Westphalia as a small state within Germany in the form of a principality until 1918 and as a free state until 1946. This continues to influence the identity of its people who often distinguish themselves from neighboring regions such as East Westphalia. In addition to these historic, lingual and religious aspects, there are some regional differences in culture and mentality. That is why many of the citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia rather see themselves either as "Rhinelanders", "Westphalians" or "Lippers" rather than as "North Rhine-Westphalians". Westphalia is known for the 1648 Peace of Westphalia which ended the Thirty Years' War, as the
Peace treaty peace treaties known as the Peace of Westphalia. It initiated modern diplomacy, involving the modern system of nation-states. Subsequent wars were no longer over religion, but rather revolved around issues of state. This allowed Catholic and Protestant powers to ally, leading to a number of major realignments. The Korean War is an example of a conflict that was ended by an armistice rather than a peace treaty with the 1953 . The Korean War has never technically ended because a final peace treaty or settlement has not been achieved. A more recent example of a peace treaty is the 1973