contemporary history
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contemporary history
The period of the most recent past that was still experienced by contemporary witnesses and whose effects extend into the present.
Der Fall der Berliner Mauer ist ein Schlüsselereignis der deutschen Zeitgeschichte.
The fall of the Berlin Wall is a key event in German contemporary history.
The word is composed of 'die Zeit' (time) and 'die Geschichte' (history). The '-s-' in between is a linking element that connects the two words. It literally means 'history of the present time.'
Die Erfindung des Internets hat die jüngere Zeitgeschichte stark geprägt.
The invention of the internet has strongly shaped recent contemporary history.
When people speak of 'einem Ereignis der Zeitgeschichte' (an event in contemporary history), they mean the historical period. When someone 'Zeitgeschichte studiert' (studies contemporary history) or there is an 'Institut für Zeitgeschichte' (Institute of Contemporary History), the academic discipline is meant.
Die Wiedervereinigung ist ein zentrales Thema der deutschen Zeitgeschichte.
Reunification is a central topic in German contemporary history.
An important feature of 'Zeitgeschichte' (contemporary history) as a period is that it was experienced by contemporary witnesses. It describes the most recent past, whose people and events still directly influence the present.
Für meine Großeltern sind die 1960er-Jahre noch gelebte Zeitgeschichte.
For my grandparents, the 1960s are still lived contemporary history.
In an academic context, 'Zeitgeschichte' (contemporary history) is often combined with verbs such as 'studieren' (to study), 'forschen' (to research), or 'lehren' (to teach). It is also frequently found in the names of institutions.
An dieser Universität kann man Zeitgeschichte im Master studieren.
At this university, you can study contemporary history in a master's program.
history
'die Zeitgeschichte' and 'die Geschichtswissenschaft' both have to do with history and research, but they are not the same thing. 'Zeitgeschichte' means the most recent past, which many people still experienced themselves, or the subject that studies exactly this period. 'Geschichtswissenschaft' is the more general term for the academic study of the entire human past. Learners may confuse the words because both sound like technical terms from history. A memory aid: contemporary history is a subfield; history is the whole discipline.
Im Seminar sprechen wir über die Zeitgeschichte Deutschlands nach 1945.
In the seminar, we talk about Germany's contemporary history after 1945.
An der Universität hat sie Geschichtswissenschaft studiert.
She studied history at university.