History of German

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History of Germany
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Early history Germanic peoples Migration Period Barbarian kingdoms Frankish Empire
Middle Ages East Francia Kingdom of Germany Holy Roman Empire Eastward settlement
Early Modern period Sectionalism 18th century Kingdom of Prussia
Unification Mediatisation Confederation of the Rhine German Confederation Zollverein German revolutions of 1848–1849 North German Confederation
German Reich German Empire 1871–1918 World War I 1914–1918 Weimar Republic 1918–1933 Nazi Germany 1933–1945 World War II 1939–1945
Contemporary Germany Occupation Ostgebiete 1945–1949/1952 Expulsion of Germans 1944–1950 West–East division 1949–1990 Reunification New states 1990 Modern history since 1990
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The appearance of the German language begins in the Early Middle Ages with the High German consonant shift. Old High German, Middle High German, and Early New High German span the duration of the Holy Roman Empire. The 19th and 20th centuries saw the rise of Standard German and a decrease of dialectal variety.