GERMANY

TEMA: GERMANY

GEOPOLITICA

ANDREA GARCIA MAURICIO VARGAS JENNY AREVALO JOSE MEDINA ANDREA OTALORA

PROFESOR JAIRO ALBERTO PAEZ CAIPA

NRC: 30042

FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS EMPRESARIALES CORPORACIN UNIVERSITARIA MINUTO DE DIOS BOGOTA - COLOMBIA 22 SEPTIEMBRE 2013

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COORPORACION UNIVERSITARIA MINUTO DE DIOS

Germany

Germany is Europe's most industrialized and populous country. Famed for its technological achievements, it has also produced some of Europe's most celebrated composers, philosophers and poets. Achieving national unity later than other European nations, Germany quickly caught up economically and militarily, before defeats in orld ar ! and !! left the country shattered, facing the difficult legacy of "azism, and divided bet#een Europe's $old ar blocs. Germany rebounded to become the continent's economic giant, and a prime mover of European cooperation. ith the end of the $old ar, the t#o parts of the country #ere once again united, although the economy of the former east continues to lag behind that of the former #est. Germany's economic success since orld ar !! is to a large e%tent built on its potent e%port industries, fiscal discipline and consensus&driven industrial relations and #elfare policies. !t is particularly famed for its high&quality and high&tech goods. Germany's e%port&dependent economy #as initially hit hard by the global financial crisis of '(()&*, #hich triggered the #orst recession since +*,*. -ut by '(+(, its e%ports had helped the country to rebound more robustly than most other E. members. /o#ever, an ageing population has led to concern over the continued viability of Germany's high #elfare and health spending. 0here is also a debate about ho# to improve integration of the many post&#ar immigrants #hose labour helped fuel the economic boom. !n addition, #hat #as once the German 1emocratic 2epublic, the former 3oviet& dominated east, has struggled to catch up #ith the more affluent #est after reunification, #hile people in #est had to pay a higher than e%pected financial price. 0he pain of Germany's "azi&era history remains a sensitive element in the country's collective modern&day psyche. 4ut of the devastation of orld ar !! gre# an a#areness of the need to guard against any such catastrophe recurring on the continent.

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Dresden's baroque showpiece, the Zwinger royal complex of galleries and museums

Germany has nine neighbors. The country has a total area of approximately 357,000 km . It exten s from the !orth "ea an the #altic "ea in the north to the $lps in the south. "ome of the longest %uropean ri&ers'(hine, )anube an %lbe flo*s through Germany. German lan scapes are characteri+e by their extraor inary i&ersity an beauty mi 'altitu e mountain ranges an high mountain massifs, &ast lan scapes lakes, &ast forests an about ,,3-0 kilometers of coastline.

A chronology of key events:

800 &

Emperor $harlemagne, Frankish ruler of France and Germany, cro#ned 2oman emperor by 5ope 6eo !!!. German 7ing 4tto ! cro#ned 2oman emperor after gaining control of northern !taly8 beginning of #hat became kno#n as /oly 2oman 1eath of Emperor Frederick !! /ohenstaufen marks virtual end of central authority and acceleration of empire's collapse into independent princely territories.

962 &

1250 &

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1438

Election of Albert ! marks beginning of /absburg dynasty based in Austria.

1517 &

9artin 6uther proclaims "inety&Five 0heses against traditional church practices8 start of 5rotestant split from $atholic $hurch.

Early mo ern Germany 1618!1648

0hirty&:ears'

ar; failure of /absburg

emperors' attempt to restore $atholic dominance and imperial authority against opposition of 5rotestant princes8 +<,) 0reaty of estphalia confirms near total independence of territorial states.

1806 &

"apoleon's armies impose French rule over much of Germany8 Francis !! declares abolition of /oly 2oman Empire and adopts title of emperor of Austria. "apoleon's armies impose French rule over much of Germany8 Francis !! declares abolition of /oly 2oman Empire and adopts title of emperor of Austria.

