Focus on Germany 18 | Outline of the History of Germany 德国历史概述

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Europe in 814 | Image Credit: Wikimedia

公元814年的欧洲

For most of the two millennia that Central Europe has been inhabited by German-speaking people, such as the Eastern Franks, the area now called Germany was divided into hundreds of states. Romans also did not succeed in uniting what is now known as Germany under one Government; they only occupied its southern and western parts.

在中欧居住着东方法兰克人等讲德语的人的两千年的大部分时间里，现在被称为德国的地区是分裂的数百个国家。罗马人也未曾成功地将现在的德国统一在一个政府之下；他们只占领了德国的南部和西部。

Thirty years war | Image Credit: Wikimedia

三十年战争

There was a series of wars among local rulers and the Protestant Reformation caused religious disunity, leaving its population Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist. Religious divisions caused a thirty years' war (1618-1648), during which Germany was destroyed badly.

地区统治者之间连年战争，新教改革导致了宗教的分裂，把当地住民分成了罗马天主教徒、路德教徒和加尔文主义者。宗教分裂还在1618-1648年间导致了一场持续三十年的战争，德国被严重摧毁。

Peace of Westphalia | Image Credit: Historyplex

威斯特伐利亚和平协议

In 1648, The Peace of Westphalia was signed and left German-speaking Europe divided into many states, the largest of which were Prussia and Austria. Prussia, Austria, and Russia defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 and drove him out of German territory. In 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, German territory consisted of only about 40 states.

1648年，威斯特伐利亚和平协议签署，使欧洲的德语区分列成了许多国家，其中最大的是普鲁士和奥地利。1813年，普鲁士、奥地利和俄罗斯在莱比锡战役中打败了拿破仑，把他赶出了德国领土。1815年，维也纳会议之后，40个州组成了德国领土。

After this, scholars, bureaucrats, students, journalists, and businessmen called for a united Germany that would bring with it uniform laws and a single currency to replace small states. The monarch who was offered the crown of a united Germany, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia rejected the proposals because he saw it as a threat to his power.

此后，学者、官僚、学生、记者和商人呼吁建立一个统一的德国，以统一的法律和单一的货币取代各分裂的小国。但是当时普鲁士国王弗里德里希·威廉四世拒绝了担任统一德国国王的提议，因为他认为这实际上对他的权力构成了威胁。

Otto von Bismarck | Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

奥托·冯·俾斯麦

In 1871, following the Franco-Prussian War, Germany was unified without Austria and transformed into an empire under Wilhelm I, king of Prussia. This was brought about by a conservative Prussian aristocrat, Otto von Bismarck.

1871年，在普法战争之后，德国在没有奥地利的情况下统一起来，并在普鲁士国王威廉一世的统治下成为一个帝国。这是由保守派普鲁士贵族奥托·冯·俾斯麦促成的。

Reichstag Building | Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

国会大厦

Unified Germany had a parliament, the Reichstag, elected through universal male suffrage, but supreme power rested with the emperor and his ministers who were not responsible to the Reichstag. Reichstag could contest the government's decisions but, in the end, the emperor could govern as he sees fit. By 1912, the Socialists had the largest number of representatives in the Reichstag and made governing increasingly difficult for the empire's leadership.

统一的德国有议会，即国会，通过男性普选选举产生；但最高权力由皇帝和大臣们掌握，他们不对国会负责。国会可以对政府的决定提出异议，但最终，皇帝可以根据自己的意愿进行统治。到1912年，社会党人在国会代表中占了大多数后，帝国领导层的统治变得艰难。

As Germany seeked to expand using the annexationists strategy, it took Belgium and Poland as vassal states and colonies in Africa. Furthermore, it was waging a two-front war in France and Belgium in the west and Russia in the east which ultimately failed. 1918 marked Germany's World War I defeat and the end of the German Empire.

