1L - Political authority: the extent and make-up of the German Empire in 1871
Learn why the empire created in 1871 combined national elections with powerful monarchies, and how its institutions shaped the parties competing for influence.
A federal empire under Prussia
The German Empire was proclaimed at Versailles on 18 January 1871 after victory over France. Unification incorporated the northern confederation formed in 1867 and the southern states into a new empire under the Prussian king, Wilhelm I. Austria was excluded. This mattered because Germany became a Prussian-led state rather than a union of every German-speaking territory.
The empire contained 25 constituent states: four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities and three free cities. These included Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg as well as Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck. Alsace-Lorraine, taken from France in 1871, was administered as an imperial territory rather than an ordinary constituent state. Its contested allegiance would make the relationship between national authority and local identity especially sensitive.
Federal state
A state in which authority is divided between a central government and constituent states. Unification need not abolish the separate states' institutions.
Prussia possessed roughly three-fifths of the empire's population and about two-thirds of its territory. Its king became emperor, and its army, officials and political traditions therefore influenced national government disproportionately. Yet Bavaria and the other states retained governments and important responsibilities, particularly in education, religion and local administration. Some southern states also retained special rights. National law, trade, currency and defence increasingly linked Germans together, while federal arrangements reassured rulers who did not wish to disappear into Prussia.
The population was not culturally uniform. Predominantly Protestant northern and eastern areas coexisted with substantial Catholic populations, notably in the south and Rhineland. Polish-speaking communities in eastern Prussia, Danes in the north and inhabitants of Alsace-Lorraine challenged any simple assumption that political unification meant a single shared national identity. A government could increase its administrative reach while provoking opposition over language or religion.
The historical distinction is between national integration and political equality. A larger common state could create a national market and a common citizenship without giving its citizens equal control over government. Likewise, the preservation of state governments limited central uniformity without necessarily producing democracy: most states were monarchies.
Emperor, Chancellor and executive authority
The 1871 constitution gave the King of Prussia the imperial presidency and title of German Emperor. The emperor represented Germany internationally, appointed the Chancellor and commanded the armed forces. His powers were substantial, but operated within a constitution: for example, declaring war normally required the Bundesrat's consent unless Germany was attacked. This was a constitutional monarchy, not a system in which every imperial wish automatically became law. The 1871 constitution is the contemporary legal evidence for these powers.
The Chancellor was the chief political officer of the empire. He chaired the Bundesrat, coordinated government and countersigned imperial acts, assuming responsibility for them. Crucially, the emperor appointed him: a Reichstag election did not select a government, and a parliamentary vote of disapproval did not automatically dismiss him. Otto von Bismarck's simultaneous service as Prussian Minister-President helped him connect Prussia's state power with imperial administration.
These offices created opportunities for personal influence. A Chancellor who enjoyed imperial confidence could negotiate with parties without becoming their parliamentary representative. But dependence on the emperor also created vulnerability. A powerful Chancellor could not treat the throne as irrelevant; his position depended on a working relationship with its occupant. Bismarck's later dismissal by Wilhelm II would reveal that limit.
Army command strengthened the monarchy's position. Military loyalty was directed towards the ruler, while officers possessed access and prestige that elected representatives lacked. Parliament could influence army expenditure, but control of money and control of command were different powers. Where military funding was settled for several years, the Reichstag had fewer opportunities to use the annual budget as leverage over the army.
Ask separately who appoints the government, who passes its legislation and who commands its armed forces. Different institutions could hold each power in imperial Germany.
Continue this lesson.
You’re previewing NovaLearn without an account. Create a free account to read the rest.
Create free account