 德意志帝国 The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871 to 1918, when it became a German republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of Wilhelm II (28 November 1918).
The term Second Reich is sometimes applied to the period from 1871 to 1918 although, after the collapse of Hitler's Third Reich, the term has generally fallen out of popularity. During its 47 years of existence, the German Empire emerged as one of the most powerful industrial economies in the world and a formidable great power, until it collapsed following its military defeat in World War I and the concurrent November Revolution. The most important bordering states were the Russian Empire in the east, France in the west, and Austria-Hungary in the south.
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