“[The term ‘______________________’] is […] strange for seve…

“ is strange for several reasons, one of which is that it implies that these regions have tried in the past to become nation-states and were not able to do so because of some internal problem. In reality, many of these regions never had a coherent identity and were forged by European powers on grounds that had no basis in social reality.”

“In 1648 the ________________________ ended the Thirty Years…

“In 1648 the ________________________ ended the Thirty Years War in the region that would become Germany. The key idea was that each ‘prince’ had the right to decide the public religion of his own people, while people who practiced other Christian beliefs could still practice their religion in private.”