German Mindset

1. Presented By
Farahnaaz Qureshi
Praveen Talreja
German Mindset

2. German Mindset
History
Many different political systems
in the past
Monarchy, empire, republic,
dictatorship
Bismarck
Industrialism
WWI
Political Condition
Strong economy, position of
banks
European Central Bank,
German Bundersbank
Constitutional democracy
Society
legally and socially
tolerant
Religious and Secular
the best read nation in
Europe
Religious Influence
34% Protestants
34% Catholics
3.7% Muslim
Education
10 year mandatory
education 6-15 years
99% literacy
3 levels of education -
primary, secondary,
tertiary
Geography
Network of cities (each with different
culture/
industry)
Seaways (East -, North Sea) - trading
Population 82.4m
Central Europe/ 9 national borders
50% agricultural land, 30%
forest/woodland, 20%
urban
Life Style
‘Don't like queues'
‘Curtains walls ‘
Holidays are important
High standard of
living
Language
Standard German (95% )
English (56%)
French (15%)
Russian (5%)
• Proud of industrial
achievements
• Competitive,
ambitious
• Business
taken
seriously
•Bureaucratic
• Impatient
•Direct/open
•Confidence
•Structured/For
mal
German
Mindset

3. History
• 500 BC, the Germanic tribes appear in northern Germany, see the Nordic Bronze
Age
• 9 AD Battle of the Teutoburg Forest and the White Rebellion of Saxon
• 800 - Charlemagne crowned Imperator Romanorum (Emperor of the Romans)
• 11th - 13th centuries Crusades involve thousands of German soldiers
• 1608 Protestant Union of German princes
• The main theme of this era is the rise of German nationalism in the face of
Napoleon's conquests, followed by the Unification of Germany under the auspices
of Prussia

4. Geography
• Germany is a country in west-central Europe, that stretches from the Alps,
across the North European Plain to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
• The territory of Germany covers 357,021 km2(137,847 sq mi), consisting of
349,223 km2 (134,836 sq mi) of land and 7,798 km2 (3,011 sq mi) of waters
• Germany shares borders with nine European countries, second only to
Russia: Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the
east, Austria and Switzerland in the south, France in the southwest
and Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in the west

5. Religion
• Protestantism & Christianity is the largest religion in Germany with
roughly 50 million adherents
• The second largest religion is Islam with 4 million adherents
• Followed by Buddhism and Judaism
• Since the reunification of Germany the number of non-religious people
has grown, especially because of the former East Germany, which was an
atheist and communist puppet state

6. Politics
• Germany is a federal parliamentary republic, and federal legislative
power is vested in the Bundestag, and the Bundesrat
• There is a multi-party system that, since 1949, has been dominated by
the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party of
Germany
• The judiciary of Germany is independent of the executive and the
legislature
• The political system is laid out in the 1949 constitution,
the Grundgesetz (Basic Law), which remained in effect with minor
amendments after 1990's German reunification

7. Lifestyle
• Strong demand for quality & precision, service
• Impatient ('don't like queues')
• Privacy (curtains walls…)
• Structures, guidelines, rules
• Work is taken seriously
• Holidays are important, as are houses and cars
• Competitive and ambitious
• Sports/football
• Performing arts
• High standard of living
• 80% of the population have access to the internet

8. Language
• 'High' German - many different dialects
• English preferred 2nd language
• German language is very precise
• Direct/Formal
• Simplification of German spelling for business purposes

9. Education
• Free education system
• High respect for education
• Higher leaving age
• 10 year mandatory education 6-15 years
• 99% literacy
• 3 levels of education - primary, secondary, tertiary
• Strong vocational education

10. Society
• Time driven impatience
• Long term planning and visions
• Desire for stability and certainty
• Proud of industrial achievements
• Hierarchical society
• Some 'discrimination' (regional, minorities)
• Individual protection (welfare)
• Strong work ethic
• Highly skilled/educated
• Order/basic law
• Small families
• The arts (the best read nation in Europe)

11. “DANKE”