Germans
152735
224491383
2008-07-09T02:19:58Z
Alexander lau
1548358
{{pp-semi-protected|expiry=August 3, 2008|small=yes}}
:''In a context of antiquity (pre AD 500), "Germans" is used in the sense of [[Germanic tribes]].''
{{Infobox Ethnic group
|group=German people <br> ''Deutsche''
|image=[[Image:Grms.jpg|300px]]<br/><div style="background-color:#fee8ab"><small><small> ''(left to right)'': [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] • [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]] • [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]] • [[Johannes Kepler|Kepler]]</small></small></div>
|population = ~75 million<ref>75 million is the minimal estimate, counting 67 million ethnic Germans in Germany, plus some 5-10 million primary ancestry, (native) German-speaking ethnic Germans worldwide (''not'' including Alemannic Swiss and Austrians). [http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2046121,00.html Deutsche Welle: 2005 German Census figures];[http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw/months/november/USlanguages.html Languages spoken in the US];[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=deu Ethnologue: German]</ref>
|genealogy= ~160 million<ref>160 is the maximal estimate, counting all people claiming ethnic German ancestry in the U.S., Brazil and elsewhere as well as [[Alemannic Swiss]] and [[Austrians]]</ref><br>
|regions = {{flagcountry|Germany}} {{nbsp|6}} 67 - 75 million <ref>[http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2046121,00.html Deutsche Welle: 2005 German Census figures]</ref><ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html CIA World Factbook - Germany: People]</ref>
|region1 = {{flagcountry|United States}}
|pop1 = 50 million
|ref1 = <ref>49.2 million [[German Americans]] as of 2005 according to the {{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-reg=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201:535;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR:535;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T:535;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR:535&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-TABLE_NAMEX=&-ci_type=A&-redoLog=false&-charIterations=047&-geo_id=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en|coauthors=United States Census Bureau|title=US demographic census|accessdate=2007-08-02}}; see also [[Languages in the United States#German]].</ref>
|region2 = {{flagcountry|Brazil}}
|pop2 = 12 million
|ref2 = <ref>The [http://www.mre.gov.br/ingles/politica_externa/relacoes/europa/alemanha.asp] reports 12 millions Brazilians with German ancestry. See [[German-Brazilian]]</ref>
|region3 = {{flagcountry|Canada}}
|pop3 = 3 million
|ref3 = <ref>[http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/highlight/ETO/Table1.cfm?Lang=E&T=501&GV=1&GID=0 2001 Canadian Census] gives 2,742,765 total respondents stating their ''ethnic origin'' as partly German, with 705,600 stating "single-ancestry", see [[List of Canadians by ethnicity]].</ref>
|region4 = {{flagcountry|Argentina}}
|pop4 = 2.8 million
|ref4 =<ref>[[German settlement in Argentina]]</ref>
|region5 = {{flagcountry|France}} <small>(mainly [[Alsace]] and [[Moselle]])</small>
|pop5 = 1,5 million
|ref5 = <ref>[http://www.ling.gu.se/projekt/sprakfrageladan/english/varldskarta/eng-fra.html France]</ref><ref>[http://www.everyculture.com/Europe/Alsatians.html Alsatians]</ref>
|region6 = The {{flagcountry|CIS}} <small>(mainly {{flagcountry|Russia}} and {{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}})</small>
|pop6 = 1 million
|ref6 = <ref>a result of [[population transfer in the Soviet Union]]; see [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=deu ethnologue]</ref>
|region7 = {{flagcountry|Australia}}
|pop7 = 742,212
|ref7 = <ref>The {{PDFlink|[http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/AD2222ECE5AD4396CA25712500161734/$File/29330_2001.pdf Australian Bureau of Statistics]|424 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 434335 bytes -->}} reports 742,212 people of German ancestry in the 2001 [[Census]]. German is spoken by ca. 135,000 [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=AU], about 105,000 of them Germany-born, see [[Demographics of Australia]]</ref>
|region8 = {{flagcountry|Netherlands}}
|pop8 = 320,000
