It could easily be argued that Germany carries the most prolific and storied history of any country in the world. The rises and falls, the wars and resolutions, the historical figures – both famous and infamous – make for a story that takes volumes and volumes to tell. To know and understand all of what Germany has been through – most of it affecting the rest of the world, be it blissfully positive or vilely negative – would take a lifetime. The following is a very short synopsis of some of the most major events in German history.