German Empire
The German Empire or Germany ("Deutsches Reich" or "Deutsches Kaiserreich"or Deutschland in the German language) is the name for a group of German countries from January 18, 1871 to November 9, 1918. This is from the Unification of Germany when Wilhelm I of Prussia was made German Kaiser to when the third Emperor Wilhelm II was removed from power at the end of the First World War. In the 1920s, German nationalists started to call it the "Second Reich".
German Empire Deutsches Kaiserreich | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1871–1918 | |||||||||
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| Motto: | |||||||||
| Anthem: | |||||||||
 The German Empire in 1914 | |||||||||
| Status | Empire | ||||||||
| Capital | Berlin 52°31′N 13°24′E / 52.517°N 13.400°ECoordinates: 52°31′N 13°24′E / 52.517°N 13.400°E | ||||||||
| Common languages | German Polish (Posen, Upper Silesia, Masuria) French (Lothringen region of Elsass-Lothringen) | ||||||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||||
| Emperor | |||||||||
• 1871-1888 | Wilhelm I | ||||||||
• 1888-1888 | Friedrich | ||||||||
• 1888-1918 | Wilhelm II | ||||||||
| Chancellor | |||||||||
• 1871-1890 | Otto von Bismarck | ||||||||
• 3 Oct-9 Nov 1918 | Max von Baden | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• | January 18 1871 | ||||||||
• | November 9 1918 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 1910 | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1871 | 41058792 | ||||||||
• 1890 | 49428470 | ||||||||
• 1910 | 64925993 | ||||||||
| Currency | Goldmark | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | DE | ||||||||
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The name of Germany was "Deutsches Reich" until 1945. "Reich" can mean many things, empire, kingdom, state, "richness" or "wealth". Most members of the Empire were previously members of the North German Confederation.
At different times, there were three groups of smaller countries, each group was later called a "Reich" by some Germans. The first was the Holy Roman Empire. The second was the German Empire. The third was the Third Reich.
The words "Second Reich" were used for the German Empire by Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, a nationalist writer in the 1920s. He was trying to make a link with the earlier Holy Roman Empire which had once been very strong. Germany had lost First World War and was suffering big problems. van den Bruck wanted to start a "Third Reich" to unite the country. These words were later used by the Nazis to make themselves appear stronger.
States in the Empire
| State | Capital | |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdoms (Königreiche) | ||
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Prussia (Preußen) | Berlin |
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Bavaria (Bayern) | Munich |
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Saxony (Sachsen) | Dresden |
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Württemberg | Stuttgart |
| Grand duchies (Großherzogtümer) | ||
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Baden | Karlsruhe |
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Hesse (Hessen) | Darmstadt |
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Mecklenburg-Schwerin | Schwerin |
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Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Neustrelitz |
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Oldenburg | Oldenburg |
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Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) | Weimar |
| Duchies (Herzogtümer) | ||
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Anhalt | Dessau |
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Brunswick (Braunschweig) | Braunschweig |
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Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) | Altenburg |
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Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) | Coburg |
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Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) | Meiningen |
| Principalities (Fürstentümer) | ||
|
Lippe | Detmold |
|
Reuss, junior line | Gera |
|
Reuss, senior line | Greiz |
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Schaumburg-Lippe | Bückeburg |
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Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | Rudolstadt |
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Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | Sondershausen |
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Waldeck-Pyrmont | Arolsen |
| Free Hanseatic cities (Freie Hansestädte) | ||
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Bremen | |
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Hamburg | |
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Lübeck | |
| Imperial territory (Reichsland) | ||
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Alsace-Lorraine (Elsaß-Lothringen) | Straßburg |
German Empire Media
Germany, its clients and occupied territory
Map of German Reich 1871–1918. Search terms (selection): Helgoland, Flensburg, Schleswig, Kiel, Provinz Schleswig Holstein, Old, Hansestadt Lübeck, Bremerhaven, Hansestadt Hambürg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Grhm.
An old recording of "Heil dir im Siegerkranz" Imperial German Anthem, used until 1918. Performed by "Heinrich Achleitner"
Otto von Bismarck-Schönhausen (Reichskanzler of Germany, 1871 - 1890), after his resignation in 1890.
- For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme.
Die Proklamation des Deutschen Kaiserreiches by Anton von Werner (1877), depicting the proclamation of Emperor William I (18 January 1871, Palace of Versailles). From left, on the podium (in black): Crown Prince Frederick (later Frederick III), his father the emperor, and Frederick I of Baden, proposing a toast to the new emperor.
A postage stamp from the Caroline Islands
The German colonial empire and its protectorates in 1914
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Related pages
- Germany
- Holy Roman Empire
- Nazi Germany, or "Drittes Reich"