|ref8 = <ref>[http://www.cbs.nl/en-GB/menu/themas/bevolking/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2006/2006-1891-wm.htm CBS], as of 2006</ref>
|region9 = {{flagcountry|Italy}}
|pop9 = 290,000
|ref9 = <ref>[http://www.provincia.bz.it/downloads/Siz_2006-eng.pdf Microsoft Word - Siz_2006-eng<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/langmin/euromosaic/it2_en.html German in Italy]</ref>
|region10 = {{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
|pop10 = 266,136 (German born only)
|ref10 = <ref>[http://www.migrationinformation.org/datahub/countrydata/data.cfm United Kingdom: Stock of foreign-born population by country of birth, 2001]</ref>
|region11 = {{flagcountry|Chile}}
|pop11 = 250,000 - 300,000
|ref11 = <ref>Deutscher als die Deutschen [http://www.fahrradtest.de/Reiseberichte/Reiseberichte%20Deutsch-Chilenen.html]</ref> <ref>Die soziolinguistische Situation von Chilenen deutscher Abstammung [http://www.linguistik-online.de/3_00/ziebur.html]</ref>
|region12 = {{flagcountry|Spain}}
|pop12 = 208,349
|ref12 = <ref>[http://www.ine.com INE(2006)]</ref>
|region13 = {{flagcountry|Paraguay}}
|pop13 = 200,000 - 450 ,000
|ref13 = <ref>It is estimated that ethnic Germans make up [http://viadrina.euv-frankfurt-o.de/~sw1www/publikation/lateinam.htm 3.3%] of the population.</ref>
|region14 = {{flagcountry|Poland}}
|pop14 = 150,000
|ref14 = <ref>mainly in [[Opole Voivodship]], see [[Demographics of Poland]].</ref>
|region15 = {{flagcountry|Switzerland}}
|pop15 = 112,000 </small>(4.6 million including [[Swiss German|Alemannic]] [[Swiss (people)|Swiss]])</small>
|ref15 = <ref>112,348 resident aliens (nationals or citizens) as of 2000 [http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/volkszaehlung/uebersicht/blank/kennzahlen0/bevoelkerungsstruktur/03.html], see [[Demographics of Switzerland]]. The [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sz.html CIA World Fact Book], identifies the 65% (4.9 million) Swiss German speakers as "ethnic Germans".</ref>
|region16 = {{flagcountry|Venezuela}}
|pop16 = 110,000 {{Fact|date=January 2007}}
|ref16 =
|region17 = {{flagcountry|Mexico}}
|pop17 = 100,000
|ref17 = <ref>[http://www.solutionsabroad.com/c_memberofmonthmexico-Koelsch.asp Expat Events in Mexico]</ref>
|region18 = {{flagcountry|South Africa}}
|pop18 = 80,000-160,000
|ref18 = <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/meadows/7589/intro_en.html Germans in South Africa]</ref>
|region19 = {{flagcountry|Austria}}
|pop19 = 74,000 </small>(7.9 million including [[Austrians]], if Austrians are regarded as Germans)</small>
|ref19 = <ref>0.9% of the population (German nationals or citizens only) [http://www.statistik.at/gz/vz_tab3.shtml Statistik Austria - Census 2001], [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/au.html CIA World Factbook]; see also [[Demographics of Austria]]; [[Austrians]] are ethnically also included under "Germans", [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3165.htm US Department of State]</ref>
|region20 = {{flagcountry|Belgium}}
|pop20 = 70,000
|ref20 = <ref>[http://www.dglive.be/EN/Desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-1408/2267_read-27184/ the German-speaking Community]</ref>
|region21 = {{flagcountry|Hungary}}
|pop21 = 62,233-220,000
|ref21 = <ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/langmin/euromosaic/hu2_en.html German in Hungary]</ref>
|region22 = {{flagcountry|Romania}}
|pop22 = 60,000
|ref22 = <ref>[http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Laender/Rumaenien.html German minority]</ref>
|region23 = {{flagcountry|Czech Republic}}
|pop23 = 40,000
|ref23 = <ref>[http://www.radio.cz/en/article/27184 Ethnic German Minorities in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia]</ref>
|region24 = {{flagcountry|Bolivia}}
|pop24 = 40,000
|ref24 = <ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/21/news/bolivia.php Land reform worries Bolivia's Mennonites]</ref>
|region25 = {{flagcountry|Ecuador}}
|pop25 = 33,000
|ref25 = <ref>[http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php Ethnic groups around the world]</ref>
|region26 = {{flagcountry|Dominican Republic}}
|pop26 = 25,000
|ref26 = <ref>[http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Laender/DominikanischeRepublik.html Dominican Republic]</ref>
|region27 = {{flagcountry|Namibia}}