德国开始利用兼并战略进行扩张，把比利时和波兰纳为附庸国还在非洲取得了一些殖民地。此外，它在西部与法国和比利时、东部与俄罗斯同时发动了两场战争，但最终以失败告终。随着德国在第一次世界大战战败，1918年也标志着德国帝国的终结。

The Treaty of Versailles negotiated by the victors (Britain, France, and the United States) in 1919, imposed punitive conditions on Germany, including losing territories, financial reparations, and a diminished military.

1919年，由战胜国（英国、法国和美国）谈判签订的《凡尔赛条约》对德国施加了惩罚性条款，包括割让领土、经济赔偿和裁减军事力量。

In 1919, the Weimar Republic was established with a constitution that provided for a parliamentary democracy in which the government was ultimately responsible for the people. As Germany was showing signs that it was ready to join the community of democratic nations, its failure disappointed many.

1919年，魏玛共和国建立，宪法规定了议会民主，政府最终对人民负责。德国准备加入民主国家共同体的迹象逐渐显现，同时战争的失败也让许多其他人失望。

Many Germans thought that the Weimar Republic was responsible for Germany's defeat in WWI.  At the end of the war, no foreign troops stood on German soil, military victory seemed rather possible, but instead of victory, the republic's Socialist politicians arranged for peace. The numerous numbers of small parties also made forming a stable and coherent government very difficult.

许多德国人认为魏玛共和国应该为德国第一次世界大战的失败负责。战争结束前，德国领土上没有任何外国军队进入，德国的军事胜利似乎触手可及，但是共和国的社会主义政治家们选择了求和而不是战争的胜利。党派林立也使得组建一个稳定和连贯的政府变得非常困难。

During 1924 to1929 the Weimar Republic had a modest economic recovery but the severe social stress in the period of the Great Depression lead to the anti-democratic parties receiving many votes during the election of 1930 and the two elections of 1932. At this point, the government led by emergency decree. In 1933, leading conservative politicians formed a new government with Hitler as the Chancellor. 

1924年至1929年，魏玛共和国经济略有复苏，但大萧条时期的严重社会矛盾导致各反民主党派在1930年和1932年两次选举中获得许多选票。此时，政府宣布进入紧急状态。1933年，领先的保守派政客们组成了以希特勒为总理的新政府。

They did so because he and his party (the National German Worker's Party) was the largest at the time and wanted to replace the republic with an authoritarian government. Hitler had ambitious plans and outmaneuvered them to establish a totalitarian regime. His regime and the nation committed crimes of unparalleled enormity known as the Holocaust.

他们的成功是因为希特勒和他的政党（德国工人党）是当时最大的政党，并希望以一个独裁政府取代共和国。希特勒野心勃勃，并通过计谋建立了极权主义政权。他的政权和国家犯下了空前巨大的罪行，被称为大屠杀。

In the aftermath of WWII (1939-1945) and following occupation by the victorious powers (the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, and France), Germany was divided into two states. One, East Germany and the other, West Germany. West Germany became resoundingly successful, within two decades it had become one of the world's richest nations with prosperity that extended to all segments of the population. Millions of foreigners came to West Germany to work as well.

第二次世界大战（1939-1945）结束后，德国被战胜国（美国、苏联、英国和法国）占领，并分裂为两个国家，一个是东德，一个是西德。西德在战后二十年内取得了巨大的成功，成为世界上最富有的国家之一，其繁荣惠及领土上的所有人口，甚至有数百万外国人也来到西德工作。

An extensive and mostly non-governmental welfare system were created to protect workers (locals and foreigners alike) from sickness, accidents, and old age.

为了保护工人（本地人和外国人）免受疾病、意外和年老的带来的伤害和困难，西德建立了广泛的、非政府的福利制度。

In 1990 East and West Germany united to form what is now known as Germany. This event was marked by the fall of the Berlin wall which separated the two states. The unification was formally concluded on 3 October 1990.

1990年，以柏林墙的倒塌为标志，东德和西德联合形成了今天的德国。柏林墙曾是将两国分隔开来的物理工具。1990年10月3日统一正式形成。

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