History
The terminology for "Germany", the "German states" and "Germans" is complicated by the history of many different states in which German was the dominant language. Not until 1871 was there a nation state called Germany.
| Name of the state | Period | National Diet | House of regional representatives | Regional states |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation | until 1806 | (Did not exist) | (Immerwährender) Reichstag | (Reichsstände) |
| Deutscher Bund | 1815–1848/1866 | (Did not exist) | Bundesversammlung (often: Bundestag) | Bundesstaaten |
| Deutsches Reich | 1848/1849 | Reichstag (Volkshaus) | Reichstag (Staatenhaus) | Staaten |
| Norddeutscher Bund | 1866/1867–1871 | Reichstag | Bundesrat | Bundesstaaten |
| Deutsches Reich | 1871–1919 | Reichstag | Bundesrat | Bundesstaaten |
| Deutsches Reich | 1919–1933/1945 | Reichstag | Reichsrat | Länder |
| Bundesrepublik Deutschland | since 1949 | Bundestag | Bundesrat | Länder (often: Bundesländer) |
| Deutsche Demokratische Republik | 1949–1990 | Volkskammer | (Did not exist) | Bezirke |
Read more about this topic: Names Of Germany
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“If man is reduced to being nothing but a character in history, he has no other choice but to subside into the sound and fury of a completely irrational history or to endow history with the form of human reason.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)
“The greatest honor history can bestow is that of peacemaker.”
—Richard M. Nixon (1913–1995)
“No cause is left but the most ancient of all, the one, in fact, that from the beginning of our history has determined the very existence of politics, the cause of freedom versus tyranny.”
—Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)