German Empire: Map & History
The German Empire, also referred to as Imperial Germany or the Second Reich, was the period of the German Reich from the unification of Germany in 1871 until the November Revolution in 1918, when Germany changed its form of government to a republic.
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Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The German Empire, also referred to as Imperial Germany or the Second Reich, was the period of the German Reich from the unification of Germany in 1871 until the November Revolution in 1918, when Germany changed its form of government to a republic. The German Empire consisted of 25 states, each with its own nobility: four constituent kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities, three free Hanseatic cities, and one imperial territory. While Prussia was only one of the four kingdoms in the realm, it contained about two-thirds of the Empire's population and territory, and Prussian dominance was also constitutionally established, since the king of Prussia was also the German Emperor.
Modern Countries Once Part of German Empire
At its mapped extent, German Empire covered territory in 15 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Belgium1915–1918 CE · nearly all
- Latvia1916–1919 CE · nearly all
- Lithuania1916–1918 CE · nearly all
- Luxembourg1915–1918 CE · nearly all
- Micronesia1900–1914 CE · nearly all
- Germany1871–1919 CE · nearly all
- Poland1871–1919 CE · most
- Estonia1918 CE · most
- Solomon Islands1890–1897 CE · most
- Ukraine1917–1918 CE · most
- Belarus1916–1918 CE · a large part
- Moldova1918 CE · a large part
- Papua New Guinea1885–1914 CE · a large part
- France1871–1918 CE · a small part
- Russia1871–1919 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside German Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
German Empire in Depth
History
The German Confederation had been created by an act of the Congress of Vienna on 8 June 1815 as a result of the Napoleonic Wars, after being alluded to in Article 6 of the 1814 Treaty of Paris.
The liberal Revolutions of 1848 were crushed after the relations between affluent educated liberals and the urban artisans broke down; Otto von Bismarck's pragmatic Realpolitik, which appealed to peasants as well as the aristocracy, took its place. Bismarck sought to extend Hohenzollern hegemony throughout the German states; to do so meant unification of the German states and the exclusion of Prussia's main German rival, Austria, from the subsequent German Empire. He envisioned a conservative, Prussian-dominated Germany.
Legacy
The defeat and aftermath of the First World War and the penalties imposed by the Treaty of Versailles shaped the positive memory of the Empire, especially among Germans who distrusted and despised the Weimar Republic. Conservatives, liberals, socialists, nationalists, Catholics and Protestants all had their own interpretations, which led to a fractious political and social climate in Germany in the aftermath of the empire's collapse.
Under Bismarck, a united German state had finally been achieved, but it remained a Prussian-dominated state and did not include German Austria as Pan-German nationalists had desired. The influence of Prussian militarism, the Empire's colonial efforts and its vigorous, competitive industrial prowess all gained it the dislike and envy of other nations.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: German Empire (CC BY-SA 4.0).
German Empire: Key Facts
| Capital | Berlin |
|---|---|
| Official language | German |
| Form of government | constitutional monarchy |
| Founded | 1 January 1871 |
| Dissolved | 9 November 1918 |
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q43287 (CC0).
Interactive map
German Empire on the World War I map →
See German Empire’s territory change day by day from 1 August 1914, with every battle it fought.
German Empire Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which German Empire appears, with the other states of the time.
German Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 1,424,115 km² in 1918 CE.
German Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the German Empire exist?
The German Empire is dated to 1871 CE – 1919 CE, in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of the German Empire?
The capital of the German Empire was Berlin.
How large was the German Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 1918 the German Empire covered about 1,424,115 km².
How did the map of the German Empire change over time?
The German Empire appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1900 CE to 1914 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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