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German Empire: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As Second Reich
Date January 18, 1871 - November 9, 1918

Photos and Videos

Map showing the German Empire as it existed from 1871 to 1918, with its borders outlined and regions color-coded. The map highlights the Kingdom of Prussia in green and the full extent of the German Empire in yellow, including regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, Westphalia, and East Prussia. Neighboring countries like France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria-Hungary, and the Russian Empire are also labeled. Major cities such as Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg are marked.
flag of the German Empire
Map showing Schleswig-Holstein and surrounding regions after the Seven Weeks' War in 1866. Schleswig and Holstein are highlighted, with boundaries from 1866 marked, and neighboring areas labeled as Prussia, Denmark, and other German states. Current international boundaries and major cities such as Kiel, Lubeck, and Hamburg are indicated.
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.
Chlodwig Karl Viktor, prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingfürst
Portrait of Napoleon III seated, wearing a decorated military uniform with medals, sash, and epaulettes, holding a sword, with a crown resting on a cushion beside him.
Map of Western and Central Europe highlighting the location of Luxembourg, which is labeled and marked with a star. Surrounding countries including Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands are also labeled for geographic context.
Colorful historical illustration showing French cuirassiers on horseback charging Prussian infantry, with smoke, fallen soldiers, and chaos during the Battle of Reichshoffen, 1870.
Battles of Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte
Napoleon III after the Battle of Sedan
Who Was the Last German Emperor?
Causes and start of World War I
Brutal truths of the Battle of Verdun
German revolution: The last kaiser
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Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Major Events

Franco-German War
Franco-German War
Map showing Schleswig-Holstein and surrounding regions after the Seven Weeks' War in 1866. Schleswig and Holstein are highlighted, with boundaries from 1866 marked, and neighboring areas labeled as Prussia, Denmark, and other German states. Current international boundaries and major cities such as Kiel, Lubeck, and Hamburg are indicated.
Schleswig-Holstein question
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Algeciras Conference
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Austro-German Alliance

Related Places

Baden
Baden
historical state, Germany
Sanssouci Palace
Brandenburg
historical margravate, Germany
Württemberg, 1810
Württemberg
historical state, Germany
Schleswig-Holstein after the Seven Weeks' War, 1866
Schleswig
historical region and duchy, Europe
Anhalt
Anhalt
former state, Germany
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Schaumburg-Lippe
historical state, Germany
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Oldenburg
historical state, Germany
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Lippe
historical state, Germany
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Reuss
historical principalities, Germany
Germany
Germany
country, Europe
Post-World War I and post-World War II boundary changes of the area of former East Prussia and its major towns.
East Prussia
former province, Germany
Brandenburg Gate
Berlin
national capital, Germany
Saxony
Saxony
historical region, duchy, and kingdom, Europe
Pomerania
Pomerania
historical region, Europe
Historical map showing the unification of Germany by Prussia in the late 19th century. The map highlights in green the Kingdom of Prussia as of 1866, and in yellow the additional territories that formed the German Empire by 1871-1918, encompassing most of north-central Europe. Neighboring countries such as France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Switzerland are labeled, with major regions and states within the empire clearly marked.
Prussia
historic region, Europe

Key People

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
German chancellor and prime minister
Helmuth von Moltke, 1871
Helmuth von Moltke
German general [1800–1891]
Friedrich Ebert, c. 1924.
Friedrich Ebert
president of Weimar Republic
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany in military uniform, wearing a fur hat with a prominent skull emblem and various medals and decorations on his chest.
Wilhelm II
emperor of Germany
Bebel, August
August Bebel
German socialist
Portrait of Alfred von Tirpitz, German statesman and Commander of the German Navy, seated at a desk with a long beard and formal suit, circa 1925.
Alfred von Tirpitz
German statesman
Bernhard, Fürst von Bülow
Bernhard, prince von Bülow
chancellor of Germany
Ernest II, detail from a lithograph by C. Baugniet after a portrait by H. Thorburn, 1844
Ernest II
duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Chlodwig Karl Viktor, prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingfürst
Chlodwig Karl Viktor, prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
German chancellor
Georg Michaelis
Georg Michaelis
chancellor of Germany
Georg, count von Hertling, 1918
Georg, count von Hertling
German statesman
Philipp Scheidemann
Philipp Scheidemann
German politician
Eduard Lasker, engraving, 1861
Eduard Lasker
Prussian politician
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Richard von Kühlmann
German foreign minister
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Otto
king of Bavaria