ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Military history of Germany

Germany is a country in Europe that has a history of fighting in wars. Military history means the history of wars that a country has fought in.

A long time ago, Germany did not exist as a country. Instead, there were many small kingdoms and states that were separate from each other. These kingdoms would often fight with each other.

Later, in the 1800s, a man named Otto von Bismarck came to power. He wanted to make Germany into one big country. He did this by using military power to defeat the other kingdoms and states. He made Prussia the most powerful state and formed the German Empire in 1871.

In World War I, Germany fought against other countries like France, Britain, and Russia. They wanted to take over land and expand their empire. However, they lost the war and had to pay a lot of money to the other countries.

During the 1930s, Germany was led by a man named Adolf Hitler. He wanted to make Germany a powerful country again. He built up the military and started World War II by invading other countries like Poland. Germany fought against many countries in World War II, including the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom. However, they lost the war again and Germany was divided into two parts - East Germany and West Germany.

After the war ended, Germany focused on rebuilding and creating a strong economy. They also joined NATO, which is a group of countries that work together to protect each other. Today, Germany has a strong military but they focus on peacekeeping and helping other countries rather than using their military power to conquer land.