Difference between revisions of "German Empire"

Revision as of 19:22, 24 October 2006

German Empire

Flag of German Empire
Motto: "Durch blut und eisen"
[1], [2]
Region	The West Pacific
Capital	Berlin
Official Language(s)	German
Leader	Kaiser Fredrik IV
Population	72,000,000
Currency	mark
NS Sunset XML

Introduction:

The German Empire (German: Neuem Deutsches Kaiserreich) is the name conventionally given in English to the German state from the time of the proclamation of Wilhelm I of Prussia as German Emperor (January 18, 1871) to the present day, under Emperor Fredrik IV of Bavaria. The phrase Second Reich is also sometimes applied to this state in English. The Empire stretches from German New Guinea (German: Deutsch-Neuguinea) in the south Pacific to the fatherland in Central Europe. The state has been ruled constantly since 1817 by an Emperor, or Kaiser.

History:

It begins with the birth of the nation from Ancient Roman times from the 8th century, when the Merovingian kings of Gaul conquered several German tribes in the sixth century, and placed them under the control of autonomous dukes of mixed Frankish and native blood. Colonists from Gaul were encouraged to move to the newly conquered territories. While the German tribes were allowed to preserve their laws, they were pressured into changing their religion. In 751 Pippin III, mayor of the palace under the Merovingian king, himself assumed the title of king and was anointed by the Church.

The Frankish kings now set up as protectors of the Pope, Charlemagne launched a decades-long military campaign against their heathen rivals, the Saxons and the Avars. The Saxons and Avars were eventually overwhelmed and forcibly converted, and their lands were annexed by the Carolingian Empire. From 772 to 814 King Charlemagne extended the Carolingian empire into northern Italy and the territories of all West Germanic peoples, including the Saxons and the Bajuwari (Bavarians). In 800 Charlemagne's authority in Western Europe was confirmed by his coronation as emperor in Rome. The Holy Roman Empire was established. The Frankish empire was divided into counties, and its frontiers were protected by border Marches. Imperial strongholds (Kaiserpfalzen) became economic and cultural centers (Aachen being the most famous). The Holy Roman Empire ruled central Europe until 1806. At its largest extent, the territory of this empire included what today is Germany, Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, western Poland, the Low Countries, eastern France, Switzerland and all of northern Italy. After the mid 15th century, it was known as the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation".

After the fall of Napoleon, European monarchs and statesmen convened in the Vienna in 1814 for the reorganization of European affairs, under the leadership of the Austrian Prince Metternich. On the territory of the former "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation", the German Confederation (Deutscher Bund) was founded, a loose union of 39 states (35 ruling princes and 4 free cities) under Austrian leadership, with a Federal Diet (Bundestag) meeting in Frankfurt am Main. In 1867 the German Confederation was dissolved. In its place the North German Confederation (German Norddeutscher Bund) was established, under the leadership of Prussia. Austria was excluded, and would remain outside German affairs for most of the remaining 19th and the 20th centuries. The North German Confederation was a transitory group that existed from 1867 to 1871, between the dissolution of the German Confederation and the founding of the German Empire. With it, Prussia established control over the 22 states of northern Germany and, via the Zollverein, southern Germany.

Differences between France and Prussia over the possible accession to the Spanish throne of a German candidate - whom France opposed - was the French pretext to declare the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). Due to their defensive treaties, joint southern-German and Prussian troops, under the command of Moltke, repelled French troops and invaded France in August 1870. After few weeks, the French army was finally forced to capitulate in the fortress of Sedan. French Emperor Napoleon III was taken prisoner and the Second French Empire collapsed. Yet, the new republic decided to prolong the war for several months. Months after the Siege of Paris was lifted, the Peace Treaty of Frankfurt am Main was signed: France was obliged to return Alsace and the German-speaking part of Lorraine to Germany. The loss of formerly conquered territories was not accepted by French nationalism, and used for creating an obstacle to Franco-German understanding.