|pop27 = 20,000
|ref27 = <ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2D71E3CF935A15751C1A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print Amid Namibia's White Opulence, Majority Rule Isn't So Scary Now]</ref>
|region28 = {{flagcountry|Denmark}}
|pop28 = 15-20,000 </small>(border region)</small>
|ref28 = <ref>[http://www.bdn.dk/SEEEMS/4.asp Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger]</ref>
|region29 = {{flagcountry|Slovakia}}
|pop29 = 5-10,000
|ref29 = <ref>[http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Laenderinformationen/01-Laender/Slowakei.html Slovakia]</ref>
|langs=[[German language|German]]: [[High German]] ([[Upper German]], [[Central German]]), [[Low German]] (see [[German dialects]])
|rels=[[Roman Catholic]], [[Protestant]] (chiefly [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]]), secular, others
|related= other [[Germanic peoples]]
}}
The '''German people''' ({{lang-de|Deutsche}}) are an [[ethnic group]], in the sense of sharing a common [[German culture]], [[descent]], and speaking the [[German language]] as a [[First language|mother tongue]].
Within [[Germany]], Germans are defined by [[citizenship]] ([[Federal Germans]], ''Bundesdeutsche''), distinguished from people of German ancestry (''[[Deutschstämmige]]''). Historically, in the context of the [[German Empire]] (1871-1918), German citizens ([[Imperial Germans]], ''Reichsdeutsche'') were distinguished from [[ethnic Germans]] (''[[Volksdeutsche]]'').
Out of approximately 100 million native speakers of German in the world, about 75 million consider themselves Germans. There are an additional 80 million people of German ancestry (mainly in the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, France and Canada) who are not native speakers of German.
Thus, the total number of Germans worldwide lies between 75 and 160 million, depending on the criteria applied (native speakers, single-ancestry ethnic Germans, partial German ancestry, etc.). In the [[United States|U.S.]], 43 Million or 15.2% of citizens identify as [[German American]] according to the [[United States Census]] of 2000<ref>[http://www.germany.info/relaunch/culture/ger_americans/ger_americans.html] "Nearly 43 million people in the United States identify German as their primary ancestry, the US Census Bureau reported in July 2004"</ref>. Although the percentage has declined, it is still more than any other group.<ref>This figure accounts for self-reported ancestry rather than race or ethnicity. See [[demographics of the United States]] and [[European American]] for more information.</ref> According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, approximately 51 Million citizens identify themselves as having German ancestry.<ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-_caller=geoselect&-format=] "Ancestry - German = 50,764,352"</ref>
==History of the term==
[[Image:Imperial Circles-2005-10-15-en.png|thumb|left|The [[Holy Roman Empire]] in 1512]]
The English term ''[[:wikt:German|German]]'' as used today translates from German ''[[:wikt:deutsch|deutsch]]''. It is derived from Latin ''[[Germanus]]'' and has been used since the sixteenth century synonymously with ''[[:wikt:Teuton|Teuton]]'', after ''[[Theodiscus|teutonicus]]'' used in Latin since the ninth century to refer to the German language, from the name of the [[Teutones]]. Before the sixteenth century, the terms used in English were ''Almain'', from the name of the [[Alemanni]], or ''Dutch'', an imitation of both [[Dutch language|Dutch]] "''[[dietsch|diets]]''" (meaning "[[Dutch people|Dutch]]") and the [[German language|German]] cognate "''deutsch''" (meaning: "German"). The diffuse nature of the term mirrors the heterogeneous nature of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], from the sixteenth century also known as "Holy Roman Empire of the German nation". The linguistic affiliation of the [[English language]] itself was hotly debated at the time, and English academia was split into "[[Germanophile]]s" who to include English one of the "Germanic" or "Teutonic" languages, and "[[Scandophile]]s" who preferred to classify English as "Scandinavian" (now known as [[North Germanic]])<ref>English is today classified as West Germanic, although as within a separate [[Ingvaeonic|North Sea Germanic]] subgroup.</ref>.
