How Much Do You Know About German History?

Question: In which year was the Berlin Wall erected?

Answer: The Berlin Wall was first erected on the night of August 12–13, 1961, as the result of a decree passed on August 12 by the East German Volkskammer (“Peoples’ Chamber”). The original wall, built of barbed wire and cinder blocks, was subsequently replaced by a series of concrete walls that were topped with barbed wire and guarded with watchtowers, gun emplacements, and mines.

Question: Which religious institution in Germany led the opposition to the Nazis?

Answer: The Confessing Church, a loose association of churchmen led by Martin Niemöller and others, emerged in the early 1930s to stand for (or “confess”) the traditional teaching of the church. This opposition prompted the Nazis to withdraw their support from the German Christians by the mid-1930s.

Question: Who was the German emperor during World War I?

Answer: William II was the German emperor (kaiser) and king of Prussia from 1888 to the end of World War I in 1918.

Question: Who was the first Germanic king to convert to Catholicism?

Answer: Clovis I was the first Germanic king to convert to Catholicism.

Question: Which religious leader, according to tradition, initiated the Protestant Reformation by posting his Ninety-five Theses on a church door in Germany?

Answer: It has long been believed that the Protestant Reformation began when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, but the historicity of this event has been questioned.

Question: Which Nazi military leader was known as the “Desert Fox”?

Answer: Erwin Rommelwas known as the “Desert Fox” for his victories as commander of Nazi Germany’s Afrika Korps during World War II.

Question: What is the name of the last major German offensive on the Western Front in World War II?

Answer: The Battle of the Bulge, also called the Battle of the Ardennes (December 16, 1944–January 16, 1945), was the last German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. It was an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory.

Question: Which battle, fought in 378 CE, marked the beginning of serious Germanic inroads into territory held by ancient Rome?

Answer: The Battle of Adrianople was fought on August 9, 378 CE, in present-day Turkey. A Roman army commanded by the emperor Valens was defeated by Germanic Visigoths led by Fritigern and augmented by Ostrogothic and other reinforcements. It marked the beginning of serious Germanic inroads into Roman territory.

Question: Who was the first German king of Great Britain?

Answer: George I, born in what is today Germany, was the elector of Hanover (1698–1727) and the first Hanoverian king of Great Britain (1714–27).