Culture and Social Development
Here is the link to the all of the information for the slideshow pictures:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b8c537gYuzQ-RMCMimvUkpO8ZXIpW--InNobWFI5qDA/edit?usp=sharing.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b8c537gYuzQ-RMCMimvUkpO8ZXIpW--InNobWFI5qDA/edit?usp=sharing.
Additional Internet Sources:
The first additional resource that describes the culture of Germany is this link: http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/traditions-and-customs/traditions-and-customs.html?gclid=CI7OteW-4sYCFVKEfgodoKcMgQ. At first glance it doesn’t have a lot of information on it about the culture but once you click on the words highlighted in red it takes you to other pages that describe all of the categories. This is a valuable resource because it is the main website for tourists to go and see what types of traditional things they can find in Germany. The website talks about regional specialties, old fashion handicrafts, pioneering discoveries, as well as festivals and markets that celebrate the traditions passed down over the years.
The second addition resource that describes the culture of Germany is this link: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/germany-country-profile.html. This resource is good because not only does it have information about German languages, society, culture, etiquette, customs, and business etiquette but it also gives the reader facts and statistics. It has a lot of good information for people who are interested about learning about Germany, like how they value their homes and only close friends and family are invited into the house. This is valuable information because it talks about the culture and what people who live in Germany like to do as well as how they act. It gives a person a feel for what to expect.
The second addition resource that describes the culture of Germany is this link: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/germany-country-profile.html. This resource is good because not only does it have information about German languages, society, culture, etiquette, customs, and business etiquette but it also gives the reader facts and statistics. It has a lot of good information for people who are interested about learning about Germany, like how they value their homes and only close friends and family are invited into the house. This is valuable information because it talks about the culture and what people who live in Germany like to do as well as how they act. It gives a person a feel for what to expect.
Map Distribution:
The cultural element that this map supports is religion in Germany. It focuses on the distribution of liberal and orthodox Jews located in the German Empire. Another area it shows is where there was no clear majority in certain parts of Germany. Posen and Polish Jews lived mostly in the Eastern area and often migrated further east over time. The Posen and Polish Jews increased the proportion of Orthodox Jews, who lived mostly in the southwest. This information is connected to the culture of the country by showing what types of religion is the majority in specific areas of Germany. It is also showing the distribution and main locations that people who celebrate the same religion like to reside at.
Reference:
Geographic Distribution of Liberal and Orthodox Jews. (1997). Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=1346.
Reference:
Geographic Distribution of Liberal and Orthodox Jews. (1997). Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=1346.
Data and Statistics:
Category Statistic
Geography/ Area of Land Total amount: 357,022 sq km
Land amount: 348,672 sq km
Water amount: 8,350sq km
About three times the size of Pennsylvania.
People and Society/ Age
0-14: 13% (5,386,525 male; 5,107,336 female)
15-24: 10.6% (4,367,713 male; 4,188,566 female)
25-54: 41.7% (17,116,346 male; 16,664,995 female)
55-64: 13.6% (5,463,221 male; 5,574,166 female)
65 and over: 21.1% (7,468,552 male; 9,659,265 female)
People and Society/ Life Expectancy at Birth
Total Population: 80.44 years
Male: 78.15 years
Female: 82.86 years
Government/ Government Type and Legal System
Government Type: Federal Republic
Legal System: Civil Law System
Economy
The fifth largest economy in the world. Germany is the leading exporter of machines, vehicle, chemicals, and household equipment. The labor force in Germany is very highly skilled. They want to replace nuclear power with renewable energy because of the 2011 nuclear disaster; all 17 of the nuclear reactors will be shut down by 2022. The unemployment rate is a low 5% since 2014. Although Germany is one of the world’s largest and technologically advanced producers.
Military
Must be 17-23 years old for both male and female voluntary military service. Once signed up they must serve 8-23 months or 12 years. Since 2001 women have been able to voluntarily sign up in all military branches and positions.
Reference:
CIA Fact Book https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html
How Has Germany Changed Over Time?
Work:
Figure 3 shows the comparison between the unemployment
percentage in Germany in 1991 and 2003.
