Der Spiegel Geschichte released a volume about it once, but I haven't bought it. Ah well, it doesn't go deep enough into detail anyway, but it puts an interesting scope on a part of history nonetheless. I'm sure it also takes on the German presence in Russia.

I noticed a while ago (it was only my own 'investigation' though) that German language (I dont know how Dutch or Flemish) has relatively little borrow-words, compared to for instance english or polish. Eg English is based on old germanic, but is very 'contaminated' by latin languages, while German I think is not, I compared once leaflets in German and english and I noticed this difference, in english words were of germanic root or of latin root, while in place of latin words in english in german were other german words.
I may be wrong though, as it was only a leaflet of a few pages, but that was my impression, some german may correct me.

Well, for Dutch (in the Netherlands as well as in Belgium) I can say most of the borrowed words we have come from French or Latin. Still I think Dutch is just like German relatively very pure Germanic when compared to Yiddish or English.
We have many words of foreign origin though, more than French or your avarage Latin language has for instance (I think, that's an impression I have from my Germanic standpoint, much like you see it from your Slavic standpoint).
Dutch, by the way, is the purest of the Germanic languages in sciences and mathemathics. This is something we have got to thank to Simon Stevin (a Southern Dutch scientist and linguistic purist from Bruges, known for promoting the decimal system). Where most European languages use Latin words in maths, we use Germanic words.
We also have a whole deal of Hebrew/Yiddish words in our language, mostly curses and underground language. A lot of it has gone lost I believe, but most of it originates from the height of Dutch Jewry before WWII. Our country had way less Jewish presence, but most of these words are known here as well.
We also make, like in any European language, lots of words from Greek rootwords when using philosophic terms. We even have one Greek-based words that only exists in Dutch (not even in Greek !). The word is 'morosoof' (or 'waangeleerde' in Dutch, 'scientist of delusion', Dutch expressed this better than English though). This is not a pseudoscientist. It's someone with an ill-conceived bizarre theory he alone is a master of and which is very hard to debunk. It's a word of the 21st century even.

Have you ever heard about the 'Law of Bismarck' by the way ? That theory says that generally when two languages are in free concurrence of each other Latin languages tend to dominate Germanic ones and Germanic ones tend to dominate Slavic ones. Why Bismarck ? Because in the German Empire of Otto von Bismarck that was a truth in practice. In the West Francophones didn't assimilate but rather grow in influence. In the East Slavic peoples tended to become Germanised or were at least proficient in German.
I believe the theory is a load of claptrap. At least I think it's nothing a bit of open-mindedness toward linguistics can't solve.

I dont know this Bismarck theory, I think Latin languages influenced all languages as latin was 'lingua franca' (nomen omenhttp://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/smile.gif) and it was language of the Church initially and of Rome etc. Germanic were important later.
If it comes to Germanic influences in Slavic, well, I dont know how anywhere else, but for long ages Germans used to settle in Poland (or immigrate, using modern terms), many of them assimilated into local population, or at least influenced it somehow. At the same time there were no Poles emigrating to Germany, so the direction of the influence was kind of obvious, who would bring slavic words to german? Maybe only Germans coming back, but I dont think there were that many of them. I think it may be similar in case of Czech or Russian language too.
ps maybe it had something to do with technologic advances of some german provinces? or maybe with religion too? I never investigated it properly, I know from studying polish language circumstances of foreign influences in polish, but not para-pre-reasons.

Just because a Germanic Tribe took over an area doesn't mean they mated with everyone there (although I'm sure some tried). The Normans once controlled Southern Italy and Sicily, doesn't mean everyone from Naples south has Norman blood. Besides some nations have been free of any sort of Germanic connection for so long any blood would be greatly diminished.

Mmmhh..
Much of the Germanic tribes raided all Europe but that doesn't mean every European has Germanic Blood