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The Worst Episodes of Die Deutschen

Every episode of Die Deutschen ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Die Deutschen!

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Die Deutschen is a German television documentary produced for ZDF that first aired from October to November 2008. Each episode recounts a selected epoch of German history, beginning with the reign of Otto the Great

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Die Deutschen Season 2 Episode 9 - Rosa Luxemburg and Freedom
    5.8/10(18 votes)

    #1 - Rosa Luxemburg and Freedom

    S2:E9

    Since her youth, Rosa Luxemburg was convinced that the world had to change. She wanted to realize her dream of a socialist revolution, first in the SPD and later in the German Communist Party, which she co-founded. But the revolution failed. On November 9, 1918, a revolution did indeed break out in Germany - but it ultimately ended with the adoption of the new Weimar Constitution.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Die Deutschen Season 2 Episode 6 - Augustus the Strong and Love
    5.9/10(19 votes)

    #2 - Augustus the Strong and Love

    S2:E6

    He is considered one of the most enigmatic monarchs of modern times: Elector Friedrich August I of Saxony, known as "August the Strong" (1670 to 1733). His princely self-portrayal was comparable only to that of another European monarch: Louis XIV. August's court was to be in no way inferior to that of the French Sun King. Hundreds of festivities a year, balls, masquerades and animal hatches were organized by the king.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Die Deutschen Season 2 Episode 8 - Ludwig II. and the Bavarians
    6.1/10(20 votes)

    #3 - Ludwig II. and the Bavarians

    S2:E8

    Myths and legends surround the figure of Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845-1886), known as the "fairytale king. He shunned politics and devoted himself above all to his rapturous passions: the operas of Richard Wagner and the construction of magnificent castles such as Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. However, Ludwig was by no means just a dreamy dreamer, but pursued clear political goals: he believed in the "Third Germany," in an independent power alongside Prussia and Austria. In the mid-19th century, the federal confederation of small and medium-sized German states was a counter-model to a federal state under Prussian leadership. The vision failed because of the political genius of Otto von Bismarck and the military strength of the Hohenzollern state.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Die Deutschen Season 2 Episode 3 - Hildegard of Bingen and the Power of Women
    6.3/10(16 votes)

    #4 - Hildegard of Bingen and the Power of Women

    S2:E3

    Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) is the most popular German of the Middle Ages - on a par with the powerful of her time. She was a visionary, a natural scientist, a politician and composer, a theologian, and even the manager of two monasteries she founded. Many of her writings, especially her knowledge of natural medicine, have lost none of their relevance to this day. Others still raise questions. While some suspect in Hildegard's visions a kind of drug intoxication of the herbalists, others see in it a prophetic gift, even a proof of her holiness.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Die Deutschen Season 2 Episode 4 - Charles IV. and the Black Death
    6.5/10(18 votes)

    #5 - Charles IV. and the Black Death

    S2:E4

    The reign of Charles IV (1316-1378) is one of the most dramatic periods in German history. Around the middle of the 14th century, the plague swept away a third of the Germans. The king who ruled during this terrible time was descended from the Luxembourg dynasty. Charles IV was born in Prague in 1316. His father John had married a Bohemian princess and thus became one of the most powerful men in the empire. In 1346, the ambitious Luxembourger succeeded in having his son Charles elected as counter-king to the incumbent Louis the Bavarian by paying horrendous bribes. Charles' position in the empire was initially weak, but the sudden death of Louis, a few months after the election, changed the situation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Die Deutschen Season 2 Episode 7 - Karl Marx and the Class Struggle
    6.5/10(19 votes)

    #6 - Karl Marx and the Class Struggle

    S2:E7

    He is one of the most effective best-selling authors in the history of the world, and yet few have read his work in its entirety. His teachings have become a substitute religion, even though the author never saw himself as a founder of faith, but as a scientific analyst. "I am not a Marxist," flirted Karl Marx (1818-1883), whose work influenced the course of world history like no German since Luther. From the middle of the 20th century, about half of humanity was led by governments that invoked the German thinker.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Die Deutschen Season 2 Episode 5 - Thomas Müntzer and the Peasants' War
    6.7/10(20 votes)

    #7 - Thomas Müntzer and the Peasants' War

    S2:E5

    It was the time of upheaval, the Reformation shook the existing order. In 1521, there was turmoil in Zwickau, Saxony: the young priest Thomas Müntzer (1489-1525), who preached at St. Mary's Church, turned against the ecclesiastical and secular authorities and demanded the God-given right to freedom and equality for all people. Müntzer was not a man of compromise. The church criticism of Luther, whom he had once admired, did not go far enough for him. Not only the papacy but also the secular order based on the estates were a thorn in his side.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Die Deutschen Season 2 Episode 10 - Gustav Stresemann and the Republic
    6.7/10(15 votes)

    #8 - Gustav Stresemann and the Republic

    S2:E10

    Gustav Stresemann (1878 - 1929) became Reich Chancellor when the young Weimar Republic was once again plunged into chaos: in the crisis year of 1923. Germany was still suffering the consequences of the lost war and the Treaty of Versailles. France and Belgium occupied the Ruhr region to force billions in reparations and gain control over the important industrial region. Inflation reached its peak. Communist uprisings threatened from the left, and the radical right called for a national dictatorship. Becoming chancellor at such a time was "really political suicide," Stresemann wrote to his wife.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Die Deutschen Season 1 Episode 10 - Wilhelm and the World
    6.8/10(21 votes)

