Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/order-of-merit-of-the-federal-republic-of-germany

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany built?Theodor Heuss, first President of the Federal Republic of Germany
2. What is the total recipients?Over 262,000
3. What is the annual awards trend?Decreasing significantly since the 1990s, with 918 in 2022
4. What is Germany's Order of Merit?It is Germany’s highest award for doing great things in science, art, helping people, or other good work. It looks like a medal or a cross.
5. When was the Order of Merit started?It was created on September 7, 1951, by President Theodor Heuss. It helped Germany feel proud after the war.

Bundesverdienstorden (BVO): The official German name for the Order of Merit, Germany's highest federal decoration.
Federalism: A system of government where power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units (like Germany's Länder).
Meritocracy: A system where advancement is based on individual ability or achievement rather than social status or wealth.
Länder: The German term for the federal states that constitute the Federal Republic of Germany.