Section3.Germany

** 1.History/Background of E.U. Country **


 * [[image:German_Flag.gif width="197" height="169"]]

||  Germany is about the size of the state of Montana and the population is about 90 times as large. German is the official language spoke in Germany. The capital of Germany is Berlin. Germany has overcome a rough history, and has been through many hardships. Germany is smaller than Montana but has about ninety times more people. Between 1864 and 1870, Germany was involved in three different wars. After World War 1, Germany had lost most of its money, and was desperate for a leader. Convinced by his promises to make Germany a powerful world again, Germans elected Adolf Hitler as their leader. By the end of World War II, Germany was defeated, and their leader, who had led the holocaust, had been killed. This made people of higher classes more noticeable because most people in Germany lost everything they had. After World WarII, Germany was split into two sides: East and West Germany. East Gerrmany was controlled by Russia, and West was controlled by the US, UK, and France. In 1989, after the fall of the Solviet Union, Germany was reunited after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Like most countries in Europe, most of Germany is Roman Catholic, but 4% is Muslim. Today, Germany is a very modern industrial country with one of the strongest economies in the world. Much like the United States, many Germans enjoy shopping and playing sports. Germany has good healthcare, but they have reduced the age of when retired workers can receive their pensions. A pension is a check from the government that people who have retired after working their whole life can receive monthly from the government. Overall, Germany has overcome its rough history and is a strong, modern country. ||


 * 2. Year of Admission to E.U. History and General Information about the E.U.**
 * [[image:EU_Flag.gif width="210" height="160" caption="Click on the flag to see the European Council" link="http://www.360cities.net/image/european-council-strasbourg-france"]] || The European Union began in 1950 as the European Coal and Steel Community after Robert Schuman gave a speech about how all countries should work together to become stronger and more powerful. Six countries became the original members of the common market, and Germany was one of them. A common market is when countries come together and have open borders with other countires. In this case the E. U. countries were the ones with open borders. This helps the countries because there is no sales tax on goods and services shipped from other countries, and people can travel between countries without having a passport. In 1957, the name was changed from the European Coal and Steel Community to the European Economic Community. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, the E. U. continued to get more member countries. In 1987, the European Union changed from being a common market to a single market. When the Berlin Wall fell in Germany, communism ended, and Germany was once again a single country controlled by its own government. January 1, 2002, also marked an historical event that changed the E.U. and many of its member countries. In many E.U. countires, including Germany, the Euro became the currency. This made it eaisier to live in one E.U. country and work in another because there would be no need to exchange currency and worry about the value of the other country's currency being worth more or less than the currency in the country in which the person lived. The newest change to the E.U. is the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty that limits pollution and is predicted to prevent global warming. Although many countries have agreed to this, the United States has not signed it. ||

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 * 3. How does the E.U. and your country feel about global temperatures/climate change? (//environmental issue)// **
 * || In March 2007, the European Union promised to put an end to climate change. They set the Kyoto Protocol which limits greenhouse gases, or pollution. Not only can E.U countries sign this protocol, so can other coutries. Many coutries outside of the European Union have agreed to sign it, except The United States, the number one releaser of Green house gases in 2001. When this protocol was first ser, Germany a very "green" country. Today, though, Germans and their chanclor have many reasons why the promises made by the European Union will fail.

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 * 4. How does the E.U. and your country feel about supporting the war in Afghanistan? //(political issue)// **
 * || The European Union would like to have a "secure, stable, free, prosperous, and democratic Afghanistan" and is one of thier largest donators. They will begin to give 2.4 billion dollars to Afghanistan every year from 2010 to 2012. Also, the European Union would like to send more troops to Afghanistan. They have strong promises and commitments to promote economic stability. Germany, however, has feared the word "war" ever since World War II. Although they have already sent 4,200 troops over to Afgahnistan, 70% of voters would like to bring them back home. The Germans did not want to be included in the war, but they were pushed into it. The Germans don't like the war, therefore they would not like to support it if possible.

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 * 5. What is the economic background of your country and how does your country feel about supporting the economies of weaker countries in the E.U? //(economic issue)// **
 * || Germany's economy is the 5th largest in the world, and the largest in Europe. Thier ecomnomy is 29% Insdustry, 1% Agriculture, and 70% services, such as banking. The euro that they adopted on January 1st, 1999 has helped there economy in many ways. No longer do people who live in Germany, but work in other countries have to repatedly exchange currencys as long as they work in another E. U. country that has also adopted the Euro. Though they are the largest economy in Europe, their decraesing fertility rate is affecting their ecomomy. Also, at times their unemployment rate can jump to up to 20%. Germany also had tax cuts in 2008 and 2009. Germans are not happy about supporting the economies of weak E.U. countries, especially Greece. Currently, Greece is in an economic crisis, and because Germany is the largest economy in Germany, they are Greece's largest supporter. Germany publicly announced that they are not interested in helping them. Also, Germans think that more money is being spent on Eastern Europe than Western Europe and dislikes so much of their tax money being spent on them.