Germany is a small and extremely ancient country; with many cultures, beliefs, customs and ways of life. Culture is a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, customs and art. Most of them have been shaped throughout the country's history, with the current culture shaped by the First and Second World Wars. Cultural awareness and tactical planning regarding operations were critical to the Allies winning World Wars I and II. So having an understanding and awareness of a region's culture is key to successful intercultural relationships. In the beginning, between 750 BC and 768 AD, Germany was not one country, but was many states, made up of many different people called Germanic tribes. In the 1st century the Roman Empire tried to take control of several Germanic tribes defeating some, but ultimately losing to a Germanic tribe, this was a huge turning point for early Germany. With the victory of the Germanic tribes over the Roman Empire, the birth of German history began. In the 5th century the Roman Empire was falling and Germanic tribes began to expand, claiming more land, north, south, east and west. As these tribes grew larger and larger and conquered more and more land, the Frankish Empire saw this as an opportunity and conquered the Germanic tribes by dividing them among the heirs to the throne. Frankish rule lasted for quite some time until the formation of the Holy Roman Empire, the medieval German state. This empire remained in place until Martin Luther's reform of the Catholic to Protestant religion in the northern German states. This religious separation intensified until the 30 Years' War, which ended the Holy Roman Empire. After the 30 Years' War Germany began to transform into a modern na...... middle of paper...... wars, change of leadership, change of regimes and the influx of different peoples and cultures into the over thousands of years have shaped today's Germany. Most people and most Germans recognize Germany's tumultuous past and realize that it is part of their history and culture, no matter how bad it was. Even though Germany is an economic and democratic power in Europe, it still carries the stigmas of its past. Because of these stigmas and their past involvement in war, their culture is different from ours. Despite everything that happened to Germany, Germany persevered and today has a rich culture based on art, literature, sports, food and music. Culture, no matter whether German, Polish or Chinese, makes up the country and the people. Understanding and being aware of culture is critical to successful intercultural relationships.