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When and how was the German Empire created?

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Otto von Bismarck in military uniform and cap, with a mustache, facing slightly to the side in a black-and-white portrait taken around 1880. — Otto von Bismarck Otto von Bismarck.

The German Empire was officially founded on January 18, 1871. Its creation was not the result of a popular nationalist movement, but rather the product of traditional cabinet diplomacy and the strategic political maneuvering of the Prussian chancellor, Otto von Bismarck.12

Bismarck sought to unify the South German states with the Prussian-led North German Confederation by fostering a sense of common national purpose against foreign aggression. He successfully used the Franco-German War to overcome the reluctance of southern states like Bavaria, Württemberg, and Baden to join a unified state.321

As the war neared its conclusion, these southern governments agreed to join the North German Confederation to form a new, powerful German Empire. The culmination of this process occurred at the palace of Versailles, where King William I of Prussia was proclaimed German emperor.23