamentally differences from the Weimar Constitution, but also what the new Basic Law chose to keep from the Weimar Constitution. And why the authors of the Basic law felt that this was the safest way to construct a good state for all Germans where the sins of the past would never be repeated. In 1948 the three Western Allied military governors met in Frankfurt with the chief executive of the various states and “recommended” the calling of a constituent assembly by September 1, 1948, which was to draft a constitution for the three Western zones. None of the state...
Words: 1494 - Pages: 6
...International business thrives in the country of Germany. They have a variety of characteristics and features of tradition within the country. Taking an overview of areas such as culture, legal system, geography, political system, and history is just the beginning to this unique country. Through the research provided, it should be a useful indicator of whether or not Germany is a desirable place to pursue international business in. The national flag of Germany consists of three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red (middle), and gold (bottom). The colors of black, red, and gold have played an important role in German history and can be traced all the way back to medieval times where there was a banner of the Holy Roman Emperor. This original banner had a black eagle with red claws and beak on a gold field. The Holy Roman Empire was a German-majority, multi-ethnic empire in central Europe until 1806, when it was defeated at the Battle of Austerlitz. After this battle, German-states that were part of the Holy Roman Empire came under French rule and several German organizations began agitations to free Germany from foreign rule and create a unified country. Among these organizations were two prominent ones by the names of Lutzow Free Corps and Jena Student’s League. The members of these two organizations wore uniforms of black with gold and red accessories and used flags of those colors as well. When Germany was unified in 1871 under Otto Von Bismarck, it chose a national...
Words: 2148 - Pages: 9
...Brandenburg Gate in Germany was no different. In the 1960s, Germany became separated into East Germany and West Germany. On the east was Communism and the west had Democracy. Ronald Reagan – and presidents before him – went to Germany in attempt to unite the two and spread freedom. Chaim Perelman, from nearby Belgium, literally wrote the book on argumentation. It is clear from his speech that Ronald Reagan read this book – or at least knew some of Perelman’s ideas. Throughout his speech, Ronald Reagan appeals to the value of something these Germans didn’t have: freedom. He also emphasizes the importance of communities through liaison and presence. While the speech was televised throughout Europe and North America, it is clear Reagan had a particular audience he was speaking to. He was trying to influence the citizens of Germany and Berlin. They are the ones who were in the position to make change. He knew that if they could come together they could take down the wall. In the end, that is exactly what happened. East Germans protested and the Communist government had to open the gate and tear down the wall. Any German who was listening was in position to do something. There are also parts where Reagan speaks directly to someone. He said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” I’m sure Mr. Gorbachev, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union, had the power to end the wall. And even though this speech didn’t make him do so, it showed that the United States was with West Germany and wanted...
Words: 1176 - Pages: 5
...August 12, 1961. The Wall was to protect the GDR from aggressive acts by the west. In reality, the Wall functioned as a barrier to stem the huge migration of skilled laborers to West Berlin and the entire Western Germany. During the standing of this Wall, the people from East and West Berlin had no interaction with each other, and this brought pains and poverties in both sides of country because they depend on each other’s activities in order to survive. On the night of November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, the most potent symbol of the Cold War division of Europe, eventually came down, and the fall of this wall was the peak point of the revolutionary changes within the country of Germany and those were involved. According to Ted Kelly article, “Politics, People and the Berlin Crisis: June-August, 1961”. After World War II in 1945, the Allies, who won the war, divided the country of Germany into four sections, each under the control of an ally. The countries who made up the Ally control were the United States, Great Britain, France, and Russia. The United States, British, and French sectors combined to form a democratic state known as The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), and also known as West Germany. The Soviet Sector became a communist state known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR) on October 7, 1949, and also known as East Germany (2). Kelly went on to mention that the people of East Germany became dissatisfied with the economic and political conditions of the German...
Words: 2232 - Pages: 9
...Development/Diffusion of Human Societies-Cumberland Gap • Individuals and Institutions as Mechanisms of Social/Governmental Change-Clara Barton • Historical Systems of Power, Governance and Authority-The Nazi Party • Science and Technology as the Engine of Economic Growth and Development-Gunpowder Geography and the Development of Human Societies The United States: Cumberland Gap Cumberland Gap is an excellent example of geography and diffusion of human society as until its discovery in 1750 the Appalachian Mountains blocked the way of further settlement into the West. History of Cumberland Gap • Natural passage through the Cumberland Mtns. • Formed by erosion from a stream that once flowed through it. • The path used by animals and Native Americans. • First discovered and explored by Dr. Thomas Walker in 1750 (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2013). Road to the West • In 1775 Daniel Boone and party of woodsman marked the Cumberland Gap as they traveled from Virginia to Kentucky. • Up until 1810 the Cumberland Gap was known as “the way West” and saw a steady stream of settlers pass through it. • Between the 18th and 19th centuries the Cumberland Gap was travelled by over 200,000 people migrating west. • The Cumberland Gap remained a major route for travel & trade during the 20th century (Mahaney, 2014). Individuals as Mechanisms of Social and Governmental Change The United States: Clara Barton Clara Barton 1821-1912 Clara Barton lived a life dedicated to the service of...
Words: 950 - Pages: 4
...East Germany was experiencing “brain drain” many of the people who had education wanted to go to West Germany or other places in Europe for find better jobs. The highly educated people were trying to leave because what point was their in continuing to live their? they had the skills to do complex tasks, and had put many hours of work developing those skills, yet they still got paid as much as everyone else. And without different levels of pay, why would anyone want to go through the difficulty of training for a difficult job like a doctor? Thus many of the high skill positions in East Germany were always looking for people to fill open...
Words: 880 - Pages: 4
...Germany & Economic Stagnation in the Post-Millennium Since the reconstruction of Germany in the 1950’s, the country had been continually expanding economically, until it had become a manufacturing power base in Europe, a country that can compete with countries the likes of the United States and Japan. However in recent years, German re-unification and changing global economic conditions have caused this economic growth to slow down, until it has become stagnated at the current point in time. I will be looking at the different institutions present in Germany that have contributed to the country’s economic performance, how they actually helped, and why now certain institutions, and certain changing conditions, are now constraining the economic growth into utter stagnation. Perhaps what differs Germany to many other countries is its constitution. Like many other countries, it guarantees the rights of its citizens. However, it goes one step further, committing private property for the public good. This has important consequences for the German economy and its society. The main idea behind the German economic model is that it mustn’t be thought of as a “free market”, such as the economic models that can be seen in the United Kingdom and the United States. It should rather be more seen as a “social market”. This enshrines the core of German economic ideology - that the economy and the society are interconnected and depend on one another. German businesses have the responsibility...
Words: 1363 - Pages: 6
