Germany History: Difference between revisions

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== Time line of key dates and events in German history:  ==

In 1525 inflamed through some pastors’ interpretation of the Reformation, the people of Thüringen, Schwaben and Salzburg sought for more equality. Up to this point they were subjects to feudal lords. The revolt helped to even the way to landownership as well as establish a new religion, Protestantism. The serfs established 12 articles (known as the rise of the common man) and demanded basically what much later the Declaration of Independence formulated thus: “We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. The serfs had to wait centuries before they could enjoy such freedoms.  

The Catholics had a stronghold in Germany as seen on [http://humanities.ucsd.edu/courses/kuchtahum3/reference/reformation.htm '''this map''']. Protestant groups fought for equal standing and in 1555 were granted comparable rights with the Catholics. An individual, however, was not in a position to choose his religion. He was dependent on his sovereign lord who chose the preferred faith for his land. With the Peace of Augsburg in place, one would think religious strife ceased. This was not the case, as [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/shepherd/central_europe_relig_1923.jpg '''this map'''] shows.  

The religious strife did not cease because it became a political issue. The Czech nobility was under the impression that they had been granted religious freedom, which was not the case. Their German overlords favored Catholicism. The tensions came to a peak. When the Catholic envoy came to support the Church’s views, the Czech delegates tossed these men out the window. The Defenestration of Prague on May 23, 1618 produced serious consequences. What seemed to be a conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism was in reality a war between Catholic France and Catholic Habsburg for supremacy in Europe. Four wars were fought to solve this conflict.<br>  

Sweden, Denmark, France and Bohemia were the nations to engage in these wars. They were fought on German soil and brought much devastation. See [http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/262/268312/art/figures/KISH312.jpg '''Thirty Years' War''']. The destruction lasted one human life time and two to three generations to rebuild. Before 1618 sixteen to seventeen Million people lived in Germany, after 1648 four Million were left. Example: Württemberg was especially hit hard. 450,000 inhabitants lived here before the war, after the war 100,000 were left. It took 10 years to rebuild the population. Record keeping at this time was non-existent in some parishes or occurred in a neighboring parish because of the lack of priests.  

Destruction did not just come through wars, but through hunger and disease (plague) as well. Devastation occurred also through overzealous interpretation of the scriptures. Exodus 22:18 “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” gave authorities the right to put those to death whom they deemed possessed with witchcraft. Men and women with knowledge of enhancing or healing herbs, once a highly regarded craft, were especially targeted, accused as devil’s advocates and put to death. Germany with 25,000 such cases was in the lead among Europeans.  

After 1648 land became available. People moved eastward to open up new frontiers. Couples married at a younger age. Others had to flee from further religious conflicts. The first larger emigration to North America began when the Concord delivered Germans to Pennsylvania in 1683. People from the Netherlands fled religious disputes and settled in the marshy areas of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany. They built dykes and established milk processing stations, travelling as far as West Prussia to settle along the Vistula river. See [http://www.thorn-wpr.de/Grafik/PlanNied.gif '''this map'''.] Still others followed an invitation by Catherine the Great to settle in the Black Sea regions. This map shows German areas from which people emigrated in large numbers [http://www.ourgenealogy.ca/Germany/1700GerEm3.jpg '''during the 17th and 18th centuries'''].

In quick succession developments occurred which influenced life in Germany to a great extent. The state of Prussia from a relatively small entity annexed most of the Northern German states by 1871. The Industrial Revolution in England had a tremendous impact on the rest of Europe. The French Revolution brought the ideas of “egalite, fraternite and liberte” and Napoleon’s occupation of German territory along the Rhine and northern parts aroused in the German soul for the first time the thought of nationalism. Moreover, Napoleon inspired the Confederation of the Rhine, dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, reduced the German states to 39, introduced the French Calendar and administrative measures and inspired the March Revolution of 1848. The Revolution of 1848 was unsuccessful. The citizens of Germany tried to achieve national unity and to obtain a political voice. The aspired changes failed because Austria wanted to change the political landscape back to pre-Napoleonic times and Prussia was too fainthearted to go through with any changes. After the failure to achieve political union, many prominent Germans faced prison time if they did not escape to America or Switzerland. A quarter million people found a new home in America and had quite an impact on the cultural and technological developments of this country.  

Emigration and migration was greatly facilitated by the waterways and the railroad system in Germany: [https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Bahnkarte_Deutschland_1849.jpg&filetimestamp=20081117144247 Railway map]  

Hamburg and Bremen became the most important Passenger ports in Europe. Emigrants were registered in Hamburg since 1850. The [http://germanroots.com/hamburg.html passenger lists from Hamburg] still exist; the ones from Bremen were destroyed.  

The industrialization and Germany’s production of coal and steel brought many people of the land into the cities. The import of cotton in conjunction with slave labor provided a cheaper product and wiped out the century-old profession of the weaver, who processed flax. Many people had to leave the profession and the life they once knew to find work in the cities. Poverty here was prevalent. People did not have cash to pay the church to get married, for instance. From 1800 to 1850 we see many illegitimate children.  

Again, emigration was a real option, especially because Germany was in the process of political change which did not entirely evolve without fighting. The Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71 had many leave the country again: [http://www.volkerjarren.de/GenRes/Images/emigrants.gif Origin of German emigrants to the United States in 1871]  

Otto v. Bismarck was the driving force to unify Germany. The empire was a constitutional monarchy until 1918. See 1871 map of [https://pages.uoregon.edu/kimball/EUR.REV.2.PHASES.htm#1871:Ger Bismarck's Germany]

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles#/media/File:German_losses_after_WWI.svg This map] shows the territories Germany lost as a result of Word War I.  

After Word War II Germany lost the [http://www.zum.de/whkmla/histatlas/germany/194956.gif following territories].  

*Reinhardt, Kurt Frank. ''Germany: 2000 Years''. Revised Edition. Two Volumes. New York, NY, USA: F. Ungar, 1989. (FS Library book 943 H2rk.)

Local histories describe the settlement of an area and the founding of churches, schools, and businesses in that area. They may contain information about families. Some county and town histories include separate sections or volumes containing biographical information. Even if your ancestor is not listed in a history, information on other relatives may be included and may provide important clues for finding the ancestor. A local history may also suggest other records to search.  

In addition, local histories should be studied and enjoyed for the background information they can provide about your ancestors' lifestyle and the community and environment in which they lived. The FamilySearch Library has some local histories for towns in Germany, and similar histories are often available at major public and university libraries and archives.  

Bibliographies that list local histories are available for most states and provinces of Germany. These are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:  

'''French Republican Calendar.''' From 1793 to 1805, many parts of Germany under French control used the French Republican calendar. This calendar was based on the founding of the French Republic, and its days and months were unrelated to the Gregorian calendar. For details see the [[French Republican Calendar]]  

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