On 18 January 1871, while the princes were assembled for the ongoing Siege of Paris, in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles, the Prussian King Wilhelm I had been proclaimed "German Emperor". The German Empire was founded, with 25 states, three of which were Hanseatic free cities.

This is the Empire that rules today, still living beneath the office of the German Emperor, however now the Empire has expanded, there are today 35 states, ten of which are colonial possessions captured during periods of expansion. They are fully integrated territories within the Empire, and all men of voting age are allowed to do so.

Government and Politics:

The German Empire is ruled by an Emperor, whose succession is turned over to his eldest living son. The current Crownprince for Emperor Fredrik IV is his eldest son, Leopold of Bavaria, who is currently serving as Chief of Staff of the Imperial Navy Far Eastern Fleet. He enjoys a good relationship with his father, and with the people he will one day rule.

The Kings, Dukes, and Princes of the various states in the Empire did hold considerable political sway with the Emperor and indeed administrative power themselves in their own states. Most of these ruling families are related in some way, and relations with the others are smooth and friendly. Some families, however, are not so content with their position, and because of their freedom within German law, constantly play off other groups within the country in desperate grabs for increased power. These are hardly ever violent, let alone successful. The families in power have been that way for so long, they are quite adept at holding onto their positions.

Powerful multi-national corporations do exist in Germany, but they are rare. Capitalism is the practiced form of economy, but these companies hold very, very little influence. Bribes to public officials are rare as well, as all officials with any real power are usually members of a ruling family, and so have nearly everything it is they need. People independent of a powerful family rarely move very high up in the ranks of the government.

Economy:

The Economy of the Empire is a large and quite powerful establishment. Businesses tend to be smaller, local enterprises, as the larger corporations tend to be regulated by the government heavily, to limit their power. Despite the limitations though, there are a handful of so-called mega corporations. It is these that dominate the industries, lording over the many smaller businesses, constantly maneuvering among them, purchasing and selling to gain advantages over the others. Of the few larger corporations, at least two are openly run by members of powerful families, the Franz family of Saxony, and the Mann family of Lippe.

Culture:

Germany's contributions to the world's cultural heritage are numerous, and the country is often known as das Land der Dichter und Denker (the land of poets and thinkers). German literature can be traced back to the Middle Ages, in particular to such authors as Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach, considered some of the most important poets of medieval Europe. The fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are world famous and the Nibelungenlied, whose author is not known, is also a major contribution to German literature. Theologian Luther, who translated the Bible into German, is widely credited for having set the basis for modern "High German" language. The most admired German poets and authors are without doubt Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist and Hoffmann. Other poets include Friedrich Hölderlin, Heinrich Heine, Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, Theodor Fontane, Rainer Maria Rilke and authors of the 20th century include Nobel Prize winners Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, Heinrich Böll, and Günter Grass. Other famous authors are Brecht and Schmidt. Germany's influence on world philosophy was significant as well, as exemplified by Magnus, Leibniz, Kant, Herder, Mendelssohn, Novalis, Fichte, Hegel, Marx, Engels, Feuerbach, Schopenhauer, Schweitzer, Nietzsche, Husserl, Hartmann, Jaspers, Luxemburg, Heidegger, Arendt, Steiner, Gadamer, and Habermas. In the field of sociology influential German thinkers were Tönnies, Simmel, Weber, Horkheimer, Adorno, and Luhmann. Many historical figures, though not citizens of Germany in the modern sense, were important and influential figures in German culture, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka,and Stefan Zweig.

Religion:

Germany is the home of the Reformation launched by Martin Luther in the early 16th century. Today, Protestants (particularly in the north and east) comprise about 33% of the population and Catholics (particularly in the south and west) also 33%. The current pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, is German. The third largest religious identity in Germany is that of non-religious people (including atheists and agnostics), who amount to a total of 28.5% of the population.

