Ethnic German

Ethnic Germans (usually simply called Germans, in German Volksdeutsche) are those who are considered, by themselves or others, to be ethnically German rather than anything else but who do not live within the Federal Republic of Germany nor hold its citizenship. The concept of ethnic belonging is always problematic; it can relate to

The concept of who is an ethnic German has repeatedly changed in history. For example, in contrast to the Swiss and the Dutch who had already split off and shaped separate national identities, the German speaking Austrians (in contrast to the majority of Austrians who spoke other languages until 1918) used to consider themselves as ethnic Germans up to the 20th century. The first attempts to create a consciousness of the "Austrian nation" took place during the Napoleonic wars (including non-German speaking Austrians) and in the early 1930s, but without major effects. After WWII Austrians increasingly see themselves as a nation distinct from the German one, and today no more than 10 percent of German-speaking Austrians consider themselves to be Germans. The Swiss German (4.7 million), however, retained their cultural identity as Germans, although a specific kind of Germans.

Ethnic Germans are an important minority group in the following countries:

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See also: Ethnic German, 1930s, 20th century, Argentina, Auslandsdeutsche, Australia, Austrian, Baltic Germans, Brazil, Canada