Germany Chapter 4:5 Pages 154-160

Fast Facts- Germany Capital: Berlin Population: 83 Million Ethnic Groups: German, Turkish, Southeast Asian Religions: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Muslim Government: Federal Republic Currency: Euro Leading Exports: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactured goods, foodstuffs, textiles Languages: German (official), Turkish

Where in the world is Germany?

Key Terms Holocaust: mass murder of six million Jews. Reunification: the process of becoming unified again. Standard of living: the level of comfort in terms of the goods and services that people have.

Germany’s Past Germany lost WWI in 1918. The German government had to pay back billions of dollars as punishment for attacking other countries. In the early 1920’s the German government collapsed. Prices soared! Germans became desperate. They were looking for someone or something to blame for their hardships.

Hitler and World War II Hitler blamed Germany’s economic problems on Jews. He spread hateful theories about Jews, Roma, and other groups in Germany. He claimed that they were inferior to other Germans. He claimed that Germans were a superior ethnic group-and that they should rule Europe.

Hitler and WWII Hitler ordered attacks on neighboring countries and forced them to submit to German rule. These actions led to the start of WWII. Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the U.S. joined other nations to stop the Germans.

The Holocaust By the end of the war, Europe was in ruins. People around the world learned that the Germans had forced countless Jews, Roma, and Slavs into concentration camps. This horrible mass murder of 6 million Jews was called the Holocaust.

A Divided Capital At the end of the war, the victors divided up Germany. The Americans, British, and French= democratic country of the Federal Republic of Germany- West Berlin. The Soviet Union= became the communist country- East Berlin.

The Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall separated the two halves of Berlin. It symbolized a divided world. This led to the Cold War.

The Cold War During the Cold War, the U.S. and Western Europe became partners. ------------------------------------ During the Cold War, eastern European countries became communist. Here, the communist gov. required people to obey without asking questions. Children were taught only to respect those things that promoted communism.

The Communists Weakens The East German economy fell far behind the West German economy. Many E. Germans wanted to go west, but the government would not allow therm. In the late 1980s, changes in the Soviet Union weakened the government. It was clear that the Soviets could no longer use force to protect communism in Eastern Europe. This weakened the gov. Finally, the East German gov. announced that under certain conditions, East Germans could visit West Germany.

The East German Government Falls Misunderstandings….many thought that the gov. was opening the Berlin Wall permanently. On November 9, 1989, huge crowds of people demanded to cross into West Berlin. Thousands of East Berliners crossed into West Berlin. The people of East Berlin wanted more democracy/freedom from communism!!

Germany Reunited Most Germans were thrilled about the fall of the Berlin Wall. Reunification, or the process of becoming unified again, would not be easy. East Germans are enjoying a better standard of living than they did under communism. A standard of living is the level of comfort in terms of the goods and services that people have.

Reagan and our Wall in Dixon, IL Fake Berlin Wall We were trying to find the Lincoln Military Statue when we drove by this gem of a roadside attraction. Dixon is the childhood home of Reagan, and in appreciation of his speech demanding the Berlin Wall be torn down, a Bulgarian artist fashioned this fake Berlin Wall. We had to do a double-take, and of course take some pictures of the thing. It is accompanied by a statue of a dove and three murals depicting Reagan being President. An interesting site, it is officially called the "Wings of Peace and Freedom Park." [Melinda Bryan, 03/30/2007]