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United States of America declare independence from Britain
This is not a German event. This event demonstrates that Germany did not become a united country until almost 100 years AFTER the United States of America. WOW! -
France unites
This is here to demonstrate that France became a united country long before Germany did. -
First attempt at German Unification
SourceGerman National Assembly met at Frankfurt am Main, representing the first assembly to be freely elected by the German people. Yet, despite the election of an imperial vice regent (Reichsverweser), the government was flawed from the beginning by its lack of a strong executive power. By the autumn of 1849 the revolution disintegrated and hope of fully unifying the German states was extinguished for the time being. -
Germany FINALLY unites! Called the German Empire
The next attempt at German unification, a successful one, was undertaken by Otto von Bismarck, the Prime Minister of Prussia. Bismarck was a proponent of “smaller” Germany, not to mention a master at the game of real-politik. German unification was achieved by the force of Prussia after three wars (one in 1862 named the Danish War, one in 1866 named the Austro-Prussian War and the final one in 1870-1871 named the Franco-Prussian War). Germany is called the German Empire. -
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Buildup to World War I
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German Empire
During this time, the German Empire existed, first led by Wilhelm I of Prussia (one of the members of the empire) and later by Wilhelm II (during WWI). -
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Reign of Wilhelm II in German Empire
Wilhelm II was a reckless military leader who, without much planning, wanted to expand the German Empire. He is described as "superficial, hasty, restless, unable to relax, without any deeper level of seriousness, without any desire for hard work or drive to see things through to the end, without any sense of sobriety, for balance and boundaries, or even for reality and real problems, uncontrollable and scarcely capable of learning from experience, desperate for applause and success" (Wikipedia) -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
This was a match that lit the fire of the Great War (World War I). -
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World War I
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Germany sinks British ship Lusitania killing 128 Americans aboard
This was a major reason American entered World War I. -
U.S. declares war on Germany in World War I
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World War II
1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945 -
Berlin Wall is built overnight
Berlin residents on both sides awake to find a barbed wire fence surrounding West Berlin. Border guards stood with firearms ready should anyone attempt to cross the fence. -
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Berlin Wall stands
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Fall of the Berlin Wall
The pressure from East German resident to travel freely forces the East German government to open the Berlin Wall.