With the rise of the [[German Empire]] as a threat to British interests in [[Hamburg]], the "Germanophile" position came out of fashion and British romanticism turned to Scandinavia (see [[Viking revival]]). "German" from this period refers to the German Empire, already to the exclusion of [[Austria]], the [[Netherlands]] and [[Switzerland]]. Usage of ''Dutch'' was narrowed to refer to the Netherlands exclusively during the early sixteenth century.
There is a lack of international consensus in regard to the characterization of certain historical persons and institutions as "German", like for instance [[Kafka]], [[Copernicus]] or the [[Hanseatic League]]. In the nineteenth century, it was common in Germany to use "German" synonymously with "Germanic" for pre-modern times, and e.g. the [[Walhalla temple]] includes Gothic, Langobardic, Anglo-Saxon and Alemannic people among those honoured as 'Germans'.
[[Haydn]], [[Mozart]] and [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] - who spent most of their lives in what is Austria today - may be considered central within the German culture but are sometimes characterized as Austrians, not as Germans. Many people also consider them Austrian and German at once; for example, the U.S. State Department <ref>[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3165.htm Austria (01/08)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> does on its report on current Austria, describing it as inhabited by Austrian nationals of which 98% are ethnic Germans.
==Ethnic Germans==
[[Image:Historisches deutsches Sprachgebiet.PNG|left|300px|thumb|German language area in 1910–11]]
{{main|Ethnic Germans}}
The term ''Ethnic Germans'' may be used in several ways. It may serve to distinguish Germans from those who may have citizenship in the German state but are not Germans; or it may indicate Germans living as minorities in other nations. In English usage, but less often in German, ''Ethnic Germans'' may be used for [[Cultural assimilation|assimilated]] descendants of German emigrants.
[[Ethnic German]]s form an important minority group in several countries in [[Central Europe|central]] and [[eastern Europe]] ([[Demographics of Poland|Poland]], [[Demographics of Hungary|Hungary]], [[Demographics of Romania|Romania]], [[Demographics of Russia|Russia]]) as well as in [[Demographics of Namibia|Namibia]], southern [[Demographics of Brazil|Brazil]] ([[German-Brazilian]]) and [[Demographics of Argentina|Argentina]].
Some groups may be classified as Ethnic Germans despite no longer having German as their mother tongue or belonging to a distinct German culture. Until the 1990s, two million Ethnic Germans lived throughout the former Soviet Union, especially in [[Russia]] and [[Kazakhstan]].
In the [[United States]] 1990 census, 57 million people are fully or partly of German ancestry, forming the largest single ethnic group in the country. Most Americans of German descent live in the [[Mid-Atlantic states]] (especially [[Pennsylvania]]) and the northern [[Midwest]] (especially in [[Iowa]], [[Minnesota]], [[Ohio]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]], [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], and eastern [[Missouri]]), but historically Germanic immigrant enclaves can be found in many other states (e.g., the [[German Texan]]s).
Notable Ethnic German populations also exist in other [[Anglosphere]] countries such as [[Demographics of Canada|Canada]] (approx. 9% of the population) and [[Demographics of Australia|Australia]] (approx. 4% of the population).
==History==
The Germans are a [[Germanic people]] which as an ethnicity emerged during the post-medieval [[Unification of Germany]]. From the multi-ethnic [[Holy Roman Empire]], the [[Peace of Westphalia]] (1648) left a core territory that was to become [[Germany]], already to the exclusion of [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Switzerland]] and the [[Dutch Republic|Netherlands]]. "German" ethnogenesis was complete by the time of the [[German Empire]] in 1871.
