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The German Empire (German: Deutsches Reich), also referred to as Imperial Germany, the Second Reich or simply Germany, was the period of the German Reich from the unification of Germany in 1871 until the November Revolution in 1918, when the German Reich changed its form of government from a monarchy to a republic.
- The First Reich: The Holy Roman Empire
- The Second Reich: The German Empire
- The Third Reich: Nazi Germany
- A Complication
- Three Reichs of German History?
- Three Different Reichs
- Modern Use
- Sources and Further Reading
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Although the name "Holy Roman Empire" dates to the twelfth-century reign of Frederick Barbarossa (ca 1123–1190), the empire had its origins over 300 years earlier. In 800 CE, Charlemagne (742–814 CE) was crowned emperor of a territory which covered much of western and central Europe; this created an institution that would remain, in one form or ano...
The dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, combined with a growing feeling of German nationalism, led to repeated attempts at unifying the multitude of German territories before a single state was created almost solely by the will of Prussian aristocrat Otto von Bismarck (1818–1898). Between 1862 and 1871, this great Prussian politician used a combi...
In 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitleras Chancellor of the German State, which, at that point, had been a democracy. Dictatorial powers and sweeping changes soon followed, as democracy disappeared and the country militarized. The Third Reich was to have been a vastly extended German Empire, expunged of minorities and lasting ...
When using the standard definition of the term, The Holy Roman, Kaiserreich, and Nazi states were certainly reichs, and you can see how they might have been tied together in the minds of 1930s Germans: from Charlemagne to the Kaiser to Hitler. But you'd be right to also ask, how connected were they, really? Indeed, the phrase 'three reichs' refers ...
The history of modern Germany is often summarized as being 'three reichs and three democracies.' This is broadly correct, as modern Germany did indeed evolve out of a series of three empires—as described above—interspersed with forms of democracy; however, this does not automatically make the institutions German. While 'The First Reich' is a useful...
The summaries given above may be very brief, but they are enough to show how these three empires were very different types of state; the temptation for historians has been to try and find some sort of linked progression from one to another. Comparisons between the Holy Roman Empire and the Kaiserreich began before this latter state was even formed....
An understanding of the nature and relationship of these three reichs is necessary for more than historical study. Despite a claim in the Chambers Dictionary of World History that "The term [Reich] is no longer used" (Dictionary of World History, ed. Lenman and Anderson, Chambers, 1993), politicians and others are fond of describing modern Germany...
Kainz, Howard P. "Political Milestones: Three Romes, Three Reichs, Three Kingdoms, and a 'Holy Roman Empire." In: Democracy and the 'Kingdom of God'." Studies in Philosophy and Religion17. Dordrech...Vermeil, Edmond. "Germany's Three Reichs." Trans, Dickes, W. E. London: Andrew Dakers, 1945.Wilson, Peter H. "Prussia and the Holy Roman Empire 1700–40." German Historical Institute London Bulletin36.1 (2014).The term 'three reichs' refers to the concept of three empires of German history, not just Nazi Germany. The First Reich was the Holy Roman Empire, the Second Reich was the German Empire, and the Third Reich was Nazi Germany. Learn about their origins, differences, and roles in modern Germany.
The German Empire was founded in 1871, after three successful wars by the North German state of Prussia. Prussia remained the dominant force in the nation until the empire’s demise at the end of another war in 1918. Learn more about the history and significance of the German Empire in this article.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The German Empire ( German: Deutsches Reich ), also referred to as Imperial Germany, the Second Reich or simply Germany, was the period of the German Reich from the unification of Germany in 1871 until the November Revolution in 1918, when the German Reich changed its form of government from a monarchy to a republic.
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Germany - Unification, Imperialism, WWI: The German Empire was founded on January 18, 1871, in the aftermath of three successful wars by the North German state of Prussia. Within a seven-year period Denmark, the Habsburg monarchy, and France were vanquished in short, decisive conflicts. The empire was forged not as the result of the outpouring of nationalist feeling from the masses but through ...
German Reich (lit. German Realm, German Empire, from German: Deutsches Reich, pronounced [ˌdɔʏtʃəs ˈʁaɪç] ⓘ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 18 January 1871 to 5 June 1945. The Reich became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty entirely from a continuing unitary German Volk ...
A comprehensive overview of the German Second empire (1871–1918), a continental and overseas empire ruled by Prussia and its allies. Learn about its history, expansion, colonial activities, rivalries, and role in World War I and the Versailles Peace Settlement.
