Germany
[jʉr′mə nē]
pl. Germanys, Germanies
country in NC Europe, on the North & Baltic seas; since reunification in 1990, comprising 16 states: formerly divided (1945) into four zones of occupation, administered respectively by France, Britain, the U.S., & the U.S.S.R., and partitioned (1949-90) into the , made up of the three western zones (British, French, & U.S.), also called ; and the , comprising the eastern (U.S.S.R.) zone, also called : 137,822 sq mi (356,959 sq km); pop. 80,975,000; cap. Berlin: official name Federal Republic of Germany
Origin: L Germania
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A country of north-central Europe. Occupied since c. 500 B.C. by Germanic tribes, the region became part of the Frankish empire by the sixth century A.D. Later it became a loose federation of principalities and the nucleus of the Holy Roman Empire until the imperial state was broken up by Napoleon in 1806. Germany became a confederation after 1815 and then an empire centered around Prussia (1871-1918). Following its defeat in World War I, it was reorganized as the Weimar Republic, which collapsed when Adolf Hitler rose to power and formed the Third Reich. Germany's defeat in 1945 at the end of World War II resulted in its division into four occupation zones, each controlled by an Allied power. Out of the U.S., French, and British zones West Germany was established in 1949, while the Soviet zone became East Germany. The two Germanies were reunified in 1990 after the fall of the East German Communist government. Berlin is the capital and largest city. Population: 82,400,000.
Germany
germany - Ologies & -Isms Definition
geopolitics
the study of the relationship between geography and politics, applied especially to the study of the doctrines and actions of Nazi Germany in the context of world domination.
Germanism
a feature of the German language that is present in another language.
Germanomania
an obsession with Germany and things German. Also called Teutonomania.
Germanophile
a person who is especially attracted to or interested in Germany, its people, culture, etc.
Germanophobia
intense fear or hatred of Germany, its people, language, etc.
Teutonicism
1. anything typical or characteristic of the Teutons or Germans, as customs, attitudes, actions, etc.
2. Germanism.
Teutonomania
Germanomania.
Germany - Cultural Definition
Republic in north-central Europe, divided into East Germany and West Germany in 1949 and reunited in 1990. Officially called the Federal Republic of Germany.
- Germany was a collection of competing states until it was unified during the second half of the nineteenth century under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck.
- Germany's industrial, colonial, and naval expansion was considered a threat by the British and French and was one of the main causes of World War I, in which Germany was badly defeated.
- After the defeat of the Nazis in World War II, Germany was divided into four zones occupied by British, French, Soviet, and American forces.
- Since reunification Germany has become Europe's leading economic power. (See East Germany and West Germany under “World History since 1550.”)