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German History

"Germany" refers to a region in Central Europe that was made up of kingdoms and principalities for centuries. It was unified as the German Empire in the 19th century. This page collates DW content on German history.

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (center) greeted by schoolchildren waving flags

Germany and Turkey: 100 years of diplomatic relations

Germany and Turkey: 100 years of diplomatic relations

In 1924, the newly founded Turkish Republic established diplomatic relations with Germany.
HistoryApril 24, 2024
A statue of Immanuel Kant in front of the university of Kaliningrad

A radical thinker: Immanuel Kant

A radical thinker: Immanuel Kant

The German philosopher turned thinking upside down, challenging us to use our brains and question our actions.
CultureApril 13, 202416:24 min
A sign on a beach demarcates a "Whites only" area in South Africa during the 1970s

Scientific racism's roots in colonization

Scientific racism's roots in colonization

Anthropologists used Germany's colonial conquest in Africa to promulgate racist theory, and create racial hierarchies.
HistoryApril 2, 2024
Adolf Hitler standing at a podium giving a speech to Nazi members at the Munich beer hall, Nov. 8, 1939.

Germany looks back at Adolf Hitler's coup attempt

Germany looks back at Adolf Hitler's coup attempt

A decade before he rose to power with the Nazis, Hitler's failed "Beer Hall Putsch" put him on the political map.
HistoryApril 1, 2024
people standing atop the Berlin Wall on December 22, 1989, holding a banner reading "Germany, united Fatherland"

Understanding how Germany and Europe ended the Cold War

Understanding how Germany and Europe ended the Cold War

A new way to present history in the classroom: A traveling exhibit illustrates the recent German and European past.
HistoryMarch 23, 2024
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The 20th century's first genocide in Namibia

The 20th century's first genocide in Namibia

German troops went from fighting OvaHerero and Nama to causing the 20th century's first genocide.
HistoryMarch 14, 202401:34 min
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Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

Black and white photo of RAF terrorists (top row, l-r): Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof, Gudrun Ensslin, Ronald Augustin, (bottom row l-r): Jan-Carl Raspe, Klaus Jünschke, Ilse Stachowiak and Irmgard Möller

Germany's RAF terrorism — an unresolved story

The left-wing terrorist Red Army Faction emerged from the radicalized student protest movement in the 1960s and '70s.
HistoryMarch 10, 2024
US troops in front of US flag

US military in Germany: What you need to know

The number of US military personnel stationed in Germany has risen significantly under the presidency of Joe Biden.
HistoryFebruary 29, 2024
Berlin train driver Martin Dibobe stands by his train in Berlin

The man who revealed the flaws of German colonial ambitions

Quane Martin Dibobe became a pioneering human rights activist and challenged Germany's exploitative colonialism.
HistoryFebruary 22, 2024
File photo shows the Adolph Woermann steamer docking

How German merchants drove colonialism in West Africa

German businessmen saw immense profits in colonial-era trading, and could count on German military support.
HistoryJanuary 30, 2024
People carry an Israeli and a German flag during a rally in solidarity with Israel in Berlin

What's behind Germany's special relationship with Israel?

After the Holocaust, it took decades of rapprochement for Germany and Israel to establish a partnership.
PoliticsDecember 11, 202306:17 min
German President Steinmeier in Tanzania

German president apologizes for colonial crimes in Tanzania

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier apologizes for the Maji Maji massacre and other German colonial abuses in Tanzania.
PoliticsNovember 1, 202305:01 min