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Defining a unique and unifying German Identity is an intensely difficult task due to the country's turbulent history. Born out of the reformation and unification of regional tribes, Germany has been fractured and fragmented with borders drawn and redrawn much of its history. There are, however, historic experiences unique to Germany, examining these can help us gain insight into how they have shaped German Identity.

Firstly, Germany has as ethos of socio-economic balance which has underpinned German attitudes and government policy since the country's formation. Surviving both world wars and evolving into its current state, the German social-market economy is world's fifth largest and has distinctly German attributes.

Secondly, the rise, fall and aftermath of Nazism has fundamentally altered the way Germans think of themselves, and are perceived by others. Revelations about the horror of the Nazis final solution' have had a lasting impression upon those who experienced the period, as well as subsequent Generations.

The result is a uniquely German form of patriotism; a suspicion of all forms of nationalism; a shift in the relationship between individuals and the state; emphasis on the individual and a liberal leaning society. Thirdly, Germany's most recent symbol of division, the Berlin Wall, explains some of the unique regional relationships and attitudes within Germany. Few developed countries have experienced the tumultuous and divisive recent history that Germany has.

The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the reunification of a deeply fractured country. East and West had been developing in parallel for 28 years. West Germany enjoyed freedom, growth and prosperity. A stark contrast to communist East Germany which had high unemployment, limited freedoms and a lower standard of living. While physical traces of the wall are now hard to find, division between the regions still exists. Attitudes about religion and the role of government evolved separately in the split populations. Surveys show that East Germans even now still hold on to communist ideals and atheism, albeit at much lower levels than before the fall of the wall. Though it is closing, there is still a gap in living standards between East and West. Unemployment levels in the East are still high at 18.5% compared to western figures of 8.4%.

Germans observe the phenomenon of Mauer im Kopf" which translates to the wall in the head'. Some Westerners feel strongly about the economic burden of rebuilding the East,

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