Territorial evolution of Germany

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The territorial evolution of Germany is characterized by significant changes over centuries. Modern Germany has seen the consolidation of various smaller states into a unified nation. It began with the Holy Roman Empire and then experienced fragmentation during the Middle Ages. The 19th century marked the gradual formation of a unified German state.

Modern Germany was formed in 1867 when Otto von Bismarck united most German states (except Austria), into the North German Confederation, which served as a model for the future German Empire.

The concluding phase of German unification occurred during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, a strategic move by Bismarck to forge an alliance between the western German states and the North German Confederation.

After WWI, Germany lost about 10 percent of its area to its neighbors, and the Weimar Republic was created. The Weimar republic incorporated territories to the east of nowadays’s German boundaries.

The Nazi rule from the 1930s to the end of WWII caused notable territorial losses for the nation. First, the Nazis significantly increased Germany’s territory and captured most of Europe. But everything changed after the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union. The Nazi administration finally deflated, and the Allies conquered Germany.

After WWII, all territorial increases were canceled, and pre-war Germany territory was divided into British, French, American, and Soviet occupation zones. Germany’s former eastern lands were given to Poland and the USSR.

Below is the map of German territorial losses since first world war

With the start of the Cold War (1949), the western part of Germany become the Federal Republic of Germany. The eastern part, including the Soviet part of Berlin, became the communist German Democratic Republic. After the end of the Cold War (1990), Germany was united.

Here is the animated map of the territorial evolution of Germany.

Want to learn more about the history of Germany? Then you might like to read:

• The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
• Germany: Memories of a Nation
• The Shortest History of Germany: From Roman Frontier to the Heart of Europe—A Retelling for Our Times (Shortest History Series)