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The empire was founded on 18 January 1871 at the Palace of Versailles, outside Paris, France, where the south German states, except for Austria and Liechtenstein, joined the North German Confederation and the new constitution came into force on 16 April, changing the name of the federal state to the German Empire and introducing the title of ...
The territorial evolution of Germany in this article include all changes in the modern territory of Germany from its unification making it a country on 1 January 1871 to the present although the history of "Germany" as a territorial polity concept and the history of the ethnic Germans are much longer and much more complex.
In referring to the entire period between 1871 and 1945, the partially translated English phrase "German Reich" (/-ˈ r aɪ k /) is applied by historians in formal contexts; [3] although in common English usage this state was and is known simply as Germany, the English term "German Empire" is reserved to denote the German state between 1871 and ...
The chosen name for the projected empire was a deliberate reference to the Holy Roman Empire (of the German Nation) that existed in medieval times, known as the First Reich in Nazi historiography. [24] Different aspects of the legacy of this medieval empire in German history were both celebrated and derided by the government of Nazi Germany.
The territories of the German Empire were declared, which included the states of the North German Confederation and all of the south German states, with the major exception of Austria. The empire also annexed the formerly French territory of Alsace-Lorraine, due in large part to Ludwig's desire to move the French frontier away from the Palatinate.
The legacy of the empire persists today; as well as the period seeing the first all-German elections in 1848, the creation of a German constitution in 1849, the modern German Navy celebrates 14 June as its anniversary because of the decision in 1848 to create a unified German fleet. The flag adopted by the empire by law in November 1848 is ...
The presence of German-speaking populations in Central and Eastern Europe is rooted in centuries of history, with the settling in northeastern Europe of Germanic peoples predating even the founding of the Roman Empire. The presence of independent German states in the region (particularly Prussia), and later the German Empire as well as other ...
The Imperial Reichstag in session in Berlin. According to its 1871 constitution, the German Empire was a federation of princes under the permanent presidency of the King of Prussia, who also bore the title of German emperor and was commander-in-chief of the Imperial German Army (Deutsches Heer) and Navy (Kaiserliche Marine). [1]