Health:
Figure 6 shows the comparison between maternal mortality rate percentage in Germany in 1952 and 2011.
Looking at Figure 1 of the unemployment rate in Germany in 1991, you can tell that it seems like Germany is doing pretty well. Judging the size of the circle it shows that not many people are unemployed. It seems as if Germany had finally recovered from the Great Depression that hit in 1939 and like they were pretty well off for the time being. Now when you look at Figure 2 of the 2003 unemployment rate you can tell that the circle size has increased. Comparing the two circle sizes from 1991 to 2003 (Figure 3) you can see that the unemployment rate in 2003 has increased by a great amount. A factor that contributed to the unemployment rate rising could be that around the 2000-2003 era was when the recession had hit the United States and the rest of the world. This recession could be the factor that increased the unemployment rate around the world and put many people out of jobs. The Figures show that Germany is better off than other countries in the world with their rate of unemployment. Yes, Germany does have an unemployment rate but there is no country that doesn’t have some people who are unemployed. Each country has fluctuations of unemployment, which doesn’t mean that they can’t manage things correctly; it is just the way of life.
Looking at Figure 4 of maternal mortality rate in Germany in 1952 the circle seems very large. Thinking about it though, back in 1952 doctors didn’t have all of the medicines and advancements in technology that they did later on. Many of the discoveries were not made until maybe the 1970s or 1980s. I would assume that most of the births were natural and the doctor’s main goal was to save the baby and then tend to the mother. Then when you look at Figure 5 of the 2011 maternal mortality rate in Germany the circle has majorly decreased in size. The circle is so small that you can barely even see it. I would assume that this is where all of the advancements in technology were being used and figuring out ways to save both the mother and child if something goes wrong. Plus the medicines and machines that are used before the baby is born can be helpful by detecting something early if something is wrong. Comparing the two circle sizes from 1952 to 2011 (Figure 6) you can see that the maternal mortality rate has decreased, which means more mothers are surviving child birth. Due to the advancement of technology and medicine the maternal mortality rate in Germany has decreased. The Figures show that Germany has become more advanced with their technology and medicine. It shows that they are keeping up with all of the other countries and using all of the resources that are available to them.
Reference:
Gapminder World
http://www.gapminder.org/world/#$majorMode=chart$is;shi=t;ly=2003;lb=f;il=t;fs=11;al=30;stl=t;st=t;nsl=t;se=t$wst;tts=C$ts;sp=5.59290322580644;ti=2013$zpv;v=0$inc_x;mmid=XCOORDS;iid=phAwcNAVuyj1jiMAkmq1iMg;by=ind$inc_y;mmid=YCOORDS;iid=phAwcNAVuyj2tPLxKvvnNPA;by=ind$inc_s;uniValue=8.21;iid=phAwcNAVuyj0XOoBL_n5tAQ;by=ind$inc_c;uniValue=255;gid=CATID0;by=grp$map_x;scale=log;dataMin=194;dataMax=96846$map_y;scale=lin;dataMin=23;dataMax=86$map_s;sma=49;smi=2.65$cd;bd=0$inds=;modified=60
Looking at Figure 4 of maternal mortality rate in Germany in 1952 the circle seems very large. Thinking about it though, back in 1952 doctors didn’t have all of the medicines and advancements in technology that they did later on. Many of the discoveries were not made until maybe the 1970s or 1980s. I would assume that most of the births were natural and the doctor’s main goal was to save the baby and then tend to the mother. Then when you look at Figure 5 of the 2011 maternal mortality rate in Germany the circle has majorly decreased in size. The circle is so small that you can barely even see it. I would assume that this is where all of the advancements in technology were being used and figuring out ways to save both the mother and child if something goes wrong. Plus the medicines and machines that are used before the baby is born can be helpful by detecting something early if something is wrong. Comparing the two circle sizes from 1952 to 2011 (Figure 6) you can see that the maternal mortality rate has decreased, which means more mothers are surviving child birth. Due to the advancement of technology and medicine the maternal mortality rate in Germany has decreased. The Figures show that Germany has become more advanced with their technology and medicine. It shows that they are keeping up with all of the other countries and using all of the resources that are available to them.
