Ethnic Germans

Ethnic Germans (German: Deutschstämmige, historically also Volksdeutsche), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, refers to people who are of German ethnicity. Many are not born in Europe or in the modern-day state of Germany or hold German citizenship. They are subdivided culturally into Low German and High German categories, also the "North" and "South" Germans and furthermore into historical regions.

Part of a series on the
History of Germany
Early history
  • Germanic peoples
  • Migration Period
  • Frankish Empire
Medieval Germany
  • East Francia
  • Kingdom of Germany
  • Holy Roman Empire
  • Eastward settlement
Early Modern period
  • Sectionalism
  • 18th century
  • Kingdom of Prussia
Unification
  • Confederation of the Rhine
  • German Confederation / Zollverein
  • German Revolutions of 1848
  • North German Confederation
German Reich
  • German Empire
  • World War I
  • Weimar Republic
    • Alsace-Lorraine
    • Saar
    • Danzig
    • Memel
    • Austria
    • Sudeten
  • Nazi Germany
  • World War II
    • Flensburg Government
Cold War era
  • Occupation / Ostgebiete
  • Expulsion of Germans
  • West Germany
  • East Germany
  • Saar protectorate
  • German reunification
Contemporary
  • New federal states
  • Reunified Germany
Topics
  • Economic history of Germany
  • Military history of Germany
  • Territorial changes of Germany
  • Timeline of German history
  • History of Berlin
  • Names of Germany
Germany portal

Read more about Ethnic Germans:  Terminology, Distribution, Groupings

Famous quotes containing the words ethnic and/or germans:

    “Motherhood is the second oldest profession in the world. It never questions age, height, religious preference, health, political affiliation, citizenship, morality, ethnic background, marital status, economic level, convenience, or previous experience.”
    —Erma Bombeck (20th century)

    “I know what Germans are. They are a funny people. They are always choosing someone to lead them in a direction which they do not want to go.”
    —Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)