BC-4th century AD The W Germanic peoples,
originating in Scandinavia, moved into the
region between the rivers Rhine, Elbe, and
Danube, where they were confined by the Roman
Empire. 496 The Frankish king Clovis
conquered the Alemanni. 768-814 The reign of
Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, who extended
his authority over Germany and imposed
Christianity on the Saxons.
814-919 After Charlemagne's death Germany was
separated from France under its own kings
while the local officials or dukes became
virtually independent.
919-1002 Central power was restored by the
Saxon dynasty. Otto I, who in 962 revived the
title of emperor, began colonizing the Slav
lands east of the river Elbe.
1075-1250 A feud between emperors and popes
enabled the Germanic princes to recover their
independence. 1493-1519 A temporary revival
of imperial power took place under Maximilian
I.
1521 The Diet of Worms at which Charles V
confronted the Protestant Martin Luther. The
Reformation increased Germany's disunity.
1618-48 The Thirty Years' War reduced the
empire to a mere name and destroyed Germany's
economic and cultural life. 1740-86 The rise
of Brandenburg-Prussia as a military power,
which had begun in the 17th century, reached
its height under Frederick II.
1806 The French emperor Napoleon united W
Germany in the Confederation of the Rhine and
introduced the ideas and reforms of the
French Revolution: his reforms were
subsequently imitated in Prussia. The Holy
Roman Empire was abolished. 1848 Ideas of
democracy and national unity inspired the
unsuccessful revolutions of 1848.
1867 The North German Confederation, under
the leadership of Prussia, was formed.
1871 Under Chancellor Bismarck's leadership,
the German Empire was formed after victorious
wars with Austria and France. William I of
Prussia became emperor. 1914-18 World War I:
it was caused by Germany's political,
industrial, and colonial rivalries with
Britain, France, and Russia. 1918 A
revolution overthrew the monarchy; the
socialists seized power and established the
democratic Weimar Republic.
1922-24 Rampant inflation. In 1922 one dollar
was worth 50 marks; in 1924 one dollar was
worth 2.5 trillion marks. 1929-33 The
economic crisis brought Germany close to
revolution, until in 1933 the reaction
manoeuvred the Nazis into power with Adolf
Hitler as chancellor. 1933-39 At home the
Nazis solved the unemployment problem by a
vast rearmament programme; they abolished the
democratic constitution and ruthlessly
destroyed all opposition. Abroad, the policy
of geopolitical aggression led to war.
1939-45 World War II: Germany (from 1940 in
an alliance known as the Axis with Italy and
Japan) attacked and occupied neighbouring
countries, but was defeated by the Allies
(the UK and Commonwealth, France 1939-40, the
USSR and the USA from 1941, and China).
1945-52 Germany was divided, within its 1937
frontiers, into British, US, French, and
Soviet occupation zones. 1949 Germany was
partitioned into the communist German
Democratic Republic (see Germany, East) and
the capitalist German Federal Republic (see
Germany, West). 1990 Reunificiation of East
and West Germany.