Did you ever want to know the circulation of the major German newspapers or the number of wind-generating stations in Germany? Did you ever wonder about Internet use in Germany or the number of Handys (mobile phones) currently owned by Germans? Do you know the names of the architects who designed the “new” Potsdamer Platz in Berlin? Interested in finding out more about government funding of film culture? Did anyone ever ask you to list the five largest cities in Germany? Hoping to appear on a game show anytime soon? Then, this Buch is for you. It will amaze you, it will thrill you, it will seldom disappoint you. The general reader will enjoy browsing through this companion to two thousand years of German civilization and Kultur, and to the German teacher, at virtually every level of the curriculum, this is a gold mine that will surprise and delight. Not that it will replace a traditional textbook (which is normally many years in the making and therefore not absolutely up-to-date), but it will keep the reader abreast of recent developments in Germany today. Best of all, it is absolutely free and yours for the asking.
This fact guide to Germany, published regularly by the Federal government, offers a bird’s-eye view of two thousand years of German civilization, recording the good times and the not so good times, from the beginning until the present, from the time that the Römer inched their way up the Rhine to the time the Amis (i.e. the Amerikaner) crossed it, from the time the Swedes wreaked havoc upon the land during the Thirty Years War to the organized mass rape of the civilian population by the advancing Soviet armies during the closing weeks of World War II. The book spans the splendor (albeit artificial) of the century of Frederick the Great and the notoriety of the Third Reich, picks up with reconstruction after the War and leads us through unification, offering snapshots along the way of Konrad, Willi, Helmut no.1 and Helmut no. 2, and, last but not least, der schöne Gerhard.
Unlike the World Almanac, this is not so much a compilation of statistics as a 500-page+ mini-encyclopedia where the typical entry is a short essay rather than a fact sheet. Facts about Germany is divided into twelve sections covering virtually every area of the life of the German nation: “The Country,” “History,” “Government, Constitution, and Legal System,” “The State and its Citizens,” “Germany and the World,” “The Economy,” “Economic Sectors,” “The System of a Social Market Economy,” “Life in Society,” “Education and Training,” “Cultural Life,” and “Germany in Figures” (featuring a collection of significant stats). Each section includes a bibliography with useful sources of information.
In the first section of the book, we are introduced to the geography of Germany and to the sixteen Länder or states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany today. Most noteworthy in this section are several entries on national minorities, such as the Sorbs and the Frisians, and foreign nationals. The naturalization process in Germany is complicated and has been the object of much scrutiny of late. Ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe who settle in Germany (Spätaussiedler) are still granted citizenship virtually automatically, and as of January 1, 2000 children born in Germany to foreign parents who fulfill stringent residency requirements can receive German citizenship as well. Here it should also be pointed out that Germany has one of the most generous policies on political refugees in the European Union, accepting 100,000 asylum seekers annually.
The second section, “History,” is patchy but does offer an overview of the principal stages of the German nation-building enterprise. The following section is far more comprehensive and provides the reader with a thorough introduction to the German constitution and to federalism, as well as to political parties and elections. The section entitled “Germany and the World” is exciting to read because of Germany’s growing involvement in the international arena. Since this is an officially published document, it can be assumed that the optimism expressed in its pages reflects the conviction that Germany is once again a fully democratic colleague that can be trusted in military matters as well, for example, to uphold UN policies in the hot spots around the globe (especially in Europe) or to participate in the European defense initiative. Germany (like France) wisely emphasizes the communal, European dimension of the latter project but still must be prepared to commit itself offensively abroad if such a project is to make sense. In the meantime the defense of Europe will remain in the hands of NATO, i.e., the U.S.
The subsequent sections deal with the economy at large, examining everything from the economic system and German markets to industry, crafts, and trades, the independent professions, transport, banking information technology, and even fairs and exhibitions. What is interesting here (and elsewhere) is the attention given to the environment. Germany’s reputation for being in the vanguard of the environmental movement in the national and state legislatures and, of course, home to the Grüne is well deserved and ought to give the American reader pause. We have much to learn here, I am ashamed to say.
The final sections, “Education and Training” and “Cultural Life,” once again underscore regional differences, which can be significant with regard to everything from topography and customs to school curricula and academic calendars. Even though Germany may be approximately 25 times smaller than the U.S., it is an incredibly diverse country with a rich cultural heritage that extends back in time as far as the history of such “older” European powers as France or England. In A.D. 9 the Germanic chieftain Arminius defeated three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest (southeast of modern-day Bielefeld), giving Germany its first national hero. While this was fifty or so years after the Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix rose against the Romans in what is now the heart of modern-day France, Arminius won his battle with the Romans, whereas Vercingetorix was vanquished, taken prisoner, and shipped back to Rome as a trophy, where he was put to death with the usual Roman compliments. Interestingly, each figure was resurrected in the nineteenth century by nationalist parties on either side of the Rhine. If Germany’s history is less linear and less teleological than, say, France’s, that is in the nature of German “destiny” and perhaps a reason why Germany continues to fascinate the foreign observer.
Tom Conner
Associate Professor of Modern Foreign Languages
St. Norbert College
Publisher’s Response
The German Information Center (GIC), an outreach service of the German Embassy, provides information on all aspects of life in modern Germany. Our website at www.germany-info.org offers the latest news and views from Germany and is an outstanding resource for information on study, travel, business, government, and culture in Germany. The GIC also makes available a wide range of materials published by the German Press and Information Office and other government institutions. Facts about Germany is one of our leading publications. We hope that this book, which is particularly well suited for professors and teachers of German and social studies, will of great usefulness in their classroom. We appreciate Dr. Conner’s thorough, well-structured and fair review of Facts about Germany and are grateful for his thoughtful remarks.
German Information Center
UN Plaza
New York NY