1806 &

1813

& 1efeat of "apoleon at -attle of 6eipzig.

1848

& :ear of 2evolutions8 failure of liberals' attempt to unite Germany under democratic constitution8 start of period of rapid industrialisation.

1871

& 4tto von -ismarck achieves unification of Germany under leadership of 5russia8 ne# German Empire's authoritarian

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constitution creates elected national parliament =2eichstag> but gives 7aiser =emperor> e%tensive po#ers.

1888

& 3tart of

illiam !!'s reign8 start of trend

to#ards colonial e%pansion and build&up of German navy to compete #ith -ritain's8 rapid gro#th of Germany's economic po#er.

1890

& Gro#ing #orkers' movement culminates in founding of 3ocial 1emocratic 5arty of Germany =351>.

1914!1918

&

orld

ar !

1918

& Germany defeated, signs armistice. Emperor into e%ile. illiam !! abdicates and goes

1919

& 0reaty of ?ersailles; Germany loses colonies and land to neighbours, pays large&scale reparations. -eginning of the eimar 2epublic, based on a ne# constitution. !ts early years are marked by high unemployment and rampant inflation.

1923

& Adolf /itler, head of the "ational 3ocialist German hall. France, -elgium occupy the 2uhr over failed reparation payments. /yperinflation orkers' ="azi> 5arty, leads an abortive coup in a 9unich beer

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leads to economic collapse.

1924

& /itler #rites 9ein 7ampf & @9y 3truggle@ & in prison.

1929

& Global depression, mass unemployment.

/itler becomes chancellor.

eimar

2epublic gives #ay to a one&party state. 3ystematic persecution of Germany's Be#s escalates. /itler proclaims the 0hird 2eich in +*C,.

Berlin's Brandenburg Gate once stood in noman's land

"h#r

$e#ch

1933 A

1935 &

Germany begins to re&arm. "uremberg 6a#s deprive German Be#s of citizenship. & -erlin 4lympics.

1936

1938

& Anne%ation of Austria and 3udetenland. 7ristallnacht ="ight of -roken Glass> sees

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orchestrated attacks on Be#s and their property as #ell as synagogues.

1939!1945

& !nvasion of 5oland triggers !!.

orld

ar

9illions of people of all ages, mostly Be#s but also large numbers of Gypsies, 3lavs and other races, the disabled and homose%uals, die in the /olocaust as the "azis implement an e%termination policy in the death camps of eastern Europe.

1945

& German army defeated. Allies divide Germany into occupation zones.

1945!1946 & "uremberg #ar crimes trials. %#v# e co&ntry 7onrad Adenauer, of the $hristian 1emocrats =$1.> is .lbricht. est Germany's first alter chancellor. East Germany is led by

1949 &

Germany is divided. 0he .3, French and -ritish zones in the #est become the Federal 2epublic of Germany8 the 3oviet zone in the east becomes the communist German 1emocratic 2epublic. & 3tart of rapid economic gro#th in est

1950s

Germany. !n the +*D(s Germany #as one of the si% founding nations in the original European Economic $ommunity from #hich the European .nion #as eventually to

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develop and in #hich Germany is a key player. Franco&German cooperation #as central to European economic integration in the +*)(s and *(s.

1955

&

est Germany Eoins "ato8 East arsa# 5act. the European

Germany Eoins the

1957

& est Germany Eoins Economic $ommunity. & $onstruction of the -erlin

1961

all.

1968

& East German constitution declares unification impossible until the becames socialist. est

1969 A

3ocial 1emocrat =351>

illy -randt

becomes chancellor and seeks better ties #ith the 3oviet .nion and East Germany.

1971 &

alter .lbricht is succeeded in East by Erich /onecker.

1974 &

-randt resigns after spy revelations surrounding one of his aides. "e# $hancellor /elmut 3chmidt continues -randt's @4stpolitik@ =eastern policies>.

'all t&m(les 1982 & 1987 &

$hristian 1emocrat /elmut 7ohl becomes chancellor. East German leader Erich /onecker pays

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a first official visit to 1989

est.