===Origins===
{{see|Germanic peoples|Theodiscus}}
[[Image:Pre Migration Age Germanic.png|thumb|right|250px|Germanic tribes from ca. 100 AD until 400 AD.]]
The area of modern-day Germany in the [[European Iron Age]] was divided into the ([[Celts|Celtic]]) [[La Tène culture|La Tène horizon]] in [[Southern Germany]] and the ([[Germanic peoples|Germanic]]) [[Jastorf culture]] in [[Northern Germany]].
The predominant [[Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup|Y-chromosome haplogroup]] in Germans is [[Haplogroup R1b (Y-DNA)|R1b]], followed by [[Haplogroup I (Y-DNA)|I]] and [[Haplogroup R1a (Y-DNA)|R1a]]; the predominant [[Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup|mitochondrial haplogroup]] is [[Haplogroup H (mtDNA)|H]], followed by [[Haplogroup U (mtDNA)|U]] and [[Haplogroup T (mtDNA)|T]].<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/~mcdonald/WorldHaplogroupsMaps.pdf World Haplogroups Maps]|386 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 395644 bytes -->}} </ref>
The Germanic peoples during the [[Migration Period|Migrations Period]] came into contact with other peoples, in the case of the populations settling in the territory of modern Germany, [[Celts]] to the south and [[Balts]] and [[Slavs]] towards the east.
The ''[[Limes Germanicus]]'' was breached in AD 260, and migrating Germanic tribes commingled with the local [[Gallo-Roman]] populations in what is now [[Swabia]] and [[Bavaria]].
The migration period peoples that would coalesce into a "German" ethnicity are the [[Saxones]], [[Frisii]], [[Franci]], [[Thuringii]], [[Alamanni]] and [[Bavarii]]. By the 800s, the territory of modern Germany had been united under the rule of [[Charlemagne]], although much of what is now [[Eastern Germany]] remained Slavonic-speaking ([[Sorbs]], [[Veleti]]).
===Medieval history===
[[Image:HRR 10Jh.png|thumb|The [[Holy Roman Empire]] around AD 1000. The sphere of German influence (''[[Regnum Teutonicorum]]'') is marked in blue.]]
{{see|Kingdom of Germany|Stem duchy|Medieval demography|Holy Roman Empire}}
A "German" as opposed to generically "Germanic" ethnicity emerges in the course of the [[Middle Ages]], under the influence of the unity of [[Eastern Francia]] from the 9th century. The process is gradual and lacks any clear definition.
After [[Christianization of the Germanic peoples|Christianization]], the superior organization of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] lent the upper hand for a German expansion and settlement at the expense of Slavs and Balts (medieval [[Wendish crusade]] and [[Ostsiedlung]]), giving the ''[[Drang nach Osten]]'' as a result. Massive German settlement led to the assimilation of Baltic ([[Old Prussians]]) and Slavic ([[Wends]]) populations exhausted by previous warfare.
At the same time, naval innovations led to a German domination of trade in the [[Baltic Sea]] and parts of [[Eastern Europe]] through the [[Hanseatic League]]. Along the trade routes, Hanseatic trade stations became centers of Germanness where [[German town law]] ''(Stadtrecht)'' was promoted by the presence of large, relatively wealthy German populations and their influence on the worldly powers.
This means that people whom we today often consider "Germans", with a common culture and [[worldview]] very different from that of the surrounding [[rural]] peoples, colonized as far north of present-day Germany as [[Bergen, Norway|Bergen]] (in [[Norway]]), [[Stockholm]] (in [[Sweden]]), and [[Vyborg]] (now in [[Russia]]). The Hanseatic League was not exclusively German in any ethnic sense: many towns who joined the league were outside the Holy Roman Empire, which was not entirely German itself, and a number of them may only loosely be characterized as ''German''.