Reference:
Gapminder World
http://www.gapminder.org/world/#$majorMode=chart$is;shi=t;ly=2003;lb=f;il=t;fs=11;al=30;stl=t;st=t;nsl=t;se=t$wst;tts=C$ts;sp=5.59290322580644;ti=2013$zpv;v=0$inc_x;mmid=XCOORDS;iid=phAwcNAVuyj1jiMAkmq1iMg;by=ind$inc_y;mmid=YCOORDS;iid=phAwcNAVuyj2tPLxKvvnNPA;by=ind$inc_s;uniValue=8.21;iid=phAwcNAVuyj0XOoBL_n5tAQ;by=ind$inc_c;uniValue=255;gid=CATID0;by=grp$map_x;scale=log;dataMin=194;dataMax=96846$map_y;scale=lin;dataMin=23;dataMax=86$map_s;sma=49;smi=2.65$cd;bd=0$inds=;modified=60
Religion:
Religion is an important concept to understand because people use it all over the world. There are many types of religion in the world but the country we are going to focus on is Germany. First in 350 A.D. Visigoth bishop Ulfilas translated the bible into Gotisch (early form of German) so that people who were German can learn about Christianity (Religion in Germany, 1997). This is what officially started converting the pagan Germanic people. In 1517 when Martin Luther showed up he ended up splitting the Christian church into two different halves, one half was Protestants and the other half was Roman Catholics (Religion in Germany, 1997). There are a few different religions scattered around some parts of Germany, but the main religion is Christianity. A city called Bavaria is located in South Germany and areas in the western region of Germany are Catholic (Religion in Germany, 1997). The regions Southeast, Central, and North are mostly filled with the Protestant religion (Religion in Germany, 1997). There aren’t very many other religions that are supported in Germany, but there are a few options for student to chose from in school. One school in Berlin offers instruction for Buddhism (Religion in Germany, 1997). The main religion in Berlin and Northern Germany is Protestant and Lutheran instruction, although many students have dropped out of taking those classes since it is no longer required (Religion in Germany, 1997).
Religion can have a powerful impact on society and the way things develop around you. It is a powerful force that could easily change things for the better or for the worse. It is a primary force for social progress, religion has ways of motivating people to focus on spiritual qualities and have them make sacrifices to contribute and make their communities a better place for everyone (The Role of Religion, 1994). In order to have a society and relationships with people in the community there are specific principals that people get from religion. Some of the principals are humility, sacrifice, trustworthiness, justice, tolerance, and compassion (The Role of Religion, 1994). Along with success also comes defeat. Religion has also caused issues with social disintegration including intolerance, hatred, poverty, and sexism (The Role of Religion, 1994). There are many ways that people could work together to get rid of all of the social disintegration that religion is causing. We must use religion in order to highlight that every person’s spiritual fulfillment and well-being is the goal for the entire world community (The Role of Religion, 1994). All of this is evident in Germany because looking around you can see some of the struggles that people are going through, like poverty and sexism towards the women in the work field. It is all very obvious but there are also some examples of the good social integration that religion is providing like trustworthiness and compassion. Some cultural norms that are related to the religious beliefs are people going to church occasionally and attending services.
Many different religions have sacred sites that are helpful in celebrating your religion and even just a good place to go and to get some things off your mind. Some countries don’t even have the sacred places located inside the country; therefore they would have to travel to go visit it. Luckily for Germany there are a few located inside the country. There is the Aachen Cathedral, which was founded by Charlemagne in 786 A.D. and is the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe (Germany, 2005). Then there is the Hildesheim Cathedral, which was founded in 1010 and contains treasures of medieval art, bronze doors, and a bronze column showing the life of Christ (Germany, 2005). The Luther House is another sacred site because it was where Martin Luther (a famous religious leader) lived with his family (Germany, 2005). Finally the Ulm Munster is the tallest church in the world and the finest Gothic church in Germany, this church is now Protestant and has dominated the region for hundreds of years (Germany, 2005).
