GERMAN Steel and glass dome atop the historic Reichstag, Berlin Flickr / icke_63 DLIFLC DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER CULTURAL ORIENTATION | German Profile Introduction ................................................................................................................... 6 Modern Germany .................................................................................................7 Climate .......................................................................................................................... 8 Geographic Divisions .................................................................................................. 9 North German Plain (Norddeutsches Tiefland) ..............................................9 Central German Uplands (Mittelgebirge) .......................................................10 Alpine Foreland (Alpenvorland), the Bavarian Alps (Bayerische Alpen) .. 11 Rivers ...........................................................................................................................11 Rhine (Rhein) ....................................................................................................12 Danube (Donau) ...............................................................................................12 Elbe ..................................................................................................................... 13 Lakes and Bodies of Water .......................................................................................14 Lakes ...................................................................................................................14 The North (Nordsee) and Baltic (Ostsee) Seas ............................................ 14 Major Cities ..................................................................................................................15 Berlin ................................................................................................................... 15 Hamburg ............................................................................................................16 Munich (München) ............................................................................................ 17 Cologne (Köln) ..................................................................................................18 Frankfurt am Main ...........................................................................................19 Stuttgart .............................................................................................................20 Dresden ...............................................................................................................21 History .......................................................................................................................... 22 Introduction .........................................................................................................22 The Rise of Prussia (1789–1871) ....................................................................23 Imperial Germany (1871–1914) .......................................................................23 World War I (1914–1918) ..................................................................................24 The Weimar Republic (1918–1933) ................................................................25 Hitler’s Rise to Power—The Third Reich .......................................................26 World War II (1935–1945) ................................................................................27 The Holocaust (1938–1945) ............................................................................28 The Cold War Era .............................................................................................29 Berlin—Focal Point of the Cold War ..............................................................29 Reunified Germany ...........................................................................................30 Current Events ...................................................................................................31 Government ................................................................................................................ 32 Political Parties ..................................................................................................33 2 CULTURAL ORIENTATION | German Economy ..................................................................................................................... 34 Current Socioeconomic Climate .....................................................................34 International Trade .............................................................................................35 Ethnic Groups .....................................................................................................36 Languages ..........................................................................................................36 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 50 Religion Introduction ..................................................................................................................51 Overview of Major Religions ................................................................................... 52 Catholicism ........................................................................................................52 Protestantism ....................................................................................................53 Islam ...................................................................................................................54 Judaism ...............................................................................................................55 Religion and the State ............................................................................................. 56 Religion in Daily Life .................................................................................................. 57 Religious Holidays and Events ................................................................................ 58 Christmas (Weinachten) ...................................................................................58 Easter (Ostern) ...................................................................................................59 Regional Holidays and Events ................................................................................. 59 Buildings of Worship and Memorial Sites .............................................................. 60 Churches .............................................................................................................60 Mosques ..............................................................................................................62 Memorials ...........................................................................................................63 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 67 Traditions Introduction ................................................................................................................. 68 Values and Characteristics ...................................................................................... 69 Formulaic Codes of Politeness ............................................................................... 70 Gender Roles and Relationships ............................................................................ 72 The Arts ...................................................................................................................... 72 Literature .............................................................................................................72 Visual Arts ...........................................................................................................73 Music and Dance ............................................................................................... 74 Pastimes and Sports ................................................................................................. 75 Cuisine ......................................................................................................................... 76 Food .....................................................................................................................76 Beverages ...........................................................................................................77 Eating in a German Home ................................................................................78 3 CULTURAL ORIENTATION | German Dress Codes and Traditional Dress........................................................................ 80 Nonreligious Celebrations .........................................................................................81 New Year’s Eve (Sylvester) .............................................................................81 Mardi Gras (Karneval, Fasching) ....................................................................81 Oktoberfest .........................................................................................................82 Other Celebrations and Holidays ....................................................................83 Dos and Don’ts .......................................................................................................... 83 Assessment 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