===Early Modern period===
{{see|Volksdeutsche|Reichsdeutsche}}
[[Image:Holy Roman Empire 1648.svg|thumb|right|300px|The [[Holy Roman Empire]] after the [[Peace of Westphalia]], 1648]]
It was only in the late fifteenth century that the Holy Roman Empire came to be called the [[Holy Roman Empire of the German nation]], and even this was not exclusively German, notably including a sizeable [[Slavs|Slavic]] minority.
The [[Thirty Years' War]], a series of conflicts fought mainly in modern [[Germany]], confirmed the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, and the [[Napoleonic Wars]] gave it its [[Coup de grace|''coup de grâce]]''.
Since the [[Peace of Westphalia]], Germany has been "one nation split in many countries" (''[[Kleinstaaterei]]''). The [[Austria]]n–[[Prussia]]n split, confirmed when Austria remained outside of the 1871 created [[Imperial Germany]], was only the most prominent example. Most recently, the division between [[East Germany]] and [[West Germany]] kept the idea alive.
In the nineteenth century, after the [[Napoleonic Wars]] and the fall of the [[Holy Roman Empire|Holy Roman Empire (of the German nation)]], [[Austria]] and [[Prussia]] would emerge as two opposite poles in Germany, trying to re-establish the divided German nation. [[Austria]], trying to remain the dominant power in Central Europe, led the way in the terms of the [[Congress of Vienna]]. The [[Congress of Vienna]] was a very conservative act assuring that little would change in [[Europe]] and would prevent [[Germany]] from uniting. The terms of the [[Congress of Vienna]] would come to a sudden halt following the [[Crimean War]] in 1856. This paved the way for [[German unification]] in the 1860s. In 1870, Prussia attracted even [[Bavaria]] (the old ally of France) in the [[Franco-Prussian War]] and the creation of the [[German Empire]] as a German [[nation-state]], effectively excluding the multi-ethnic Austrian [[Habsburg monarchy]].
The concept of a separate [[Austrian people|Austrian nation]] emerges in the nineteenth century, following the [[Napoleonic wars]], but German speaking Austrians continued to consider themselves Germans until 1919, when "[[German Austria]]" was dissolved following the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|Treaty of Saint-Germain]].
During the 19th century in the German territories, rapid population growth due to lower death rates, combined with poverty, spurred millions of Germans to emigrate, chiefly to the [[United States]]. Today, roughly 30% of the [[White American]] population is of mainly German background, and in fact there will likely be more people of German background in the United States than Germany itself in the next several decades due to population decline in Germany and differential birth rates (1.3-1.4 children per woman in Germany versus 1.8-1.9 per non-Hispanic white woman in the United States).
===20th century===
The dissolution of the [[Austria-Hungary|Austrian-Hungarian Empire]] after [[World War I]] led to a strong desire of the population of the new [[Republic of Austria]] to be integrated into Germany. This was, however, prevented by the [[Treaty of Versailles]].
The [[Nazism|Nazis]] attempted to unite "all Germans" into one realm. This idea was initially welcomed by many ethnic Germans in [[Sudetenland|Czechoslovakia]], [[Austria]], [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]], [[Free City of Danzig|Danzig]] and Western [[Lithuania]], but met with significant resistance among the [[Swiss people|Swiss]], who saw themselves as separate nations at least since the [[Peace of Westphalia]] of 1648.
After [[World War II]], the Austrians increasingly saw themselves as a nation distinct from the other German-speaking areas of Europe; today, some polls{{Fact|date=January 2007}} have indicated that no more than 10% of the German-speaking Austrians see themselves as part of a larger German nation linked by ancestry or language. This phenomenon became commonplace shortly after the Second World War, when Austrian identity was emphasized along with the "first-victim of Nazism" theory.<ref>Peter Utgaard, Remembering and Forgetting Nazism (New York: Berghahn Books, 2003),
188-189.