Living in the United States allows people to choose what they want to do as well as what they believe in. Everyone has freedom and is only held back by the laws that we as American citizens are required to follow. Many other countries have different ways of running things. For example, Germany has connections between religion and the government. The Protestant group is the group with the Free Church whereas the Lutheran and Catholic religions have a State Church (Sundstrom, 1994). As soon as someone signs up for school the child’s church connection is determined so they can place the child in the right religion class (Sundstrom, 1994). About eight percent of an adult’s income tax supports the state church and in order to avoid the tax they must fill out paperwork to leave the church (Sundstrom, 1994). Doing this means they can’t be married or buried by the church (Sundstrom, 1994). Approximately sixty-five percent of Germans belong to the state church and about one percent belongs to the Free Church (Sundstrom, 1994).
When I look at our religion options we have here in the United States and compare it to the religion options that Germany has it is a huge difference. I never actually realized how lucky we are in the United States to have the freedom of choosing our own religion. So many people live here and get to choose whatever religion they want to celebrate and believe in. It’s crazy to think that you would have to go to school and take classes on your religion in Germany. If you don’t want to pay an income tax for the state church you must leave the church and then they won’t marry you or bury you by the church. Both of these situations I think are unfair to the people living there. If I lived in Germany I would want to stay as far away from the Christian religion as I possibly could. I think it was very interesting to learn about the different ways that people do things in other countries. I loved learning about what types of religions they teach and believe in Germany. Things are very different over there compared to what we have here in the United States. Learning about these things makes you think about how different life would be if you were to live and change everything in your life by moving to a different country.
References:
Germany. (2005). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany.
Religion in Germany. (1997). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/germany/religion-in-germany/.
The Role of Religion in Social Development. (1994, August 24). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from https://www.bic.org/statements/role-religion-social-development.
Sundstrom, B. (1994). Understanding Church and State in Germany. Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.cru.org/communities/locations/europe/germany/understanding-church-and-state.html
Religion can have a powerful impact on society and the way things develop around you. It is a powerful force that could easily change things for the better or for the worse. It is a primary force for social progress, religion has ways of motivating people to focus on spiritual qualities and have them make sacrifices to contribute and make their communities a better place for everyone (The Role of Religion, 1994). In order to have a society and relationships with people in the community there are specific principals that people get from religion. Some of the principals are humility, sacrifice, trustworthiness, justice, tolerance, and compassion (The Role of Religion, 1994). Along with success also comes defeat. Religion has also caused issues with social disintegration including intolerance, hatred, poverty, and sexism (The Role of Religion, 1994). There are many ways that people could work together to get rid of all of the social disintegration that religion is causing. We must use religion in order to highlight that every person’s spiritual fulfillment and well-being is the goal for the entire world community (The Role of Religion, 1994). All of this is evident in Germany because looking around you can see some of the struggles that people are going through, like poverty and sexism towards the women in the work field. It is all very obvious but there are also some examples of the good social integration that religion is providing like trustworthiness and compassion. Some cultural norms that are related to the religious beliefs are people going to church occasionally and attending services.
Many different religions have sacred sites that are helpful in celebrating your religion and even just a good place to go and to get some things off your mind. Some countries don’t even have the sacred places located inside the country; therefore they would have to travel to go visit it. Luckily for Germany there are a few located inside the country. There is the Aachen Cathedral, which was founded by Charlemagne in 786 A.D. and is the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe (Germany, 2005). Then there is the Hildesheim Cathedral, which was founded in 1010 and contains treasures of medieval art, bronze doors, and a bronze column showing the life of Christ (Germany, 2005). The Luther House is another sacred site because it was where Martin Luther (a famous religious leader) lived with his family (Germany, 2005). Finally the Ulm Munster is the tallest church in the world and the finest Gothic church in Germany, this church is now Protestant and has dominated the region for hundreds of years (Germany, 2005).