& 9ass e%odus of East Germans as 3oviet bloc countries rela% travel restrictions. -erlin all is torn do#n.

1990 1991 &

& 7ohl leads a reunified Germany. 5arliament names -erlin the ne# capital.

1992 & 1993 &

Erich /onecker is brought back to -erlin from 9osco# to face political charges. Germany Eoins the 9aastricht 0reaty on European union.

1994

& /onecker dies. 7ohl re&elected. $onstitutional court rules that German troops can participate in ." peacekeeping operations outside "ato. 2ussian and Allied troops finally leave -erlin.

)chroe er years 1998 A

General election victory for 351 leader Gerhard 3chroeder leads to @2ed&Green coalition@ #ith the Green 5arty. 7ohl replaced as $1. leader by 3chaeuble. Government and industry announce compensation fund for former slave #orkers under "azis. olfgang

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East German leader right! with "o#iet $resident Gorbache#

2000

BanuaryFApril & $1. party funding scandal. 7ohl resigns as honorary party chairman after he admits illegally accepting thousands of dollars in party contributions. 5arty leader 3chaeuble resigns over his handling of the scandal. Angela 9erkel takes over.

2001

9arch & European $ourt of /uman 2ights rules that three former East German $ommunist leaders should serve Eail terms for sanctioning a policy of shooting #ould&be escapees at the -erlin all. 0he $ourt said that the men & among them the last East German leader Egon 7renz & had violated international human rights la#.

2001

Bune & Government and nuclear industry representatives sign agreement to phase out nuclear energy entirely over ne%t '( years.

2001

"ovember & $hancellor 3chroeder survives parliamentary confidence vote over the government's decision to deploy ,,((( troops in the .3&led campaign in Afghanistan, Germany's largest deployment outside Europe since ar !!. orld

2002

Banuary & Euro replaces 1eutsche 9ark =19>. 9arch & Government pushes controversial immigration bill through upper house of parliament. !t allo#s a limited number of

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skilled non&E. #orkers into the country. Former $hancellor /elmut 7ohl #ins court battle to prevent access to files held on him by the former East German secret police, the 3tasi. 0he ruling also puts out of bounds files on many other people. August & $ity of 1resden is submerged
%elmut &ohl presided o#er reunification Born in 'udwigshafen, ()*+ ,hancellor ()-.-())-

under flood#ater from 2iver Elbe follo#ing torrential rain across central Europe. 3chroeder says situation is national catastrophe, announces plan to finance repairs by delaying proposed ta% cuts. 3eptember & 3chroeder re&elected but #ith a sharply reduced maEority thanks to good sho#ing by his coalition partners, the Greens.

)chroe er re!electe

2003 9arch & $onstitutional $ourt decides not to uphold government request to ban neo&"azi "ational 1emocratic 5arty because of accusations that government informants planted in party ranks had acted as agents provocateurs to discredit it.

Economic woes plagued ,hancellor

2004

9ay & 4pposition $1.&backed candidate /orst 7oehler, former !9F head, elected president. AugustF3eptember & 0ens of thousands protest in streets, particularly in eastern regions, over government plans to cut unemployment benefit and other #elfare

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and labour reforms. 2005 9arch & Edited East German secret police files on former chancellor /elmut 7ohl made available to researchers under certain conditions. 9r 7ohl had fought a long legal battle to prevent publication. 9ay & After his party suffers defeat in "orth 2hein& estphalia regional election, $hancellor 3chroeder announces that he #ill seek early general elections. 2005 Buly & 5resident calls early general elections after $hancellor 3chroeder deliberately loses a confidence vote in parliament in order to trigger the poll. 2005 3eptember & Elections produce very close result. $oalition talks follo#. 2005 4ctober & 1resden's Frauenkirche reconsecrated <( years after its destruction by Allied bombers. *#rst female chancellor 2005 "ovember & Angela 9erkel of the $1. becomes chancellor in a @grand coalition@ involving the $1. and 351. 2006 Buly & 5arliament approves far&reaching changes to the #ay in #hich Germany is governed8 the reforms are intended to speed up decision&making. 2006 August & 5olice say t#o bombs, discovered on regional trains near $ologne at the end of Buly, #ere intended to kill large numbers of people. 0he devices failed to go off. 2006 "ovember & .nemployment falls belo# , million for the first time in four