Frederick C. Engelmann, “The Austro-German Relationship: One Language, One and One-
Half Histories, Two States,” in Unequal Partners, ed. Harald von Riekhoff and Hanspeter
Neuhold (San Francisco: Westview Press, 1993), 53-54.</ref>
==Subgroups==
{{see|German dialects}}
The Germans are divided into sub-nationalities, some of which form dialectal unities with groups outside Germany that are not considered "Germans". The southern [[Upper German]] groups retain a pronounced identity, in the case of the Swabians historically even the cause of a limited movement of [[Alemannic separatism]]. The Low German ''Platt'' speakers also retain a certain ethnic identity, while the [[Central German]] majority has largely abandoned individual nationalisms.
*[[Upper German]]
**the [[Bavarians]] (ca. 10 million) form the [[Austro-Bavarian]] linguistic group together with those [[Austrians]] who speak German and do not live in [[Vorarlberg]] and
**the [[Swabians]] (ca. 10 million) form the [[Alemannic]] group together with the [[Alemannic Swiss]], the [[Alsatians]] and the [[Vorarlberg]]ians.
*[[Central German]] dialect group (ca. 45 million)
**[[Central Franconian]], forms a dialectal unity with [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]]
**[[Rhine Franconian]] ([[Ripuarian]], [[Kölsch language|Kölsch]])
**[[Thuringian]]
**[[Hessian]]
**[[Upper Saxon German|Upper Saxon]]
**[[High Prussian]]
**[[German minority in Poland|German Silesian]]
*[[Yiddish dialects]]
*[[Low German]] (ca. 3-10 million), forms a dialectal unity with [[Dutch Low Saxon]]
==Ethnic nationalism==
{{main|Völkisch movement}}
The reaction evoked in the decades after the Napoleonic Wars was a strong [[ethnic nationalism]] that emphasized, and sometimes overemphasized, the cultural bond between Germans. Later alloyed with the high standing and world-wide influence of German science at the end of the nineteenth century, and to some degree enhanced by [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck's]] military successes and the following 40 years of almost perpetual economic boom (the ''[[Gründerzeit]]),'' it gave the Germans an impression of cultural supremacy, particularly compared to the [[Slavic peoples|Slavs]].
Ethnic nationalism has essentially been a taboo in German society since [[World War II]], but it has seen a limited comeback since [[German reunification]], with the ethnic nationalist [[National Democratic Party of Germany]] receiving 1.6% of the popular vote in the [[German federal election, 2005|2005 federal election]].
==Religion==
Today, the German identity includes both Protestants and [[Catholics]]. The groups are about equally represented in Germany, contrary to the belief that it is mostly Protestant. Historically, the Protestants formed the majority; but with the loss of traditional Protestant regions after [[World War II]] and the "conversion" of many Protestants (many more than Catholics) to "nonbelievers" especially in the former GDR now the two groups are about equally represented. Today, the "nonbelievers" are the majority.<ref>[www.fowid.de/fileadmin/datenarchiv/Religionszugehoerigkeiten_Bev_lkerung__1950-2003.pdf Daten des Statistischen Bundesamtes]</ref> Also some large groups of immigrants were/are mostly Catholics (Poles/Italians). The [[Protestant Reformation]] started in the German cultural sphere, when in 1517, [[Martin Luther]] posted his [[95 Theses]] to the door of the ''Schlosskirche'' ("castle church") in [[Wittenberg]]. Among [[Protestantism#Protestant denominations|Protestant denominations]], the [[Lutherans]] are well represented by the Germans, while [[Calvinism|Calvinists]] are historically only to be found near the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] border and in a few cities like [[Worms, Germany|Worms]] and [[Speyer]]. The late nineteenth century saw a strong movement among the [[Jew]]ry in Germany and Austria to assimilate and define themselves as ''à priori'' Germans, i.e. as Jewish Germans (a similar movement occurred in Hungary). In conservative circles, this was not always embraced, and, for the Nazis, it was unacceptable. The Nazi rule led to the [[death]] or [[exile]] of almost all of the relatively small number of domestic Jews. Today Germany attempts to successfully integrate the ''[[Gastarbeiter]]'' and later arrived [[refugee]]s from ex-[[Yugoslavia]], especially Bosnian [[Muslim]]s.
