German Empire

The German Empire (German: Deutsches Reich),^{[a][16][17][18][19]} also referred to as Imperial Germany,^[20] the Second Reich^[b][21] or simply Germany, was a country in Europe during the period of the German Reich from 1871 until its dissolution in November 1918. When the German Empire collapsed, it became the Weimar Republic as part of the German Republic.^[22][23]

German Empire Deutsches Reich  (German)
1871–1918
Flag Coat of arms (1889–1918)[2]
Motto: Gott mit uns (German)[3] Nobiscum Deus (Latin) ("God with us")
Anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz[4] ("Hail to Thee in the Victor's Crown") Die Wacht am Rhein (unofficial)[5][6][7] ("The Watch on the Rhine")
The German Empire in 1914 The German Empire and its occupied territories in the final stage of World War I, September 1918 States of the German Empire
The German colonial empire in 1914
Capital and largest city	Berlin 52°31′7″N 13°22′34″E
Official languages	German
Common languages	List Unofficial: Low German, Polish, Danish, Yiddish, Limburgish, Frisian, Sorbian, Sinte Romani, Lithuanian, Kashubian, Swahili, Arabic
Religion (1880)	Majority: 62.63% Protestant (United Protestant, Lutheran, Reformed) Minorities: 35.89% Roman Catholic 1.24% Jewish 0.17% other Christian 0.07% other
Demonym(s)	German
Government	Federal parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy[8][9][10][11] Under a military dictatorship[12] (1916–1918)
Emperor
• 1871–1888	Wilhelm I
• 1888	Friedrich III
• 1888–1918	Wilhelm II
Chancellor
• 1871–1890	Otto von Bismarck
• 1890–1894	Leo von Caprivi
• 1894–1900	C. zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
• 1900–1909	Bernhard von Bülow
• 1909–1917	T. von Bethmann Hollweg
• 1917	Georg Michaelis
• 1917–1918	Georg von Hertling
• 1918	Max von Baden
Legislature	Bicameral
• Upper house	Bundesrat
• Lower house	Reichstag
Historical era	New Imperialism • World War I
• Unification	18 January 1871
• Constitution	16 April 1871
• Berlin Conference	15 November 1884
• WWI began	28 July 1914
• German Revolution	3 November 1918
• Abdication of Kaiser[13]	9 November 1918
• Armistice	11 November 1918
• Weimar Constitution	11 August 1919
Area
• Total	1,750,000 km2 (680,000 sq mi)
1910[14]	540,857.54 km2 (208,826.26 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	70,000,000
• 1871[15]	41,058,792
• 1900[15]	56,367,178
• 1910[15]	64,925,993
Currency	Until 1873: Vereinsthaler, South German gulden, Bremen thaler, Hamburg mark, French franc German gold mark (1873–1914) German Papiermark (1914–1918)
Preceded by Succeeded by North German Confederation Bavaria Württemberg Baden Hesse Weimar Republic Memel Territory Territory of the Saar Basin Danzig
Area and population not including colonial possessions

List of German states

State		Capital
Kingdoms (Königreiche)
	Prussia (Preußen)	Berlin
	Bavaria (Bayern)	Munich
	Saxony (Sachsen)	Dresden
	Württemberg	Stuttgart
Grand duchies (Großherzogtümer)
	Baden	Karlsruhe
	Hesse (Hessen)	Darmstadt
	Mecklenburg-Schwerin	Schwerin
	Mecklenburg-Strelitz	Neustrelitz
	Oldenburg	Oldenburg
	Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach)	Weimar
Duchies (Herzogtümer)
	Anhalt	Dessau
	Brunswick (Braunschweig)	Braunschweig
	Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg)	Altenburg
	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha)	Coburg
	Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen)	Meiningen
Principalities (Fürstentümer)
	Lippe	Detmold
	Reuss, junior line	Gera
	Reuss, senior line	Greiz
	Schaumburg-Lippe	Bückeburg
	Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt	Rudolstadt
	Schwarzburg-Sondershausen	Sondershausen
	Waldeck-Pyrmont	Arolsen
Free Hanseatic cities (Freie Hansestädte)
	Bremen
	Hamburg
	Lübeck
Imperial territory (Reichsland)
	Alsace-Lorraine (Elsaß-Lothringen)	Straßburg

Related pages

• Germany
• Holy Roman Empire
• Nazi Germany

Notes

1. Pronounced de; today often referred to as Deutsches Kaiserreich.
2. German: Zweites Reich