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years. 9arch & $hancellor Angela 9erkel makes historic address to !sraeli parliament =7nesset> during a trip marking the <(th anniversary of the founding of !srael. /er address is the first ever given to the 7nesset by a German head of government.
,ologne is famed for its spectacular Gothic cathedral

*#nanc#al cr#s#s 2008 4ctober & Germany agrees a G<)bn plan to save one of the country's largest banks, /ypo 2eal Estate, from collapse. European governments pledge up to +.) trillion euros as part of co&ordinated plans to shore up their financial sectors, hit hard by the global financial crisis. Germany says it #ill make as much as D((bn euros available in loan guarantees and capital to bolster the banking system. 2008 "ovember & Germany is declared to be officially in recession.

2008

2009

February & 5arliament approves G<Cbn stimulus package aimed at shoring up recession&hit economy. 2009 August & Figures are released sho#ing that economy gre# by (.CH in last quarter, bringing country out of recession. 2009 3eptember & Angela 9erkel #ins another four years in office as her centre& right alliance =$1.F$3.> secures victory in general election. 2009 4ctober & 9rs 9erkel's $1. seals coalition deal #ith pro&business Free

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1emocrats =F15> after parties reach agreement on maEor ta% cut proposals. 2010 ! 4fficial data sho#s the German economy shrank by DH in '((*, hit by a slump in e%ports and investment. 2010 9arch & Four !slamists are convicted by a court in Germany of plotting to attack .3 facilities in the country. E&ro+one ,oes 2010 9ay & Germany's parliament votes to approve a ''.,bn euro German contribution to bail out debt&ridden Greece, prompting #idespread public anger. $hancellor Angela 9erkel's governing centre&right coalition suffers a defeat in regional elections in "orth&2hine estphalia, losing its maEority in the upper house of parliament. 2010 3eptember & $abinet approves controversial plan to e%tend lifespan of Germany's nuclear reactors, reversing '((+ decision to phase out nuclear energy by '('+. 2011 Banuary & 5rovisional figures sho# the economy gre# by C.<H in '(+(, its fastest pace since reunification in +**(. Economists attributed the rate to a recovery in e%ports. 2011 9arch & 3etback for $hancellor Angela 9erkel as her $hristian 1emocrats lose the key state of -aden& uerttemberg for the first time in si%

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decades. 2011 9ay & !n further u&turn on nuclear po#er follo#ing crisis at Bapan's Fukushima plant, German government says all nuclear po#er plants #ill be phased out by '(''. 2011 Buly & $hancellor 9erkel defends her decision to back second huge bail&out for Greece, insisting that it is Germany's historic duty to protect the euro. 2011 August & 5rovisional figures sho# that German economic gro#th slo#ed almost to a standstill in the second quarter of '(++. 2012 9arch & Boachim Gauck elected president, succeeding $hristian ulff, #ho resigned in February over a financial scandal.

CELEBRATIONS TRASICIONALES

In Germany celebrate many tra itional festi&als *hich &ary by state . In .unich, for example , is celebrate in the month of /ctober, the 0 /ktoberfest 0 1 /ctober festi&al 2 . 3el annually in 4ologne 0)er 5arne&al &on 56ln 0 1 4ologne 4arni&al .2 7rom .ay to !o&ember, *ine an grape festi&als celebrate in many parts of the German *ine regions . %specially in areas along the (hine an the .oselle, in #a en , the 8alatinate an along the .ain, *ine cooperati&es an representati&es of the *ine pro ucts up their stalls in public places *here escancian their *ine. In a ition, local specialties . The program *ill a li&e music an , in many places, the coronation of the 9ueen of the *ine is for the *oman *ho rinks throughout the party. 7rom the $lps to the south of the country to the !orth "ea lan scapes of Germany are extraor inarily &arie an se ucti&e . 3igh altitu e mountain ranges an plateaus alternate *ith soft balconies, terrace lan , lush rolling hills , lakes an mountains an &ast plains .

