 In 1918, after Germany's defeat in World War I, its monarchy was overthrown and a republican form of government was established under the current name.The state was broken up into smaller units during communist rule (1949–1989), but was re-established on 3 October 1990 on the reunification of East and West Germany.In prehistoric times, the territory of Saxony was the site of some of the largest of the ancient central European monumental temples, dating from the fifth century BC.