Living in the United States allows people to choose what they want to do as well as what they believe in. Everyone has freedom and is only held back by the laws that we as American citizens are required to follow. Many other countries have different ways of running things. For example, Germany has connections between religion and the government. The Protestant group is the group with the Free Church whereas the Lutheran and Catholic religions have a State Church (Sundstrom, 1994). As soon as someone signs up for school the child’s church connection is determined so they can place the child in the right religion class (Sundstrom, 1994). About eight percent of an adult’s income tax supports the state church and in order to avoid the tax they must fill out paperwork to leave the church (Sundstrom, 1994). Doing this means they can’t be married or buried by the church (Sundstrom, 1994). Approximately sixty-five percent of Germans belong to the state church and about one percent belongs to the Free Church (Sundstrom, 1994).
When I look at our religion options we have here in the United States and compare it to the religion options that Germany has it is a huge difference. I never actually realized how lucky we are in the United States to have the freedom of choosing our own religion. So many people live here and get to choose whatever religion they want to celebrate and believe in. It’s crazy to think that you would have to go to school and take classes on your religion in Germany. If you don’t want to pay an income tax for the state church you must leave the church and then they won’t marry you or bury you by the church. Both of these situations I think are unfair to the people living there. If I lived in Germany I would want to stay as far away from the Christian religion as I possibly could. I think it was very interesting to learn about the different ways that people do things in other countries. I loved learning about what types of religions they teach and believe in Germany. Things are very different over there compared to what we have here in the United States. Learning about these things makes you think about how different life would be if you were to live and change everything in your life by moving to a different country.
References:
Germany. (2005). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany.
Religion in Germany. (1997). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/germany/religion-in-germany/.
The Role of Religion in Social Development. (1994, August 24). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from https://www.bic.org/statements/role-religion-social-development.
Sundstrom, B. (1994). Understanding Church and State in Germany. Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.cru.org/communities/locations/europe/germany/understanding-church-and-state.html
Religion in the World:
Germany was in Purple (Christianity) but I colored over it in black to indicate where it was on the map. This map shows the main religions in the countries all around the world. URL:
https://geogermanykat.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/religion_distribution.png?w=676.
Bishops Conference in Germany called German Catholics to observe a day of prayer on December 26th to remember the persecuted Christians Worldwide. http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/german-catholic-bishops-decry-global-persecution-of-christians-call-for-prayer.
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A minister is praying for German Christian Soldiers who are fighting for Germany. http://genealogyreligion.net/onward-german-christian-soldiers.
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Stormtroopers who are holding German Christians propaganda during the Church Council elections at St. Mary’s Church in Berlin in 1933. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheranism.
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Called “In the Night of Broken Glass” during Hitler’s reign from November 9th to the 10th, 1938 synagogues were set on fire all over Germany. http://brennerbrief.com/erased-history-the-declaration-of-barmen-was-a-response-to-hitlers-positive-christianity/.
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Cultural Diversity in Germany
Germany is a very popular place for people to go visit and explore. It has many historical places to go and visit and I feel like it would be a prime destination to travel to. Germany is a diverse, open, and caring society (Mustermann). Many people visited Germany during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and were surprised at how friendly, interested and outgoing the people who live in Germany are (Mustermann). Some of the countries people go and visit aren’t very accepting of tourists. They kind of brush them off and ignore them because they aren’t accepting of welcoming tourists to come to their home country. This is a good example to show that Germany is not experiencing a loss of cultural diversity, but an increase of cultural diversity because of how much people enjoy going to visit Germany. Up until 1990 Germany was a divided country, but once they unified together again they came to terms with what happened in the past and embraced social unity and gained a respect for diversity (Mustermann). Germany is a country of immigration showing that about 80.7 million people live there and 7 million of those people hold a foreign passport (Mustermann).
Based on most of this evidence I think we can conclude that Germany is experiencing changes in cultural diversity. Although it is not a loss in cultural diversity it is still considered a change in cultural diversity. About one-fifth of the people who live in Germany have foreign roots (Mustermann). Most of the immigrants move to Germany in order to find diverse opportunities, good prospects, and the many jobs that are offered here (Mustermann). There is a great application of equal rights, participating rights, and high respect in Germany (Mustermann). Germany is also so popular because of everything that it can offer people who live in strict countries. Some of the opportunities include political and economic stability, caring society, respect for opinion of freedom and religion, affordable healthcare, upkeep of the rule of law, powerful role by nongovernmental organizations, and the importance of education (Mustermann). Germany has not seen social or political unrest for many decades (Mustermann).
