Since the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, Germany has undergone significant changes throughout its culture. Divided by the Allies after World War II, the country was reunited in the early 1990s bringing the formerly communist East Germany (German Democratic Republic) into the democratic and capitalist West (Federal Republic of Germany). The reunification has not been without problems: unemployment runs high among those from the former East Germany, for example, and there has been an increase in the number of nationalist demonstrations in recent years. In addition, the country has seen a large influx of refugees from other former communist countries, and Germany's once strong economy has faltered somewhat as the nation tries to assimilate these new residents. Germany was also instrumental in bringing about not only the European Union (a trading bloc of Western European nations), but also lobbied for a single currency within the EU (the euro), which will lead to the abandonment of its own strong Deutschemark in the process. This research examines the social patterns which have emerged within Germany and considers what path these patterns might take in the future.
Germany is located in the heart of Western Europe, but occupies only 11 percent of the land mass in the European Union (France accounts for nearly 17 percent). Germany's population, however, is the largest among the EU participants, accounting for 22 percent of the combined total; France and Britain each account for 16 percent ("Too Big," 1996, p. S20).
Most of Germany's 81 million residents are ethnic Germans, although there is a Danish minority located in the north and a Slavic minority (Sorbs) located in the east. Germany is also home to approximately seven million foreigners. Christianity is by far the dominant religious influence in Germany, with Protestants slightly outnumbering Roman Catholics. Education is compulsory for children through the tenth grade, a...