Germany, a country rich in culture and heritage but plagued by the consequences of the First and Second World Wars, has progressed to become the hub of the European Union and the third richest economy of the world. The first German Empire dates back to the Roman Empire starting in the 8th century AD. During the Middle Ages the German Empire withstood numerous attacks on its territory by Hungarians and Slavs. Fighting and power struggles continued until the 1400s, when the modern world gradually came to life with intellectual, economic, and political changes. During the late 1490s and early 1500s, Maximilian I set in motion his plan to reform the German Empire by creating an Imperial Supreme Empire. Court (Reichskammergericht), imposing imperial taxes and increasing the power of the Imperial Diet (Reichstag) (Wikipedia). By the mid-1500s Germany was a reformist nation with revolts, insurrections, and a general division of the empire based on religious beliefs and resentment. This division of factions led to the Thirty Years' War which devastated Germany from 1618 to 1648. The war ended in 1648 with the signing of the Peace of Westphalia. As a result, German territory was lost to France and Sweden. Over the next few years, imperial power waned as states gained more power. This power struggle led to a century of resistance against German rule and persecution. The French Revolution sparked a new war between France and its eastern neighbors. In 1803 Napoleon revived the war against the Roman Empire and abolished almost all smaller secular states and most free imperial cities (Wikipedia). The Roman Empire was formally dissolved on August 6, 1806 when the last Holy Roman Emperor Francis II resigned. At that time the Confederation of the Rhine was formed under the protection of Napoleon and in 1815 Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo. After the defeat of Napoleon, the territory of the former Roman Empire was divided into a loose union of 39 states with 35 ruling princes and 4 free cities. Germany began to industrialize in the 19th century. In 1825 the first steamship sailed on the Rhine and in 1833 the first telegraph was built. Railway lines were built in 1835, and in 1866 Siemens built the first dynamo (Wikipedia). Industrialization led to modern warfare techniques and, ultimately, to nationalism, imperialist competition, and mi...... middle of paper ......east Berlin (Wikipedia). West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl outlined a plan for the unification of the two nations on November 28, 1989. A formal union of the two political systems occurred in October 1990. In essence, East Germany was annexed by West Germany. West. and took over its monetary and legal systems. Currently, Germany is most likely the hub of the European Union and a strong support for NATO and EU enlargement. The German military participates in multinational relief efforts and supported the United States in Afghanistan after the September 11 terrorist attacks. With annual exports of $900 billion, Germany is the world's leading exporter, far ahead of the United States. Despite its tarnished past and a history of wars and strife, Germany is a country that has come a long way in the last two decades with respect to its government, industry and education. Detwiler, Donald S. Germany: a Short History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1999. "History of Germany." Wickipedia. 4 August 2005. 28 July 2005 "History of Germany since 1945". Wickipedia. July 24, 2005. July 28, 2005K., Joseph & G., Owen. A history of Germany. February 7, 2001. July 28 2005