1800s Prussia united many of Germany’s
states to form the German Empire,
or the Second Reich. Germany became
Europe’s leading power. It also acquired
colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific
Ocean.
During WorldWar I (1914–18) Germany
and its allies, Austria-Hungary
and Turkey, battled Great Britain,
France, Russia, Italy, and the United
States. The war ended with a disastrous
defeat for the German Empire. Germany
lost land to surrounding countries.
It also lost its colonies.
The Third Reich
AfterWorldWar I a democratic government
known as the Weimar Republic
took power in Germany. It collapsed,
however, as the country struggled with a
poor economy. Adolf Hitler and his
Nazi Party gained control in 1933. Hit-
People sit in an outdoor restaurant in
Munich. The city is one of the largest in
Germany. It attracts many tourists.
Facts About
GERMANY
Population
(2008 estimate)
82,143,000
Area
137,847 sq mi
(357,023 sq km)
Capital
Berlin
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Berlin, Hamburg,
Munich, Cologne,
Frankfurt am
Main
106 Germany BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
ler wanted to create a new German
Empire, called the Third Reich.
Hitler’s plans led to WorldWar II. Germany,
allied with Italy and Japan,
formed the Axis Powers. They fought
the Allies—Britain, the Soviet Union,
and the United States. By the time the
Allies defeated the Axis in 1945, the
Nazis had killed millions of people,
including about 6 million Jews, in a
massacre called the Holocaust.
Division of Germany
FollowingWorldWar II the Allies
divided Germany into four zones. The
United States, Britain, France, and the
Soviet Union each controlled a zone. In
1949 the United States, Britain, and
France merged their zones to create the
Federal Republic of Germany, or West
Germany.West Germany had a democratic
government.
The Soviet zone became the German
Democratic Republic, or East Germany.
Like the Soviet Union, East Germany
had a Communist government.Within
East Germany was the city of Berlin,
which was also divided into eastern and
western sections. Millions of East Germans
fled toWest Germany through
Berlin. In 1961 East Germany built the
BerlinWall, which kept western Berlin
separate from the rest of East Germany.
Reunification
In 1989 the Communist government of
East Germany collapsed. People began
tearing down the BerlinWall. Tens of
thousands of East Germans crossed into
West Berlin to celebrate their new freedom.
East andWest Germany were officially
reunited in 1990. The country
then began modernizing eastern Germany’s
economy. Germany also joined the
European Union.
#More to explore
Berlin • Communism • European
Union • Holy Roman Empire • Nazi
Party • Reformation
500s 1517 1871 1933 1945 1949 1990
The Franks
unify the tribes
of ancient
Germany.
Martin Luther
begins the
Reformation.
The German
Empire is
formed.
The Nazis take
power.
Germany is
defeated in
World War II.
Germany splits
into West and
East Germany.
Germany is
reunited.
T I M E L I N E
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Germany 107
Geronimo
The legendary warrior Geronimo was a
leader of the Chiricahua band of the
Apache people. The Apache lived in
northern Mexico and what is now the
southwestern United States. Geronimo
spent most of his life fighting Mexican
and U.S. settlers and soldiers who
wanted to take the tribe’s land.
Geronimo was born in June 1829 in a
part of southeastern Arizona that was
then part of Mexico. At the age of 17 he
became a member of his tribe’s warrior
council and took part in fights between
the Apache and the Mexicans. In 1858
the Mexicans killed his mother, wife,
and children.Wanting revenge,
Geronimo fought even more fiercely.
His skill and courage in battle made him
an Apache leader.
In 1874 the U.S. government forced
Geronimo and some 4,000 other
Apache to move to a reservation in Arizona.
There they were often short of
food and denied their traditional customs.
Geronimo and his followers left
the reservation and led violent raids
against settlers in Arizona for more than
10 years. He surrendered in 1886, and
he and his followers were sent to Florida
as prisoners and forced to do hard labor.
In 1894 Geronimo was moved to Fort
Sill in Oklahoma Territory. He died
there on February 17, 1909.
#More to explore
Apache
Gestation
Gestation is the period of time that a
mammal carries her offspring, or babies,
inside her body before giving birth. The
length of gestation is different for each
type of mammal. Larger animals usually
have longer gestations than smaller animals.
Human gestation, or pregnancy,
lasts about nine months. An elephant’s
gestation lasts about 22 months. In
squirrels, gestation lasts only about six
weeks.
Before birth, mammals grow inside an
organ called the uterus in the mother’s
belly. The uterus is a part of the body’s
reproductive system. A structure called a
placenta usually connects the developing
baby to the uterus. The placenta brings
nutrients from the mother’s body to the
developing baby, or fetus.
Geronimo’s
Apache name
was Goyathlay,
which
means “one
who yawns.”
The Mexicans
were the first
to call him
Geronimo.
Geronimo
108 Geronimo BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Gestation in Marsupials
