When Did Germany Become a Country?
Germany is a country located in Western Europe. It is the seventh largest country in Europe by area and shares its boundaries with nine countries. Berlin is the capital city of Germany.
Brief History of Germany
Germany was founded on February 2nd, 962 AD. It derived its initial name from the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar who named the areas east of the Rhine River as Germania, based on the fact that he was yet to conquer them. The tribes of Germany underwent migration to form the Central Part of the Holy Roman Empire in the 10th Century. The collapse of that empire led to the formation of the German Federation in 1815.
In 1866 Prussia defeated Austria and their rallied allies, putting an end to the influence of Austria in Germany which had lasted since the 15th century. This victory facilitated the formation of the North German Federation led by Prussia.
This was followed by three victorious wars against Denmark, the Hapsburg monarchy, and France. Otto Von Bismarck, the Prussian Chancellor, initiated the Franco – Prussian war with France in 1870 by irritating the Emperor of France in an attempt to unite the Germans. Prussia, which then occupied three-fifths of Germany, was victorious. An uprising demand for a traditional cabinet and a diplomatic government by the leaders of the North German Federation led to the formation of the German empire on 18th January 1871. This initiative was termed the unification of Germany because it became a national state with well-integrated political and administrative arms. Bismarck fought to further consolidate Germans by promoting socialism. His tenure ended in 1890 when he was forced to resign, having opposed the conflicting rule of the new young and ambitious emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II. The German empire fell in 1918 following the German Revolution.
Germany was later split into two, East Germany and West Germany, in 1947 as a result of a defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. East Germany was a dictatorship state while West Germany exercised a parliamentary democracy. Reunification of Germany occurred in 1990 but on West Germany’s terms. The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) signed treaties that saw not only the unification of the country but also Berlin as a single city. Among the treaties, the “Two Plus Four Treaty” committed both East and West Germany’s lands before the union to a single territory under a Government of Germany, and also stated that there were no lands outside those boundaries that were a part of Germany.
When Did Germany Become a Country?
The definition of Germany as a country is used in three senses. The first date is when Germany was recognized as a region, on February 2nd, 962 AD. The second date is January 18th, 1871 when Germany became a unified state. Finally, October 3rd, 1990 was when East Germany and West Germany were united to form the present Federal Republic of Germany.