The highest percent of immigrants seem to come from Turkey because there are approximately 1.5 million citizens from Turkey currently living in Germany (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). There are specific cities in Germany that contain more immigrants than other cities. Currently Berlin and Cologne are the two cities that contain the highest population of people from Turkey in Germany (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). Another high percent of immigrants in Germany are Russians, and apparently Russians are higher than Turks because there are 6 million people speaking Russian in Germany (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). Technically these Russians are not native Russians; they are more of a mixture and called Russian-Germans (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). It is very interesting of how someone can be a mixture of two different cultures. This is said because they were originally Germans but they went to Russia a century back (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). Then when the wall came down they ended up deciding to go back to Germany to have a better life than they would in Russia (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012).
Even though Germany seems like such a great place to migrate to and live there are some people who want to keep the cultural diversity that was originally in Germany. There have been many crimes and murders against people of Turkish origin in Germany (Von Becker, 2013). In 2006 there was an “integration summit” held by the German government, where the Chancellor pushed for discourse between different cultures and religions, to raise education and German language levels among the immigrants and advise Germans to be more welcoming (Von Becker, 2013). Germany has been a land of immigration and according to Von Becker, a lot has changed on the cultural, political, and factual level since the attacks on the Turkish people (2013). “But a lot doesn’t mean everything” (Von Becker, 2013). There seems to be some violence in Germany towards many of the immigrants not only in some of their homes, but also in public places. Victims of violence happen at railway stations, bus stops, and no-go areas, especially for African American foreigners in Eastern Germany (Von Becker, 2013). There seems to be a lot of Germans trying to preserve or make the immigrants leave Germany by threatening them with violence.
Reading more about how Germans treat other nationalities, it makes it seem like they are more accepting and inviting people in than other countries like the United States. Although in the above paragraph it didn’t really demonstrate a good view of how Germans treat immigrants in the country. Germany has been trying to make it a modern immigrant society with increasing the cultural diversity, and its efforts to allow migrants to participate in society (GeiBler, 2015). The society in Germany is a modern and open-minded (GeiBler, 2015). Germany is said to be a country where African Americans and white people can walk the streets without being cursed, stared at, or a place where it is something unusual to be of different nationalities (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). It is good that Germany is so accepting of different ethnic groups and nationalities. Now all we need to do is allow other countries to be able to catch up to the point where Germany is.
References:
GeiBler, R. (2015). German Society - Modern, Pluralist, and Open Minded. Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/society/main-content-08/german-society-modern-pluralist-and-open-minded.html.
Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated. (2012, April 24). Retrieved August 5, 2015, from https://germanamericanabroad.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/germany-the-diversity-of-this-country-is-highly-underestimated/.
Mustermann, E. (n.d.). German Society: A Diverse Population. Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/for-qualified-professionals/discover-germany/introduction-to-germany/society.
Von Becker, P. (2013, May 29). 'Diversity in Germany has become reality' Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://www.thelocal.de/20130529/50001.
For Images:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Germany. (Figure 1)
http://focus-migration.hwwi.de/Germany.1509.0.html?&L=1. (Figure 2)
Based on most of this evidence I think we can conclude that Germany is experiencing changes in cultural diversity. Although it is not a loss in cultural diversity it is still considered a change in cultural diversity. About one-fifth of the people who live in Germany have foreign roots (Mustermann). Most of the immigrants move to Germany in order to find diverse opportunities, good prospects, and the many jobs that are offered here (Mustermann). There is a great application of equal rights, participating rights, and high respect in Germany (Mustermann). Germany is also so popular because of everything that it can offer people who live in strict countries. Some of the opportunities include political and economic stability, caring society, respect for opinion of freedom and religion, affordable healthcare, upkeep of the rule of law, powerful role by nongovernmental organizations, and the importance of education (Mustermann). Germany has not seen social or political unrest for many decades (Mustermann).
