State

German Empire

Also known as Kaiserreich

The German Empire was the unified German state proclaimed in 1871 under Prussian leadership after the Franco-Prussian War. It became Europe's leading industrial power, acquired colonies in Africa and the Pacific and built a large navy, but it was defeated in the First World War and collapsed in 1918.

German Empire
Image: Original: Adolf Soetbeer, Otto von Bismarck Vector: B1mbo, Madden · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 9 profiles

German EmpireFoundation, Impact, SummaryMargraviate of BrandenburgImpactFree Hanseatic City of BremenDeclineFree and Hanseatic City of HamburgDeclineCounty of HohenzollernFoundationKingdom of WürttembergMilitary, Governance, Decline, SummaryGrand Duchy of HesseGovernance, Decline, SummaryKingdom of BavariaMilitary, Governance, Decline, SummaryGerman ConfederationImpact, Decline, Summary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). German Empire. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/german-empire
MLA
“German Empire.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/german-empire. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “German Empire.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/german-empire.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘German Empire’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/german-empire (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