German Empire

The term German Empire commonly refers to Germany, from its consolidation as a unified nation-state on January 18 1871, until the abdication of Kaiser (Emperor) Wilhelm II on November 9 1918. Germans, when referring to the Reich in this period under the Kaisers, typically use the term Kaiserreich and this term has often been used by non-German historians.

Related Topics:
Germany - Nation-state - January 18 - 1871 - Kaiser - Emperor - Wilhelm II - November 9 - 1918

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sometimes in English, but rarely in German, the name Second Reich is used, based on counting the Holy Roman Empire as the first German empire and Nazi Germany as the third. Numbering of the Reichs began in 1923 by Arthur Moeller van Den Bruck (he longed for a third, which he idealized) and was briefly taken up by Nazi propaganda. After the war, drittes Reich became the standard name for Nazi Germany.

Related Topics:
Holy Roman Empire - Nazi Germany - 1923 - Arthur Moeller van Den Bruck

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It should be noted that Deutsches Reich was the state's official name both in this period and until the occupation of Nazi Germany in 1945 that ended World War II in Europe; thus the next two articles of the History of Germany series also cover the official Deutsches Reich.

Related Topics:
Nazi Germany - 1945 - World War II - History of Germany

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~