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| Germans (Central Europe) | |
|---|---|
| Group | Germans (Central Europe) |
| Native name | Deutsche |
| Regions | Central Europe, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, South Tyrol, Alsace |
| Languages | German language (Standard German), Alemannic German, Bavarian language, Low German, Franco-Provençal |
| Religions | Roman Catholic Church, Protestantism, Judaism, Irreligion |
| Related | Dutch people, Austrians, Swiss people, Luxembourgers |
Germans (Central Europe) Germans in Central Europe are an ethnolinguistic group associated with the German language, historical polities such as the Holy Roman Empire, and modern states including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. They have shaped and been shaped by events like the Reformation, the Napoleonic Wars, and the German unification of 1871, influencing institutions such as the European Union, the Council of Europe, and cultural movements like German Romanticism.
Definitional debates about Germans reference sources such as the Holy Roman Empire, the German Confederation, and the Weimar Republic, and hinge on language varieties including Standard German, Alemannic German, and Low German. Scholarly frameworks often invoke the Nation-state transformations tied to the Congress of Vienna and the Frankfurt Parliament, while legal status is shaped by instruments like the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany and nationality statutes in Austria and Switzerland.
Early medieval settlements associated with the Migration Period and tribes like the Saxons, Bavarians, and Franks set foundations under the Carolingian Empire and later the Ottonian dynasty. The Holy Roman Empire era saw dynasties such as the Habsburg dynasty and events including the Investiture Controversy and the Thirty Years' War, while the Reformation initiated by Martin Luther reshaped religion alongside figures like Johann Sebastian Bach and institutions like the University of Wittenberg. The Napoleonic Wars precipitated the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and the emergence of the German Confederation, leading to industrialization in the German Empire under Otto von Bismarck, colonial ventures in Africa and the Pacific, and later the crises of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazi Party. The aftermath of World War II produced occupation zones, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, and reunification with pivotal treaties like the Two Plus Four Agreement and membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union.
The German language comprises a continuum from Low German in the north to Alemannic German and Bavarian language in the south, with literary standards such as High German. Institutions like the Goethe-Institut and publications like the Grimm's Fairy Tales exemplify literary heritage, while linguistic research at universities such as Humboldt University of Berlin and University of Vienna builds on scholarship from Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm. Multilingual regions involve contact with French people in Alsace, Italian people in South Tyrol, and Slavic peoples in borderlands affected by treaties like the Treaty of Versailles.
Cultural production features composers and thinkers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Immanuel Kant, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, as well as artistic movements tied to institutions such as the Bauhaus and festivals like the Oktoberfest and Salzburg Festival. Civic institutions include museums like the Pergamon Museum, orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, and universities including the University of Heidelberg and University of Munich. Religious life connects Roman Catholic Church and Protestant traditions with Jewish communities historically centered in cities like Frankfurt am Main and Prague. Sporting culture features clubs like FC Bayern Munich and competitions such as the Bundesliga.
Population centers concentrate in regions including the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, Berlin, Bavaria, and Vienna, with diasporas in United States, Brazil, and Argentina following migration waves tied to events like the Revolutions of 1848 and postwar displacement from areas such as Silesia and Sudetenland. Census and statistical bodies such as Statistisches Bundesamt and Austrian Statistical Office track shifts influenced by treaties like the Potsdam Agreement and labor agreements with countries such as Turkey during guest worker recruitment programs.
Political movements from the German nationalist currents of the 19th century to 20th-century ideologies associated with the National Socialist German Workers' Party shaped identity debates alongside democratic institutions born in the Frankfurt Parliament and postwar constitutions like the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. Migration flows include emigration to the United States during the 19th century, postwar expulsions from Eastern Europe, guest worker programs involving Turkey, and modern asylum processes governed by instruments like the Dublin Regulation and participation in the Schengen Area.
Industrialization in regions such as the Ruhr and innovations from firms like Siemens, BASF, Volkswagen, and Bayer AG propelled manufacturing and trade within the European Coal and Steel Community precursor to the European Union. Scientific contributions from figures like Albert Einstein, Max Planck, and institutions such as the Max Planck Society and Fraunhofer Society advanced physics, chemistry, and engineering, while cultural exports include literature from Thomas Mann, film from directors like Fritz Lang, and design from the Bauhaus movement, all linked to economic networks across Central Europe.