The highest percent of immigrants seem to come from Turkey because there are approximately 1.5 million citizens from Turkey currently living in Germany (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). There are specific cities in Germany that contain more immigrants than other cities. Currently Berlin and Cologne are the two cities that contain the highest population of people from Turkey in Germany (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). Another high percent of immigrants in Germany are Russians, and apparently Russians are higher than Turks because there are 6 million people speaking Russian in Germany (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). Technically these Russians are not native Russians; they are more of a mixture and called Russian-Germans (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). It is very interesting of how someone can be a mixture of two different cultures. This is said because they were originally Germans but they went to Russia a century back (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). Then when the wall came down they ended up deciding to go back to Germany to have a better life than they would in Russia (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012).
Even though Germany seems like such a great place to migrate to and live there are some people who want to keep the cultural diversity that was originally in Germany. There have been many crimes and murders against people of Turkish origin in Germany (Von Becker, 2013). In 2006 there was an “integration summit” held by the German government, where the Chancellor pushed for discourse between different cultures and religions, to raise education and German language levels among the immigrants and advise Germans to be more welcoming (Von Becker, 2013). Germany has been a land of immigration and according to Von Becker, a lot has changed on the cultural, political, and factual level since the attacks on the Turkish people (2013). “But a lot doesn’t mean everything” (Von Becker, 2013). There seems to be some violence in Germany towards many of the immigrants not only in some of their homes, but also in public places. Victims of violence happen at railway stations, bus stops, and no-go areas, especially for African American foreigners in Eastern Germany (Von Becker, 2013). There seems to be a lot of Germans trying to preserve or make the immigrants leave Germany by threatening them with violence.
Reading more about how Germans treat other nationalities, it makes it seem like they are more accepting and inviting people in than other countries like the United States. Although in the above paragraph it didn’t really demonstrate a good view of how Germans treat immigrants in the country. Germany has been trying to make it a modern immigrant society with increasing the cultural diversity, and its efforts to allow migrants to participate in society (GeiBler, 2015). The society in Germany is a modern and open-minded (GeiBler, 2015). Germany is said to be a country where African Americans and white people can walk the streets without being cursed, stared at, or a place where it is something unusual to be of different nationalities (Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated, 2012). It is good that Germany is so accepting of different ethnic groups and nationalities. Now all we need to do is allow other countries to be able to catch up to the point where Germany is.
References:
GeiBler, R. (2015). German Society - Modern, Pluralist, and Open Minded. Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/society/main-content-08/german-society-modern-pluralist-and-open-minded.html.
Germany-The Diversity of this Country is Highly Underestimated. (2012, April 24). Retrieved August 5, 2015, from https://germanamericanabroad.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/germany-the-diversity-of-this-country-is-highly-underestimated/.
Mustermann, E. (n.d.). German Society: A Diverse Population. Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/for-qualified-professionals/discover-germany/introduction-to-germany/society.
Von Becker, P. (2013, May 29). 'Diversity in Germany has become reality' Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://www.thelocal.de/20130529/50001.
For Images:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Germany. (Figure 1)
http://focus-migration.hwwi.de/Germany.1509.0.html?&L=1. (Figure 2)
Food and Food Production:
Most of the foods that are eaten in Germany are rich, substantial, and delicious, and each region has their own specialty dishes and traditional dishes they make (Top 10 German Foods-with Recipes). Most of the food that they like to eat is meats or something that is fried. It also looks like they enjoy many types of sweet recipes after the main course of their food. The German diet is very high in starch, bread is usually eaten with every meal, and Germans are very famous for their love of beer (Germans, 2015). There is so much to offer from great German food.
Apfelstrudel is one dish that is made in Germany and it is a version of apple strudel (Top 10 German Foods-with Recipes). The pastry is filled with apples flavored with sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and breadcrumbs, and has been very popular since the 18th century (Top 10 German Foods-with Recipes). The flakey pastry is made from elastic dough and kneaded until it is as thin as phyllo pastry (Top 10 German Foods-with Recipes). Then the pastry is wrapped around the filling multiple times and then baked, once done it is cut into slices and served with powdered or icing sugar on top (Top 10 German Foods-with Recipes).
