Also known as the Second Reich (1871-1918), European and colonial empire ruled by Prussia. The proclamation of the Empire took place at Versailles on January 1, 1871, when the former North German Confederation and the four South German states (Bavaria, Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt and Württemberg) agreed to form a permanent federal union. , ceding most of their sovereign rights to the new Empire. The King of Prussia, William I, was proclaimed German Emperor. Otto von Bismarck presided over the new political organization as imperial chancellor.
William I died in 1888 and, after Frederick III's brief tenure, William II ascended the throne. Bismarck presented his resignation in 1890. From this decade onwards, conflicts between the privileged classes and the proletariat increased in German society. On the other hand, relations with the other European powers deteriorated considerably. The only faithful ally was the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Germany supported Austria in the war against Serbia in the summer of 1914, with the hope that the struggle would rally the working classes around the government. This confrontation gave rise to World War I. Military failure and internal disorders led to the dissolution of the second German Empire. William II abdicated on November 9, and on the same day the Republic was proclaimed in Berlin.
German Civilization
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