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7rom north to south Germany is i&i e into fi&e natural regions: the northern plains , the ele&ation of the mi le mountains , terrace lan s of south*estern mi le mountains , suralemanas foothills of the $lps an the #a&arian $lps. In the northern plains lakes aboun , high an ry lan 1 Geest 2 or soft clay hills intersperse *ith moors an *etlan s , an to the south, near the ele&ation of the mi le mountains , fertile lan stretching . 8lains are characteristic of the ;o*er (hine , <estphalia an "axony ' Thuringia. The marshes of the !orth "ea coast exten ing to the e ge se iment . In the #altic coast estuaries are characteristic of the region of "chles*ig ' 3olstein , *hile in .ecklenburg ' <estern 8omerania ominate the beaches an coasts o*nhill . The most important islan s of the !orth "ea are the %ast 7risian as #orkum an !or erney , the !orth 7risian 1 $mrum, 7ohr , "ylt an the 3alligen 2, 3elgolan in the bay of the same name an (=gen , 3I))%!"%% an 7ehmarn in the #altic. The #altic coast ha&e flat, san y an one rocky cliffs. #et*een the !orth "ea an the #altic exten s the 0 3olstein "*it+erlan 0 , a lan scape of rolling hills . The ele&ation of the mi le mountains ra* the line bet*een northern an southern Germany , the (hine &alley an the 3essian epressions ser&e as natural for north'south traffic . In the mi le mountains belong , among others, the (heinisches "chiefergebirge 1 (henish slate mountains 2 in 3unsr=ck , %ifel , Taunus , <ester*al , #ergisch ;an an "auerlan an the mountains of 3esse , the <eser an ;eine mountains of *est an central Germany. $t the heart of Germany is the 3ar+ .ountains . To the east are the (h6n , the #ayerischer <al 1 #a&arian 7orest 2, the >pper 8alatinate 7orest 1 7orest of >pper 8alatinate 2, the 7ichtelgebirge , the 7ranconian 1 7ranconian 7orest 2, the Th=ringer <al 1 Thuringian 7orest 2 an the %r+gebirge 1 /re .ountains 2 .

$ staggere lan south*est mountains belong mi le of the >pper (hine plain *ith neighboring massifs of the #lack 7orest , / en*al an "pessart , the 8f?l+er <al 1 8alatinate 7orest 2 in 3aar t an lan s suabofrancas staggere *ith $lb.

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The (hine, German main traffic axis north' &alley *ith eep gorges bet*een #ingen an mountains *hose &ery fertile plateaus an than the protecte &alleys to the right an *ine an great tourist attraction.

south, is embe e in a narro* #onn , through the (henish slate slopes are much less populate left of the (hine , famous for its

The foothills of the $lps in southern Germany suabob@&ara co&er the plain , hilly region south *ith large lakes an extensi&e gra&el plains , moun s an epression subb@&aras )anube . The characteristic features of this lan scape are the marshes an chains of hills otte *ith lakes 1 4hiemsee , "tarnberger "ee2 an small to*ns . The German si e of the $lps , bet*een ;ake 4onstance an #erchtesga en , co&ers a fraction of these mountains, $llg?u $lps , the #a&arian $lps, #erchtesga en $lps . 8icturesAue lakes , such as 5/!IG""%% 1 5ingBs ;ake 2 near #erchtesga en , an popular tourist resorts such as Garmisch ' 8artenkirchen or .itten*al , are inserte into the stunning *orl of the alpine mountains. BIBLIOGRAPHY ;ink http:CCne*s.bbc.co.ukC,ChiCeuropeCD053EE0.stm