While Germany has a history that stretches back to antiquity, it
is important to remember that it was fi rst unifi ed as a nationstate only in 1871, making it in a sense even younger than the United
States. Located in the heart of Europe, without natural boundaries,
Germany has experienced centuries of immigration, confrontation,
and negotiation. Consequently, the arrangement of its constituent parts
has changed repeatedly, with individual territories joining together
or breaking apart. Thus, Germany’s boundaries, and what it means to