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| History |
| For the greater part of its history, Germany has been a geographic boundary used to designate an area occupied by various states. Over a 74-year period it was converted into a unified state (1871-1945), but in 1949, after the Second World War, the Allies divided Germany into two autonomous nations. The western part, the German Federal Republic (Bundesrepublik Deutschland), adopted a free-market system and immediately joined the European Union and NATO. The German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik), the eastern section of the country, followed socialist ideals and formed part of the Warsaw Pact. On October 3, 1990, it reintegrated into West Germany, and Germany returned to being a unified nation. |
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