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German? Germany didn't even exist until 1871.

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nairboon 2y ago
The German Empire of 1871 is just one of many. Germans have lived in those lands for quite some time. Already Julius Caesar was conducting campaigns in Magna Germania.
- jxramos 2y ago
  that term "gemanic tribes" comes to mind for sure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_peoples https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_peoples
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Brian_K_White 2y ago
The place existed, and people existed in the place, and the communication about that place is taking place today, and the way for one person to communicate a reference to that place to another person today, is to use the label Germany.
hollerith 2y ago
Before 1871, everyone knew what you meant when you said, "Germany." It just wasn't under a single government.
timeon 2y ago
Is East Francia (post-Verdun) better term?
rayiner 2y ago
Germans are a distinct ethnolinguistic group that existed prior to the unified German nation state. Many (most?) countries exist because pre-existing ethnolinguistic groups got their own country. For example, Bengalis have existed for long enough that you can easily identify them as a tightly clustered, distinct group in genetic profiles,[1] but never had their own country until 1971. [1] https://www.gnxp.com/WordPress/2018/07/09/the-main-interesting-thing-about-bangladeshi-genetics-is-how-east-asian-bangladeshis-are/ https://www.gnxp.com/WordPress/2018/07/09/the-main-interesti...
- laurencerowe 2y ago
  This has often meant displacing huge numbers of people in order to create contiguous nation states. Some 15 million in the partition of India and a similar number in Eastern and Central Europe.
  - rayiner 2y ago
    But it also means freedom and self determination for those who would otherwise be minorities within an agglomerated state.
scotty79 2y ago
In Florence I've seen an old map from around 1400 that had Germania in it.
wqaatwt 2y ago
The “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation” (its official name) would like a word.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

The German Empire of 1871 is just one of many. Germans have lived in those lands for quite some time. Already Julius Caesar was conducting campaigns in Magna Germania.

jxramos 2y ago
that term "gemanic tribes" comes to mind for sure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_peoples https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_peoples

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

Brian_K_White 2y ago

The place existed, and people existed in the place, and the communication about that place is taking place today, and the way for one person to communicate a reference to that place to another person today, is to use the label Germany.

hollerith 2y ago

Before 1871, everyone knew what you meant when you said, "Germany." It just wasn't under a single government.

timeon 2y ago

Is East Francia (post-Verdun) better term?

rayiner 2y ago

Germans are a distinct ethnolinguistic group that existed prior to the unified German nation state. Many (most?) countries exist because pre-existing ethnolinguistic groups got their own country. For example, Bengalis have existed for long enough that you can easily identify them as a tightly clustered, distinct group in genetic profiles,[1] but never had their own country until 1971. [1] https://www.gnxp.com/WordPress/2018/07/09/the-main-interesting-thing-about-bangladeshi-genetics-is-how-east-asian-bangladeshis-are/ https://www.gnxp.com/WordPress/2018/07/09/the-main-interesti...

laurencerowe 2y ago
This has often meant displacing huge numbers of people in order to create contiguous nation states. Some 15 million in the partition of India and a similar number in Eastern and Central Europe.
- rayiner 2y ago
  But it also means freedom and self determination for those who would otherwise be minorities within an agglomerated state.

scotty79 2y ago

In Florence I've seen an old map from around 1400 that had Germania in it.

wqaatwt 2y ago

The “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation” (its official name) would like a word.