The Bavarians are very proud of their regional heritage. In fact, many, perhaps most, Bavarians see themselves as Bavarians first, then as Germans.
One sentence. Twelve German dialects.
German is a difficult language to learn as it is, but there are more than 12 German dialects spoken within the country. Some don‘t sound like German at all. If you‘re studying German, think twice!
YouTube comments:
“Fun fact: Plattdeutsch is so far from Hochdeutsch that it is considered as a language of its own. Also, there are many variants of Plattdeutsch itself – some of which I cannot understand, although I grew up with Plattdeutsch. Often, it takes less than 50 kilometers to find a place where you hardly understand the dialect.”
“As an American who learned hochdeutsch fluently. It took me forever to understand what people were saying in Bayern.”
“As someone who can speak the dying Lorraine dialect, I appreciate the inclusion of Letzeburgisch. It is not exactly the same, but closer then any other dialect.”
“Fun fact. In Baden we alone have dozens of dialects, sometimes significantly varying from village to village.”
How the Thirty Years war affected Germany
The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) was a brutal conflict that saw most major European powers use Germany as a battleground to sort out their assorted dynastic, religious, economic and territorial issues. The toll this took on the country was massive, and reverberated for long after; let’s take a look at some of the damage it did.
The Thirty Years War has earned a reputation for being a particularly nasty conflict: unlike most wars of the day, and arguably no wars until the 20th century, it saw massive civilian casualties, with parts of Germany losing more than half of their population. It’s estimated that of a German population of about 20 million in 1600, by 1650 only about 13 million were alive.
Thirty Years War
This episode of Ten Minute History (like a documentary, only shorter) covers the outbreak of the Bohemian Revolt which was what would eventually spiral out of control into the Thirty Years’ War.
The revolt was crushed fairly quickly but sparked intervention by Denmark, who didn’t do too well, and later Sweden who did very well. Both of these were aided by France who decided to get directly involved in 1635.
By 1648 the Holy Roman Empire lay in ruins, with Austria and Spain struggling to pay for the war and rebuild the Habsburg Empire. This war saw the rise of Sweden and France but most importantly saw the foundations of modern diplomacy built.
Federalism in Germany: Small states are annoying! Glad we have them!
December 2018. 16 school systems, 16 police forces, 16 constitutional courts: German federalism often seems inefficient and outdated, most recently with the digital pact. A look at history shows what makes small states so valuable – at least when they don’t degenerate.
It seems bizarre: the federal government wants to give the states five billion euros to digitize schools – and only then should the Basic Law be changed. The mediation committee is called, a coalition is in dispute – and all because Germany is a federal state.
The constitutionally enshrined division of Germany into federal states was born out of historical experience, has grown over a long time and also shows some signs of use, almost 70 years after the Basic Law came into force.
Breaking down silos
A successful organization often encourages collaboration across its various departments. However, the concept of organizational silos can hinder interaction and communication amongst these groups.
Understanding silos and the steps you can take to break down these barriers can help organizations and employees thrive. In this article, we discuss the importance of breaking down silos within an organization and offer steps and tips to conduct this process.
German regional dialects
There are many regional dialects in Germany. Why? Because the Germans are proud of their regional histories.
Thirty Years War
The Thirty Years’ War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle, famine, and disease, while some areas of what is now modern Germany experienced population declines of over 50%.
Germans foughts against Germans.
The importance of teamwork
Healthy teams enjoy benefits that go far beyond the company’s bottom line.
Anyone who thought the rise of remote and hybrid work would would be the downfall of teamwork has probably changed their tune by now. The truth is, teamwork is more important than ever.
“The use of teams and collaboration expectations have been consistently rising,” says Dr. Scott Tannenbaum, a researcher and president of the Group for Organizational Effectiveness. “And when I say teams, I’m talking about all types of teams, whether it’s stable work teams [or] whether it’s teams that now, in the current environment, are operating virtually.”
Kleinstaaterei
Klein means small. Staaterei means states or statehood.
Kleinstaaterei is a generally pejorative German-language catchphrase for what is perceived as a particularly pronounced federal structure, particularly in relation to territorialization and federalism in Germany. As early as the beginning of the 18th century, early Enlightenment literature criticized German small-stateism and publicly expressed the wish for a nation state.
