Nazi Empire

Since its formation in 1871, Germany has travelled through many different phases, each with its own distinct characteristics. From Germany's inception until 1890, when he was removed as Chancellor, the newly formed nation was under the rule of the militaristic leader Otto von Bismarck. Kaiser Wilhelm II wielded the power after Bismarck was removed in 1890, and worked to make Germany an international colonial power until he abdicated the throne after WWI – effectively ending Germany’s Second Reich. The period after WWI – referred to as the Weimar republic, as the capital moved from Berlin to Weimar – was a period of great instability and change within the German empire. From the ashes of the Weimar republic rose Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, who took power in 1933 and retained it until the end of WWII in 1945. Each of these periods are distinctly unique, but there are also constants throughout this era of German history. Germany, being a large, diverse empire, was constantly fragmented, and the different rulers dealt with unifying Germany very differently. Social Darwinism was a prominent factor in the governments of both the Second Reich and Nazi Germany, but took on different forms and expressions under Bismarck and Hitler’s rules. German forms of colonialism evolved over time and yet still contained many similar key characteristics. While Nazism is its own distinct type of government with many unique features, many of its traits evolved from previous forms of German imperialism.
The state of Germany was created in 1871 after Prussia’s victory in the Franco-Prussian war. As seen in the map, Germany was now made up of various kingdoms, duchies, grand duchies, principalities, hansa cities and imperial territories won through wars. Bismarck, Germany’s first Chancellor, was determined to homogenize his country through conversion and Germanization of all people under his rule. Bismarck is a very military-focused leader, who uses Germany’s strength as a central...