Kaiser Wilhelm I
January 18, 1871, 150 years ago: The member states of the North German Confederation and the south German states, aside from Austria, unite into a single nation-state, known as the German Empire. It would later be retroactively called the Second Reich. (The Holy Roman Empire, of AD 962 to 1806, was the First Reich.)
The Empire is proclaimed not in Germany, but in conquered territory: The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, outside Paris, France.
Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig, King of Prussia, is declared Wilhelm I, Deutscher Kaiser – Emperor of Germany. (Like the Russian term "Czar," the German term "Kaiser” is derived from the ancient Roman term "Caesar." We pronounce it "SEE-zer," but the Romans pronounced it "KIGH-zer.") The Constitution of the German Confederation comes into effect, abolishing all restrictions on Jewish marriage, choice of occupation, place of residence, and property ownership.
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg, was proclaimed the 1st Chancellor of Germany. "The Iron Chancellor" would serve for 19 years, outlasting Kaiser Wilhelm I and his son Kaiser Friedrich I, before being dismissed by Friedrich's son, Kaiser Wilhelm II. Thanks to the ambitions and incompetence of Wilhelm II, the Empire ended after only 48 years.
France replaced its Second Empire with its Third Republic. That would be ended in 1940, by Germany's Third Reich.
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