History & Politics Flashcards
What is the oldest city in Germany?
Trier
Where are these three famous people buried? The Three Wise Men, Händel, Karl der Große (Charlemagne)? (respectively)
Köln, Westminster Abbey, Aachen
When was the coronation of Karl der Große?
Dec. 25, 800
Who was crowned emperor of the Romans in 800 AD by the Pope after uniting a European empire?
Karl der Grosse (or Charlemagne)
In what city was Karl der Große born?
Aachen
Which political system became prominent in the Holy Roman Empire, creating classes of lords and less nobles?
Feudalism
Who was crowned first Holy Roman Emperor?
Otto I
Give the German name of Otto’s Holy Roman Empire.
Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation
When did das Heilige Römische Reich come to an end?
1806
The emperors (Kaiser) of which German nation had only a relatively small amount of power?
Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation
How long did the Heilige Römische Reich last?
nearly a 1000 years
A period of Civil War racked the Holy Roman Empire from the death of Emperor Fredrick II in 1250 until 1273 when a new Emperor was finally instated. What was this period called?
Great Interregnum
Which emperor died in a crusade in the Holy land?
Friederich Barbarossa
Which famous German King was the ideal Christian knight, who died on the way to the Holy Land on the Third Crusade?
Friederich Barbarossa
When was die Hanse established?
Twelfth Century (1100’s)
What was the league of Northern European nations in the 13th century?
Hanseatic League/Hanse
Which city is famous for the production of Marzipan?
Lübeck
In which castle did Martin Luther translate the bible into German?
die Wartburg
Who is known as the father of the German language for translating the Bible into German?
Martin Luther
In which city and in what year did Martin Luther tack up his 95 theses?
Wittenberg 1517
When did Luther nail his 95 Theses to the church wall?
1517
From 1524-1525, what broke out due to Luther’s ideas?
Deutscher Bauernkrieg/Peasant Revolt
When was the Thirty Years War?
1618-1648
Which war ocurred from 1618 to 1648 between Protestants and Catholics?
Thirty Years War
What were the two religious groups that formed in Germany in 1608-1609?
In the North- Protestant Union. South- Catholic League
Who were the Hohenzollern?
A ruling dynasty of Brandenburg, Prussia, and Germany from 1415-1918
What was the biggest German country in the 18th century?
Prussia
Who was the most powerful Prussian king of the 18th century?
Friedrich II. (der Große)
In 1785, which treaty was signed between the King of Prussia and the United States?
Treaty of Amity and Commerce
Which country emerged in the 18th century as the most prominent of several German states?
Prussia
Who became Prussian king in 1740? He was known as an enlightened despot, who supported arts and literature.
Friedrich II. (der Große)
Name the three most important rulers of Prussia.
Friedrich Wilhelm, Friedrich I, Friedrich II
Which German monarch was the first to conclude a treaty of commerce with the US?
Friedrich II. (der Große)
During the Reaction of the Princes issued laws in 1918 that suppressed freedom of the press and academic freedom. Name them.
Carlsbad Decrees
Name the four dates in which German people sought to join as a nation and to have a Parliament
1848- Failure of Parliament
1871- United Germany
1919/1933- Weimar republic with Democratic Constitution
Who applied Hegel’s philosophy to economics?
Karl Marx
Who concluded that communism is the economic synthesis that Hegel talked about?
Karl Marx
Who believed that management and labor were the thesis and antithesis in economics?
Karl Marx
Who wrote Das Kapital?
Karl Marx
Which philosopher lived from 1818-1883?
Karl Marx
According to Marx, what would be the ultimate result of the struggle between the entrepreneurs and the work force?
Victory of the proletariats
Name the three castles built by Ludwig II in Bavaria.
Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee
Name the three castles Ludwig II built and name the one he never completed.
Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee, Neuschwanstein (not completed)
Who became Wilhelm I’s chancellor?
Otto von Bismarck
Who was known as the Iron Chancellor?
Otto von Bismarck
What three wars led to the consolidation of the German states and the founding of the German Empire?
Danish War
Seven Weeks War/Austro-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
Which war lasted from 1870-1871, resulting in France’s defeat, consolidating the German states under the leadership of Wilhelm I?
Franco-Prussian War
In 1871, who became the German Kaiser of the German Reich?
Prussian King Wilhelm I
Who succeeded Wilhelm I in 1888? He played an active role in world affairs, and removed Bismarck in 1890
Wilhelm II
Installed as Emperor of Mexico by Napolean III in 1863, which Hapsburg was overthrown and executed by Mexican patriots?
Emperor Maximillian of Mexico
Which Hapsburg was assassinated in Sarajavo, Bosnia, in 1914, precipitating WWI?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Who was the last Habsburg ruler in Austria?
Emperor Charles I/Kaiser Karl I.
When did the United States enter World War I?
April 6, 1917
Who was the first chancellor of the Austrian Republic?
Karl Renner
In 1919, the National Assembly drew up a constitution for what nation?