Approximately 500,000 Muslims (predominantly from Turkey and the former Yugoslavia) live in Germany. Most are Sunnis and Alevites from Turkey but there is a small number of Shiites. Judaism is also common in Germany, the latest estimates suggest that over seven hundred thousand people in Germany are practicing Jews. Most are of Eastern European decent.

Religion abroad is primarily Christian Catholic, although local beliefs still exist, particularly in the deeper regions of the African colonies, or in New Guinea.

Military:

The German Army, or Heer, in German, is an extremely efficient force. Its structure includes a universal mass conscription policy from for short-term military service followed by a longer period in reserves. Healthy men who were born in the Empire can be conscripted as early as seventeen, and then serve for three years before being able to volunteer for additional service. The German Army places a great emphasis on high quality training and maintains a large number of experienced senior officers.

Planning and operational control is conducted by the General Staff. The Kaiser is the official Commander-in-Chief, but the Army chief of staff, Freidrik von Mommsen is the effective leader in the field. The Army is organized into four Armies, the American Army, the European Army, the African Army, and the Asian Army. Each commands all ground operations in their areas of operation.

The German Army currently is comprised of four divisions of roughly ten-thousand men each, including armored support and mechanized elements. In addition to this, for every one man in the field, there are six men behind him, serving in logistical positions. Supporting the well-trained and professional army is a reserve force made up of army veterans. This force can contain anywhere from seven hundred thousand to one million combat troops. They are well armed, but have no dedicated armored vehicle support, and exist only as a light infantry force. The Army command is centralized in Hanover. The name for the reserve force in Germany's colonies abroad is the Schutztruppe. It is made up of the same kind of army veterans, and sometimes includes local men who would normally not be allowed to join the military.

Until the late 1990s Germany relied on his large German Army for defense. However, in 1997, Germany's new head of the Imperial German Navy, Admiral James von Tirpitz, a descendant of the legendary Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, advised the Kaiser Fredrik IV that the country needed a large modern navy. Before that, the navy had consisted only of nineteen fifties era support ships and a single out-dated battlecruiser. This new Tirpitz, like his legendary ancestor, argued that this new navy would help protect Germany's growing overseas empire and its northern coastline from enemy attack. In 1999 the German Navy Laws once again authorized the massive expansion of the country's navy.

By 2006 the German Navy had expanded more than four-fold. This included 7 modern dreadnoughts, 5 aircraft carriers, 8 battlecruisers, 35 cruisers, sixty escorts, and 20 battleships. Germany also has 40 nuclear-powered submarines (with 10 more under construction). The Kaisers navy was growing to become a major world player. The German Navy is divided into three different fleets, the North Sea Fleet, based in Stettin, the Atlantic Fleet, based in Luderitz in the state of South-West Africa (German: Deutsch-Sudwestafrika), and the Far Eastern Fleet, commanded by the Crownprince Leopold, based out of the German-Chinese city of Tsingtao. German Naval Headquarters is located in Stettin, alongside the command of the North Sea Fleet.

The German Air Force, or Luftwaffe, is a large and well-funded organization. Germany has always maintained a large and powerful air force, and the Empire under Kaiser Fredrik IV is no different. The current commander of the Luftwaffe is General Erich von Ritter, under him serve the commanders of the Fighter Arm and the Bomber Arm, General Arnold Comes and General Oberst Knoblauch, respectively. Between them they command over five-thousand aircraft, including large transport aircraft, who answer to General Knoblauch of the Bomber Arm. All helicopter aviation is handled by the German Army Air Services. The Luftwaffe’s primary command center is in the city of Hamburg.

There are four fleets established under each of the two Aviation Arms of the Luftwaffe, each will operate in a single theater of operations in the Empire. There is the South American Air Fleet, the Central European Air Fleet, the South African Air Fleet, and the East Asian Air Fleet. Each has its own command center from which all theater air operations are commanded.