End of the Berlin Wall East German leader Erich Honecker, in power since 1971, has resisted the wave of liberalization in the communist bloc unleashed in 1985 by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbatchov. In 1989, thousands of East Germans moved to West Germany via Hungary and Austria. In October, pro-democracy demonstrations in Leipzig prompt the East […]
Historical facts The origins of German national identity go back to the 10th century BC, when Teutonic tribes settled in the present territory of Germany. The region was conquered by Julius Caesar in 53 BC and suffered invasions from the Huns in the 5th century. Between 772 and 802, the French emperor Charlemagne annexed Saxony, […]
Europe’s main economic power, Germany is the major point of contact between the developed West and the countries of Eastern Europe. Its territory is on fertile and arable land and has a heavily industrialized economy – with emphasis on the pharmaceutical, chemical and engine areas. It is the cradle of political and philosophical schools, of […]
Culture Regionalism, which is one of the basic features of German history, is clearly noticeable in cultural life. There is no self-written cultural metropolis but many cultural centers, which have been built up over the centuries. Nor does the federal government pursue a central cultural policy. The Ministry of Culture exists only at the state […]