==Minorities==
In recent years, the German-speaking countries of Europe have been confronted with demographic changes due to decades of immigration. These changes have led to renewed debates (especially in the Federal Republic of Germany) about who should be considered German. Non-ethnic Germans now make up more than 8% of the German population, mostly the descendants of guest workers who arrived in the 1960s and 1970s. [[Turkish people|Turks]], [[Moroccan people|Moroccans]], [[Italian people|Italians]], [[Greek people|Greeks]], and people from the [[Balkans]] in [[southeast Europe]] form the largest single groups of non-ethnic Germans in the country.
In addition, a significant number of German citizens (close to 5%), although traditionally considered [[ethnic Germans]], are in fact foreign-born and retain cultural identities and languages from their native countries, a fact that sets them apart from ethnic Germans. Of course, the idea of foreign-born repatriates is not unique to Germany. The English and British equivalent legal term is [[lex sanguinis]], which is exactly the same principle- that citizenship is inherited by the child from his/her parents. It has nothing to do with ethnicity.
Ethnic German repatriates from the former Soviet Union are a separate case and constitute by far the largest such group and the second largest ethno-national minority group in Germany. The repatriation provisions made for ethnic Germans in Eastern Europe are unique and have historical basis, since these were areas where Germans traditionally lived. A controversial example of repatriation involves the [[Volga Germans]], descendants of ethnic Germans who settled in Russia during the eighteenth century, who have been able to claim German citizenship even though neither they nor their ancestors for several generations have ever been to Germany. In contrast, persons of German descent in North America, South America, Africa, etc. do not have an automatic right of return and must actually prove their eligibility for German citizenship according to the clauses pertaining to the [[German nationality law]]. Other countries with post-Soviet Union repatriation programs include [[Greece]], [[Israel]] and [[South Korea]].
Unlike these ethnic German repatriates, some non-German ethnic minorities in the country, including some who were born and raised in the Federal Republic, choose to remain non-citizens. Although citizenship laws have been recently relaxed to allow such individuals to become nationalized citizens, many choose not to give up allegiance to the countries of their ethnic roots and continue to live in Germany under an ambiguous status of an alien resident or a guest worker, especially since this status, though lacking certain political rights, often does not impede one's ability to work, get free public higher education and travel abroad.
As a result, close to 10 million people permanently living in the Federal Republic today distinctly differ from the majority of the population in a variety of ways such as race, ethnicity, religion, language and culture, yet often fail to be recognized as minorities in official statistical sources due to the fact that such sources traditionally survey only German citizens, and under the so called ''[[jus sanguinis]]'' system, that has been in effect in Germany since the nineteenth century, and has only recently been partially replaced by the alternative ''[[jus soli]]'' system. This situation contributes to the invisibility of Germany's minorities making Germany technically one of the most ethnically homogeneous nation in the world, whereas in all practicality the Federal Republic is today one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Europe.
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==See also==
[[Image:Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.jpg|thumb|200px|[[German American]]s are common in the US. Light blue indicates counties that are predominantly German ancestry.]]
*[[Germany]]
*[[Germanic peoples]]
*[[List of Germans]]
*[[German Jews]]
*[[List of Austrians]]
*[[List of Swiss people]]
*[[List of Alsatians and Lorrainians]]
*[[German diaspora]]
*[[German eastward expansion]]
*[[German Brazilian]]
*[[German settlement in Argentina]]
*[[Genetic history of Europe]]
*[[Organised persecution of ethnic Germans]]
*[[German language#Names of the German language in other languages|Names of the German people and language in other languages]]
*[[German idealism]]
*[[Culture of German-speaking Europe]]
*[[European ethnic groups]]
==External links==
* [http://german.about.com/library/blfamous1.htm Famous Germans]
* [http://german.about.com/library/blerfinder.htm German, Austrian and Swiss inventors]
* [http://german.about.com/library/blfamger100-01.htm Top 100 Germans]
* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/NewZealandPeoples/Germans/1/en Germans - First arrivals]
* [http://gahfusa.org/ German American Heritage Foundation of the USA in Washington, DC]
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