    #9 - Wilhelm and the World

    S1:E10

    A monarch between megalomania and depression. The German Empire at the beginning of the 20th century: too small to rule over others and too big for the balance of power in Europe. Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted to be a world power.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Die Deutschen Season 1 Episode 7 - Napoleon and the Germans
    6.9/10(21 votes)

    #10 - Napoleon and the Germans

    S1:E7

    Between freedom and repression. It is a foreign emperor, of all people, who catapults Germany into a national era: France's ruler of the century, Napoleon. His conquests and reforms brought the Germans closer together than ever before. What he succeeds in doing, no one had achieved before: the political awakening of the "German nation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Die Deutschen Season 1 Episode 1 - Otto and the Empire
    7.0/10(39 votes)

    #11 - Otto and the Empire

    S1:E1

    The birth of the Germans. In the struggle of the German tribes against the Hungarians, something like a sense of community emerged under the leadership of King Otto I. By obtaining the imperial dignity, he laid the foundation for a unique system of rule.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Die Deutschen Season 1 Episode 9 - Bismarck and the German Empire
    7.0/10(25 votes)

    #12 - Bismarck and the German Empire

    S1:E9

    From Small-State Fighter to National Fighter. After the revolution of 1848, the unsuccessful attempt at "unity from below" now came "unity from above. Prussian Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck paved the way for the first German nation state.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Die Deutschen Season 1 Episode 4 - Luther and the Nation
    7.1/10(27 votes)

    #13 - Luther and the Nation

    S1:E4

    The reformer and promoter of the German language. At first, he was just a simple monk, a doubting and struggling theologian. He became an epochal figure who united and divided Germans like no other before - without meaning to: Martin Luther.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Die Deutschen Season 1 Episode 6 - Frederick the Great and the Empress
    7.1/10(21 votes)

    #14 - Frederick the Great and the Empress

    S1:E6

    Duel between Prussia and Austria. After the Thirty Years' War, the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation resembled a territorial puzzle. In the absence of a central power, new powers emerged on the periphery: Prussia and Austria.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Die Deutschen Season 1 Episode 8 - Robert Blum and the Revolution
    7.1/10(21 votes)

    #15 - Robert Blum and the Revolution

    S1:E8

    An unknown hero. A revolution - in Germany? And by no means, as Lenin later smugly told the Germans, with a proper platform ticket in their pocket! In March 1848, good subjects became determined barricade fighters.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Die Deutschen Season 1 Episode 3 - Barbarossa and the Lion
    7.2/10(24 votes)

    #16 - Barbarossa and the Lion

    S1:E3

    Rivalry in the family. He is the king of the Germans and wants to rule over the Occident as emperor: the Staufer Frederick Barbarossa. His empire extends as far as southern Italy. But his rule is disputed. Powerful rivals challenge the monarch - including his former ally Henry the Lion.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Die Deutschen Season 2 Episode 1 - Charlemagne and the Saxons
    7.2/10(20 votes)

    #17 - Charlemagne and the Saxons

    S2:E1

    He was already considered the "Father of Europe" by his contemporaries: Charlemagne (probably 748-814). He created a foundation that shaped the continent. Germans and French alike regard the legendary Carolingian as the progenitor.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Die Deutschen Season 2 Episode 2 - Frederick II. and the Crusade
    7.2/10(16 votes)

    #18 - Frederick II. and the Crusade

    S2:E2

    "The wonder of the world" is what some contemporaries called the Staufer Frederick II (1194-1250), whose empire stretched from Sicily to the North Sea coast. In addition to German, he spoke Italian, French, Greek and Arabic, wrote poetry and philosophy, and wrote a book on falconry. As a small child he already possessed the German royal dignity, his mother, Constance of Sicily, had him crowned monarch there. On German soil, a bitter dispute over the throne was once again raging between the Hohenstaufen and Guelph dynasties. Once again, the princely camp was divided, and the pope got involved.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Die Deutschen Season 1 Episode 2 - Heinrich and the Pope
    7.5/10(31 votes)

    #19 - Heinrich and the Pope

    S1:E2

    The walk to Canossa. It is a power struggle such as has never been seen before: King versus Pope. Who is the stronger? It is about power in the kingdom of the Germans and in the Christian West - and about a unique gesture, the like of which has not been seen since: Henry IV's "Walk to Canossa.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Die Deutschen Season 1 Episode 5 - Wallenstein and the War
    7.7/10(24 votes)

    #20 - Wallenstein and the War

    S1:E5

    Genius commander or traitor? It is a battle for religious and political supremacy in the empire and in Europe: Catholics against Protestants. One man is to defeat the supporters of the Reformation for the emperor: the general Albrecht von Wallenstein.

    Directors:Stephan Koester, Christian Twente, Martin Carazo Mendez, Robert Wiezorek
    Writer:Martin Carazo

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Rosa Luxemburg and Freedom" is the worst rated episode of "Die Deutschen". It scored 5.8/10 based on 18 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 12/12/2010. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Augustus the Strong and Love".