1871–1918
The German Empire (1871-1918): A Complete Guide to the Second Reich
Follow the German Empire from unification in 1871 through industrial growth, colonial rule, the First World War and the monarchy ending in 1918.
Explore this periodHistorical periods of Germany
Explore the historical periods in this collection, then use each record to find related people, places, culture, and events. Date ranges are shown only where the underlying record provides them.
1618–1648
Thirty Years’ War
See how a conflict within the Holy Roman Empire widened across Europe, devastated German lands and ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
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German Reunification
Follow the opening of the Berlin Wall, the negotiations that followed and East Germany joining the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990.
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1918–1933
Weimar Republic
Understand the Weimar Republic through its democratic constitution, political crises and cultural life, from the 1918 revolution to 1933.
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800–1806
Holy Roman Empire
Learn how the Holy Roman Empire governed its many territories, why its rulers needed negotiation and what its cities still reveal today.
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1919–1933
Bauhaus Movement
Follow the Bauhaus from its founding in Weimar through Dessau and Berlin, and see how its workshops changed design and architecture.
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German Revolution
Follow the sailors, workers and political leaders whose 1918–1919 revolution ended the German monarchy and opened the Weimar era.
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The Holocaust
Understand Nazi persecution and the murder of six million European Jews, with context on other victims and the work of remembrance in Germany.
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