Weimar Republic
After the first world war, what was the capital of the German republic?
Weimer
Who was the first president of the Weimar Republic?
Friedrich Ebert
In 1933, which important change in leadership occurred, causing emigration to the United States?
Hitler became chancellor
What was the year of the inflation and Hitler’s Putsch?
1923
When did Hitler become Chancellor?
January 1933
What was Hitler’s first attempt to take over the Bavarian government?
Munich Putsch 1923
Where did Hitler march on November 9, 1923?
Munich Rathaus
What was Hitler’s regime called?
Third Reich
In November 1923, right-wing extremists tried to topple the government of Bavaria and establish a new one. Name the event and the leader of these extremists.
Munich Putsch(Beer Hall Putsch)/ Adolf Hitler
What is the German name for NSDAP?
Nationalsozialistiche Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
In 1936 German troops were sent into a European country to fight on the side of the fascists. Name this conflict.
Spanish Civil War
What was the main result of the Nuremberg Laws?
They deprived Jews of citizenship
Which action began World War II?
Hitler’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939
When did World War 2 begin?
September 1, 1939
When invading Poland, Germany combined massive airstrikes with fast moving mechanized ground forces to defeat the enemy in a short amount of time. What are these tactics called?
Blitzkrieg
At the end of WW2 what river and what city were near the meeting place for the Soviets coming from the east and the Americans coming from the west?
die Elbe, Torgau
Give the day, month, and year that world war II ended in Europe.
May 8, 1945
When did Germany surrender unconditionally in World War II?
May 8, 1945
Where did the Allied leaders determine Germany’s future after World War II?
July 1945 Potsdam Conference
What was die Mauer?
The berlin wall
When was the Berlin Wall built?
- August 1961
When did the Berlin Wall fall?
- November 1989
Give the year the Berlin wall went up and the year it went down.
1961 and 1989
What is der Eisene Vorhang?
The iron curtain
Name the historic border crossing point between Soviet and American sectors of Berlin.
Checkpoint Charlie
In the year 1949, the government in West Germany was called?
Bundesrepublik
In 1949, which document was created which established the German government?
The German Constitution (Proclomation of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany on May 23.)
When was the GDR (German Democratic Republic) established?
October 7, 1949
In what year was the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany signed?
1949
What party controlled East Germany before reunification?
SED - Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands
Who was the initial leader of East Germany?
Walter Ulbricht
When did the Berlin blockade begin?
June of 1948
During the blockade, how did goods come into Germany?
Die Luftbrücke (airlift)
In 1948, Americans used airlifts to break the Soviet blockade of which German city?
West Berlin
What is die Blockade?
Soviet stoppage of surface transporation between West Germany and Berlin
What was die Luftbrucke?
Transportation of goods into Berlin during the blockade
In 1948, what plan did the US enact to help Germany out of its economic crisis?
Marshall Plan
What took place in Germany with the help of the Marshall Plan?
Die Wiederaufbau (reconstruction)
Which currency reform was born in 1948, along with the Marshall Plan?
Birth of the D-mark
What was the economic miracle that was accomplished in the decades following 1948 spurred by United States aid via the Marshall plan?
Wirtschaftswunder
What was the Marshall Plan?
A European recovery program in which the US would spend billions of dollars to help rebuild Western Europe after WWII
What was the West Germany period of reconstruction called?
Wiederaufbau
What was the currency reform of June 1948?
Währungsreform
Who was elected chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany in September 1949?
Konrad Adenauer
Who was the first chancellor of Germany?
Konrad Adenauer (1949-1963)
Who is known as the father of the Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle) after World War II?
Ludwig Erhard
Who was the second and third chancellor of Germany that were from the CDU party, respectively?
Ludwig Erhard (1963) Kurt Kiesinger (1966)
Who was the mayor of Berlin who later became Chancellor?
Willy Brandt
Who was the first chancellor from the SPD?
Willy Brandt
Who succeeded Willy Brandt?
Helmut Kohl
Who was the unified nation’s first chancellor?
Helmut Kohl
Who created the ten point program leading to German unity?
Chancellor Helmut Kohl of West Germany
Who is the chancellor of Germany?
Angela Merkel
On October 9, 1989, which famous protest occured in Leipzig?
Wir sind das Volk
Which treaty was signed on May 18, 1990?
The Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic Establishing a Monetary Economic and Social Union
When was the Unification Treaty signed?
August 31, 1990
When was German reunification?
October 3, 1990
In what year did Switzerland unite?
1291
What German aquired Manhattan Island from the Indians and later established it as New Amsterdam (now NYC)?
Peter Minuit
What German immigrant paid the Indians 60 guilders for Manhattan Island?
Peter Minuit
On October 6, 1683, which settlement was founded?
Germantown
What Frankfurt lawyer founded Germantown, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, in 1683?
Franz Daniel Pastorius
Which area near Philadelphia was founded by Germans?
Germantown
How many families came from Krefeld to America?
13
