German Empire (Resurgence)

Germany, officially known as the is a country located in western central Europe. Germany is the most populous nation in Europe. 
== History ==
=== Background ===
=== Unification of Germany ===
=== Second Franco-German War ===
On August 1st, 1914, the German Empire was drawn into what would be known as the First Great War, through a complicated web of diplomatic relations between Germany and her allies. Beginning with the invasion of Serbia by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the conflict eventually culminated in a war between the German Empire, Bulgaria, and Austria-Hungary against France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Serbia, Belgium, Luxembourg and Montenegro. Serbia and Montenegro were both quickly overrun by Austrian and Bulgarian forces, while Belgium and Luxembourg were both swiftly occupied by German forces. By November, German forces had already reached the outskirts of Paris, in an approach known as the Schlieffen Plan, causing France to begin suing for peace talks, in a situation very similar to the Franco-Prussian war which had occurred decades earlier. The peace imposed by Germany was light, with the only losses of mainland French territory being that of most of the Belfort department in France and the northern, coal-rich half of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department. The entire nation of Luxembourg was integrated into the German Empire as a constituent state. In Africa, French Equatorial Africa and the Belgian Congo were both annexed by Germany. Despite the quick victory on the Western Front, the Eastern Front was still well underway, with significant progress being made by both Germany and Austria. Only 2 years following the declaration of war, Russia too sued for peace, facing significant civil strife. The terms of peace were more severe, with two new kingdoms under strong German influence being created in the western territories of Russia, those being Lithuania and Poland. The Russian region of Courland was also integrated into the German Empire as the constituent Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. Following the peace, Germany would enact a number of measures now known as the Polish Genocide in the eastern territories of Prussia, with hundreds of thousands of ethnic Poles and Jews in Germany being forcefully deported to the newly created Kingdom of Poland, as well as nearly the entire population of Lithuanians in East Prussia. 
Following Germany’s victory in the Second Franco-German War and the Russo-German War, Germany’s colonial empire had grown from a number of small, unprofitable colonies to one of the largest colonial empires in the world. With the annexation of the massive Belgian Congo and French Equatorial Africa, the German concept of “Mittelafrika” had in part been fulfilled. The German Empire at its peak contained the colonies of Togoland, Kamerun, Gabun, Kongo, Tanganyika, Namibia, the northeastern quarter of New Guinea, numerous large islands in Melanesia, almost the entirety of Micronesia, and the treaty port of Qingdao. Germany also exerted economic influence in Europe, with countries like the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, Italy, and her puppet states of Poland and Lithuania all being significant German trade partners. Attempts at rapprochement with the former Entente were also made, although the only relations to return to a somewhat neutral level were those with Britain, though these were still tumultuous. Following the collapse of the Russian Empire, numerous newly independent nations such as Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Finland, the Don Republic, the Kuban Republic, and Georgia were all drawn into the German sphere of economic influence. 
=== Modern ===
A process of democratic reforms slowly took place following the death of Wilhelm II and the ascension of his son, Wilhelm III. Despite the fact that Wilhelm III himself was a staunch monarchist and conservative, some minor reforms took place, to the dismay and reluctance of the Kaiser. Only in 1951 following the ascension of Kaiser Ludwig Ferdinand did more sweeping democratic reforms truly take place. During Ludwig I’s lengthy reign as Kaiser of Germany, Germany transformed into a constitutional monarchy, and went through the process of decolonization under the pressure of the international community. In 1957, the imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine officially became a duchy of the German Empire. In 1973, Germany acknowledged the actions of the Polish mass deportations of the 1910s and 1920s, and offered compensation to any victims of the deportations who were still alive. 
== Monarchs ==
Name 	House 	Began 	Ended
Wilhelm I 	Hohenzollern	1 January 1871 	9 March 1888
Friedrich III	Hohenzollern	9 March 1888 	15 June 1888
Wilhelm II 	Hohenzollern	15 June 1888 	4 June 1941
Wilhelm III 	Hohenzollern	5 June 1941 	20 July 1951
Ludwig I 	Hohenzollern	20 July 1951 	26 September 1994
Friedrich IV 	Hohenzollern	26 September 1994	N/A
== Constituent States ==
=== Kingdoms ===
* Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia is a kingdom within the German Empire. The capital of Prussia is Berlin, and the current King of Prussia is Friedrich IV of Prussia. Prussia was the founding constituent of the German Empire, and is the largest and most populous of all the constituent states of the German Empire.
* Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria is a kingdom within the German Empire. The capital of Bavaria is Munich, and the current King of Bavaria is Franz I of Bavaria.
* Kingdom of Denmark
The Kingdom of Denmark is an autonomous kingdom within the German Empire. Although by law it is a constituent state of the German Empire, de facto, it operates almost completely separately from Germany. The duchies of Holstein, Schleswig, and Saxe-Lauenburg are all within the Danish realm. The capital of Denmark is Copenhagen, and the current Queen of Denmark is Margrethe II of Denmark. The Kingdom of Denmark was admitted as an autonomous constituent state of Germany in 1864 as a compromise between the German Kaiser Wilhelm I and the Danish King Christian IX, despite its early unpopularity with the Danish people. With this acquisition came the annexation of Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the Danish West Indies, although only the Danish West Indies are still owned by the Danish and German crowns today, due to the sale of Greenland to the United States, and the secession of Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Due to the agreement in 1864, Denmark has remained ethnically Danish despite its inclusion in the German Empire, and to this day the Danish-controlled duchies to the south have large Danish populations, with Schleswig having a majority Danish population. 
* Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony is a kingdom within the German Empire. The capital of Saxony is Dresden, and the current King of Saxony is Alexander of Saxony.
* Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg is a kingdom within the German Empire. The capital of Württemberg is Stuttgart, and the current King of Württemberg is Wilhelm III. 
=== Grand Duchies ===
* Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden is a grand duchy within the German Empire. The capital of Baden is Karlsruhe, and the current Grand Duke of Baden is Bernhard of Baden.
* Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse is a grand duchy within the German Empire. The capital of Hesse is Karlsruhe, and the current Grand Duke of Baden is Heinrich of Hesse.
* Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
The Grand Duchy of Hesse is a grand duchy within the German Empire, which was integrated into the German Empire following the Second Franco-German War of 1914, The capital of Luxembourg is Luxemburg City. and the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg is Henri of Luxembourg.
* Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg
The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg is a grand duchy within the German Empire. The capital of Mecklenburg is Schwerin, and the current Grand Duke of Mecklenburg is George of Mecklenburg. The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg was formed in 1946 after the union of the Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
* Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg is a grand duchy within the German Empire. The capital of Oldenburg is Oldenburg.
* Grand Duchy of Saxony
The Grand Duchy of Saxony, formerly known as the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, is a grand duchy within the German Empire. The capital of the Grand Duchy of Saxony is Weimar. 
=== Duchies ===
* Duchy of Anhalt
The Duchy of Anhalt is a duchy within the German Empire. The capital of Anhalt is Dessau.
* Duchy of Alsace
The Duchy of Alsace is a duchy within the German Empire. The capital of Alsace is Straßburg.
* Duchy of Brunswick
The Duchy of Brunswick is a duchy within the German Empire. The capital of Brunswick is Braunschweig.
* Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia is a duchy within the German Empire. The capital of Courland and Semigallia is Libau.
* Duchy of Holstein
The Duchy of Holstein is a duchy within the Kingdom of Denmark, within the German Empire. The capital of Holstein is Køl.
* Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg
The Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg is a duchy within the German Empire. The capital of Saxe-Altenburg is Altenburg.
* Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
The Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is a duchy within the German Empire. The capitals of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha are Gotha in the North and Coburg in the south. 
* Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen
The Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen is a duchy within the German Empire. The capital of Saxe-Meiningen is Meiningen.
* Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg
The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg is a duchy within the Kingdom of Denmark, within the German Empire. The capital of Saxe-Altenburg is Rotteborg.
* Duchy of Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig is a duchy within the Kingdom of Denmark, within the German Empire. The capital of Schleswig is Flensborg.
=== Principalities ===
* Principality of Lippe
The Principality of Lippe is a principality within the German Empire. The capital of Lippe is Detmold.
* Principality of Reuss
The Principality of Reuss is a principality within the German Empire. The capital of Reuss is Greiz.
* Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe
The Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe is a principality within the German Empire. The capital of Schaumburg-Lippe is Bückeburg
* Principality of Schwarzburg
The Principality of Schwarzburg is a principality within the German Empire. The capital of Schwarzburg is Rudolstadt
* Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont
The Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont is a principality within the German Empire. The capital of Waldeck and Pyrmont is Arolsen.
=== Free and Hanseatic Cities ===
* Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is a free and Hanseatic city within the German Empire.
* Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg
The Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg is a free and Hanseatic city within the German Empire.
* Free Hanseatic City of Lübeck
The Free Hanseatic City of Lübeck is a free and Hanseatic city within the German Empire.
=== Colonies ===
* Danish West Indies
The Danish West Indies are a colony of the Kingdom of Denmark within the German Empire. The capital of the Danish West Indies is Christiansted.
== Demographics ==
Germany has a population of 110,269,755, making it by far the largest country in Europe in terms of population.
As of 2023 estimates based on the 2020 German census, 84% of the population of the German Empire identifies as German, while the second largest ethnic group is Danish, with 6.6% of those within the German Empire, almost all of which within the Kingdom of Denmark or the duchies of Schleswig or Holstein, identifying as ethnically Danish. 1.2% of the German population is ethnically Polish, largely consisting of small populations in eastern Prussia and immigrants in Germany’s larger cities. While the Latvian population of Germany is only 0.2%, over 75% of the region of Semigallia identifies as ethnically Latvian, while 1/3 of the Courland region is Latvian. The remaining 8% of Germany’s population largely consists of minority groups and immigrants, some of the most prevalent of which being Kashubians, Sorbs, French, Frisians, Arabs, Russians, Turks, Roma, Armenians, Chinese, and Africans. 
The largest city in Germany is Berlin, followed by Munich, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Dresden. 
Religiously, Germany is split between the heavily Protestant north and the Catholic south, with the most prominent Protestant denominations being that of Calvinism and Lutheranism. 79% of Germans identify as Christian, with 48.06% identifying as Protestant, and 30.76% identifying as Catholic. A small minority of Germans and Latvians in Courland are Russian Orthodox, though Courland is a predominantly Lutheran region of Germany. 
Category:Monarchies
Category:Constitutional Monarchies
Category:Resurgence