German Empire | ||||||
Deutsches Reich | ||||||
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Motto Gott mit uns "God with us" |
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Anthem
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Germany on the eve of World War I
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States of the German Empire (Prussia shown in blue).
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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 |
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Languages |
Official: German
Unofficial:
Danish, French, Polish, Czech, Dutch, Sorbian, Low German, Bavarian, Frisian, Swabian and other Alemannic languages, Lithuanian
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Religion |
Whitaker's data for 1890 Majority: 62.8% Protestant (Lutheran, Reformed, Prussian United)
Minorities:
35.8% Roman Catholic, 1.1% Jewish
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Government |
Federal constitutional monarchy (until October 1918) Federal Parliamentary constitutional monarchy (October 1918 to November 1918) |
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Emperor | ||||||
• | 1871–1888 | Wilhelm I | ||||
• | 1888 | Frederick III | ||||
• | 1888–1918 | Wilhelm II | ||||
Chancellor | ||||||
• | 1871–1890 | Otto von Bismarck (first) | ||||
• | 1918 | Friedrich Ebert (last) | ||||
Legislature | Reichstag | |||||
• | Federal Council | Bundesrat | ||||
Historical era | New Imperialism/First World War | |||||
• | Unification | 18 January 1871 | ||||
• | Constitution adopted | 16 April 1871 | ||||
• | First World War | 28 July 1914 | ||||
• | German Revolution | 3 November 1918 | ||||
• | Armistice declared | 11 November 1918 | ||||
• | Abdication of Wilhelm II | 28 November 1918 | ||||
• | Treaty of Versailles | 28 June 1919 | ||||
Area | ||||||
• | 1910 | 540,857.54 km² (208,826 sq mi) | ||||
Population | ||||||
• | 1871 est. | 40,050,792 | ||||
• | 1910 est. | 64,925,993 | ||||
Density | 120 /km² (310.9 /sq mi) | |||||
Currency |
Vereinsthaler, South German gulden, Bremen thaler, Hamburg mark, French franc, (until 1873, together) German gold mark, (1873–1914) German Papiermark (1914–1918) |
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Today part of |
Germany Poland France Denmark Russia Belgium Lithuania Czech Republic Netherlands |
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Area and population not including colonial possessions Area source: Population source: |
The German Empire (German: Deutsches Kaiserreich, officially Deutsches 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 Weimar Republic).
The German Empire consisted of 26 constituent territories, with most being ruled by royal families. This included four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies (six before 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.