German Empire

German Empire Deutsches Reich
1871–1918
Banner Imperial Coat o airms
Motto: Gott mit uns "God wi us"
Anthem: (none offeecial) "Heil dir im Siegerkranz" (Imperial) "Deutschlandlied" (popular) "Die Wacht am Rhein" (Unoffeecial)
Territory o the German Empire in 1914, afore Warld War I
Caipital	Berlin
Common leids	Offeecial leid: German Unoffeecial minority leids: Danish, French, Yiddish, Sorbian, Polish, Frisian, Lithuanie Colonial leids: Bantu, Oshiwambo, Afrikaans, Swahili (African colonies) Tsingtao Chinese an Mandarin Cheenese (Tsingtao an Kiautschou Bay) Papuan leids (German New Guinea) Samoan (German Samoa)
Releegion	Protestant ≈ 60% Roman Catholic ≈ 39% Jewish ≈ 1%
Govrenment	Federal monarchy
Emperor
• 1871–1888	Wilhelm I
• 1888	Frederick III
• 1888–1918	Wilhelm II
Chancellor
• 1871–1890	Otto von Bismarck (first)
• 1918	Friedrich Ebert (last)
Legislatur	Reichstag
• Federal Cooncil	Bundesrat
Historical era	New Imperialism, WWI
• Unification o Germany	18 Januar 1871
• Constitution adoptit	16 Aprile 1871
• Warld War I	28 Julie 1914
• German Revolution	9 November 1918
• Armistice	11 November 1918
• Wilhelm II abdicates	18 November 1918
• Treaty o Versailles	28 Juin 1919
Aurie
1910	540,857.54 km2 (208,826.26 sq mi)
Population
• 1871	40050790
• 1890	49428470
• 1910	64925993
Currency	Vereinsthaler, Sooth German Gulden, Bremen Thaler, Hamburg Mark, French Franc, (till 1873, thegither) German Goldmark, (1873–1914) German Papiermark (1914–1918)
ISO 3166 code	DE
Precedit bi Succeedit bi Kinrick o Proushie North German Confederation Kinrick o Bavarie Kinrick o Württemberg Grand Duchy o Baden Grand Duchy o Hesse Alsace-Lorraine Weimar Republic Republic o Alsace-Lorraine Free Ceety o Danzig Seicont Polish Republic Klaipėda Region Saar (League o Naitions) Hlučín Region Northren Schleswig Eupen-Malmedy
The day pairt o	Belgium  Czech Republic  Denmark  Fraunce  Germany  Lithuanie  Poland  Roushie
Aurie an population nae including colonial possessions Aurie soorce: Population soorce: ^ a. The term "reich" daes nae leeterally connote an empire as haes been commonly assumed bi Inglis-speakin fowk. The term "Kaiserreich" literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary empire led by a literal emperor, though "reich" has been uised in German tae denote the Roman Empire acause it haes a weak hereditary tradeetion. In the case o the German Empire, the offeecial name wis Deutsches Reich that is properly translatit as "German Realm" acause the offeecial poseetion o heid o state in the constitution o the German Empire wis offeecially a "presidency" o a confederation o German states led bi the Keeng o Proushie who would assume "the title o German Emperor" as referrin tae the German fowk but wis nae emperor o Germany as in an emperor o a state.[neutrality is disputit]

The German Empire consistit o 27 constituent territories (maist o them ruled bi ryal faimilies). While the Kinrick o Proushie contained maist o the population an maist o the territory o the Reich, the Prussian leadership acame supplantit bi German leaders an Proushie itself played a lesser role. As Dwyer (2005) pynts oot, Proushie's "political and cultural influence had diminished considerably" bi the 1890s. Its three mucklest neighbours wur rivals Imperial Roushie tae the east, Fraunce tae the wast an ally Austrick-Hungary tae the sooth.

Efter 1850, Germany industrialized rapidly, wi a foondation in coal, airn (an later steel), chemicals an railways. Frae a population o 41 million fowk in 1871, it grew tae 68 million in 1913. Frae a hivily rural naition in 1815, it wis nou predominantly urban. Durin its 47 year o existence, the German Empire operatit as an industrial, technological an scienteefic giant, receivin mair Nobel Prizes in science than Breetain, Fraunce, Roushie an the Unitit States combined.

It acame a great pouer, boastin a rapidly growin economy an the warld's strangest airmy an its navy went frae bein negligible tae seicont anly behind the Ryal Navy in less nor a decade. Efter the removal o the pouerful Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1890 followin the daith o Emperor Wilhelm I, the young Emperor Wilhelm II engaged in increasinly reckless foreign policies that left the Empire isolatit. Its network o smaa colonies in Africae an the Paceefic paled in comparison tae the Breetish an French empires. When the great crisis o 1914 arrived, it haed anly twa weak allies (Austrick-Hungary an Ottoman Empire) left. In Warld War I its plans tae quickly captur Paris in 1914 failed an the Wastren Front (against Breetain an Fraunce) acame a stalemate. The Allied naval blockade made for increasin shortages o fuid. Houiver, Germany, as a result o the Communists' determination tae end Roushie involvement in Warld War I, carved muckle Eastren territories follaein the Treaty o Brest-Litovsk. German declaration o unrestrictit submarine warfare in early 1917 wis designed tae strangle the Breetish; it failed acause o the uise o a trans-Atlantic convoy seestem. But the declaration - alang wi the Zimmermann Telegram - did bring the Unitit States intae the war, wi its muckle reserves o money, fuid, an soldiers. Meanwhile German troops haed acome radicalised bi the Roushie Revolution. The heich command unner Paul von Hindenburg an Erich Ludendorff increasinly controlled the Reich as thay gambled on ane last offensive in ware 1918 (afore the Americans coud arrive in force). It failed an bi October the airmies wur in retreat, the Austro-Hungarie Empire haed collapsed, an the German fowk haed lost faith in the poleetical seestem. The Empire collapsed owernicht in the November 1918 Revolution as aw the ryals abdicatit an a republic teuk ower.