German Empire

The German Empire (German: Deutsches Kaiserreich), officially the German Reich, was the historical German nation state that existed from the unification of Germany in 1871 to the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in November 1918, when Germany became a federal republic.

The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent territories, with most being ruled by royal families. This included four kingdoms, six grand duchies, six duchies (five after 1876), seven principalities, three free Hanseatic cities, and one imperial territory. Although the Kingdom of Prussia contained most of the Empire's population and territory, it played a lesser role. As Dwyer (2005) points out, Prussia's "political and cultural influence had diminished considerably" by the 1890s.

After 1850, the states of Germany had rapidly become industrialized, with particular strengths in coal, iron (and later steel), chemicals, and railways. In 1871 it had a population of 41 million people, and by 1913 this had increased to 68 million. A heavily rural collection of states in 1815, the united Germany became predominantly urban. During its 47 years of existence, the German Empire operated as an industrial, technological, and scientific giant, gaining more Nobel Prizes in science than any other country.

German Empire (disambiguation)

German Empire usually refers to the unified German monarchy existing from 1871 to 1918

German Empire may also refer to:

See also

German Empire (1848/1849)

The German Empire (in German: Deutsches Reich, or Deutscher Bundesstaat, meaning 'German Federative State') was an emerging nation state in 1848/1849. It was created by the 'Frankfurt Parliament' (German National Assembly) in spring 1848, following the March Revolution. The Empire ended eventually when the German Confederation was fully reinstituted in Summer 1851, but de facto already in December 1849 when the Central German Government was replaced with a Federal Central Commission.

The Empire struggled to be recognized by German and foreign states. The German states, represented by the Federal Convention of the German Confederation, on July 12, 1848 acknowledged the Central German Government. In the following months, however, the larger German states not always accepted the decrees and laws of the Central German Government and the Frankfurt Parliament.

Several foreign states recognized the Central Government and send an ambassador: the USA, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Sardinia, Naples and Greece. France and Great Britain installed official envoys to keep contact with the Central Government.