There are many religions that have their own special foods they like to enjoy (Germans, 2015). Just like how different people enjoy a specific type of food more than other types. In the south the Black Forest Cherry cake and Weisswurst (light-colored sausages) is the special food (Germans, 2015). In the North Labskaus (stew), seafood dishes, and bean-soup with bacon (Bohnensuppe mit Speck) are some favorites (Germans, 2015). Spaetzle, which are tiny dumplings is a meal that is enjoyed by all Germans around Germany (Germans, 2015).
Germans like to travel throughout the world therefore most of their food comes from around the world (Food and Drink, 2014). Some of the dishes have traditional regional roots but Germany has an adventurous side when it comes to food (Food and Drink, 2014). Germany is the country with the most international range of food in Europe in the past 50 years (Food and Drink, 2014). There is practically every single type of cuisine in Germany. About 7 million foreigners live here and they have brought their food along to make an important contribution to the development of food in Germany (Food and Drink, 2014). The types of food that can be found in Germany are Thai, Chinese, Turkish and African, Asian and Mediterranean, Greek, Spanish, Italian, and finally Indian and Vietnamese (Food and Drink, 2014).
References:
Food and Drink. (2014, November 27). Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://www.research-in-germany.org/en/discover-germany/food-and-drink.html.
Germans. (2015). Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Germany-to-Jamaica/Germans.html.
Top 10 German Foods- with Recipes. (n.d.). Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://www.expatica.com/de/about/Top-10-German-foods-with-recipes_106759.html.
Images:
http://www.auto4fun.one/apfelstrudel-in-germany-.html (Figure 1)
http://www.movdata.net/german-food.html (Figure 2)
Apfelstrudel is one dish that is made in Germany and it is a version of apple strudel (Top 10 German Foods-with Recipes). The pastry is filled with apples flavored with sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and breadcrumbs, and has been very popular since the 18th century (Top 10 German Foods-with Recipes). The flakey pastry is made from elastic dough and kneaded until it is as thin as phyllo pastry (Top 10 German Foods-with Recipes). Then the pastry is wrapped around the filling multiple times and then baked, once done it is cut into slices and served with powdered or icing sugar on top (Top 10 German Foods-with Recipes).
There are many religions that have their own special foods they like to enjoy (Germans, 2015). Just like how different people enjoy a specific type of food more than other types. In the south the Black Forest Cherry cake and Weisswurst (light-colored sausages) is the special food (Germans, 2015). In the North Labskaus (stew), seafood dishes, and bean-soup with bacon (Bohnensuppe mit Speck) are some favorites (Germans, 2015). Spaetzle, which are tiny dumplings is a meal that is enjoyed by all Germans around Germany (Germans, 2015).
Germans like to travel throughout the world therefore most of their food comes from around the world (Food and Drink, 2014). Some of the dishes have traditional regional roots but Germany has an adventurous side when it comes to food (Food and Drink, 2014). Germany is the country with the most international range of food in Europe in the past 50 years (Food and Drink, 2014). There is practically every single type of cuisine in Germany. About 7 million foreigners live here and they have brought their food along to make an important contribution to the development of food in Germany (Food and Drink, 2014). The types of food that can be found in Germany are Thai, Chinese, Turkish and African, Asian and Mediterranean, Greek, Spanish, Italian, and finally Indian and Vietnamese (Food and Drink, 2014).
References:
Food and Drink. (2014, November 27). Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://www.research-in-germany.org/en/discover-germany/food-and-drink.html.
Germans. (2015). Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Germany-to-Jamaica/Germans.html.
Top 10 German Foods- with Recipes. (n.d.). Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://www.expatica.com/de/about/Top-10-German-foods-with-recipes_106759.html.
Images:
http://www.auto4fun.one/apfelstrudel-in-germany-.html (Figure 1)
http://www.movdata.net/german-food.html (Figure 2)