German Empire
The period of the German Reich from the unification of Germany in 1871 until the November Revolution in 1918, when the German Reich changed its form of government from a monarchy to a republic.
- German Empire500 related topics
Grand Duchy of Hesse
Grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918.
It joined the German Empire in 1871 and became a republic following the empire's fall after World War I in 1918.
North German Confederation
German confederated state that existed from July 1867 to December 1870.
On 1 January 1871, the country adopted a new constitution, which was written under the title of a new "German Confederation" but already gave it the name "German Empire" in the preamble and article 11.
Constitution of the German Empire
The Constitution of the German Empire (Verfassung des Deutschen Reiches) was the basic law of the German Empire of 1871-1918, from 16 April 1871, coming into effect on 4 May 1871.
Alsace–Lorraine
Historical region, now called Alsace–Moselle, located in France.
It was created in 1871 by the German Empire after seizing the region from the Second French Empire in the Franco-Prussian War and Treaty of Frankfurt.
Otto von Bismarck
Conservative German statesman and diplomat.
Receiving the support of the independent South German states in the Confederation's defeat of France, he formed the German Empire – which also excluded Austria – and united Germany.
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919.
German Revolution of 1918–1919
The German Revolution or November Revolution (Novemberrevolution) was a civil conflict in the German Empire at the end of the First World War that resulted in the replacement of the German federal constitutional monarchy with a democratic parliamentary republic that later became known as the Weimar Republic.
Minister President of Prussia
Formed by King Frederick William IV during the 1848–49 Revolution, until the abolition of Prussia in 1947 by the Allied Control Council.
After the unification of Germany in 1871 and until the collapse in 1918, the office of the Prussian Minister President was usually held by the Chancellor of the German Empire, beginning with the tenure of Otto von Bismarck.
Franco-Prussian War
Conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia.
In the waning days of the war, with German victory all but assured, the German states proclaimed their union as the German Empire under the Prussian king Wilhelm I and Chancellor Bismarck; with the notable exception of Austria, the vast majority of Germans were united under a nation-state for the first time.
Wilhelm II, German Emperor
The last German Emperor (Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918.
Despite strengthening the German Empire's position as a great power by building a powerful navy, his tactless public statements and erratic foreign policy greatly antagonized the international community and are considered by many to be one of the underlying causes for World War I.