It existed for such a relatively short time period - only 47 years (1871 - 1918) - but it's gathered such a glorification around it despite not really doing much of note after their formation. They fought no wars and achieved no great conquests in the period between the Franco-Prussian War and the First World War, and the first war they fought as a unified empire destroyed them utterly. Similarly to the Kingdom of Italy (which existed for about 80 years, so a bit longer) there was so much "hype" and build-up for their unification, but then when it finally happened everything afterwards was kind of underwhelming and didn't have much of a lasting impact compared to their successor states.
tl;dr: I wish the German Empire stuck around longer and survived past the First World War so it could have the chance to do more things and achieve more things to leave more of a lasting legacy.
They achieved large gains in industrialisation and welfare, but for some reason never saw the same level of cultural influence as Austria-Hungary.
Carter Perez
I guess since so much of the culture of the German Empire was based on the Prussian warrior ethos it wasn't as accessible or appealing to other places than the German heartland.
Elijah Reyes
>but for some reason never saw the same level of cultural influence as Austria-Hungary. What is that supposed to mean? How did you measure that?
Parker Ross
They were an industrial powerhouse only rivaled by an emerging USA in the latter years. People like Krupp put Carnegie and co. To shame in terms of industrial efficiency and output. Its colonies were horribly located. Togo = Shit. Namibia = Desert garbage. Papua/Samoa offered almost nothing. Tanzania was prob their best. Tsingtao wasnt bad either. It took til 1933 for a german state to really have a pervasive worldwide influence and even that was a negative one.
Thomas Diaz
Do you think it was a case of them just unifying too late in history to have a lasting impact? Like, for example, if they unified instead in the late 18th or early 19th century do you think they would have remained far more dominant?
Jack Hughes
yes, the g*rmanic "empire" wasted the potential of EVROPA and beyond, they sent millions to their deaths, created and spread communism and their wars weakened Europe leading to disorderly decolonization and most of the problems in the undeveloped world today
Lincoln Richardson
It took far too long to form imo. I hate the HRE with all my heart because it was such a roadblock on the road towards complete German unification. Nations like France and Great Britain had already solidified for hundreds of years and had plenty of time to bring their nation honor and renown. Germany never had that time. RIP my darling child 1871-1918. We will never forget you
Zachary Ward
>evropa you must be lost, the LARP fest is over at
Ayden Butler
>It took til 1933 for a german state to really have a pervasive worldwide influence and even that was a negative one. How did Hitler's Germany in 1933 have greater worldwide influence than the literal German Empire with its colonies and naval bases across the world that could go and bully China?
Gavin Butler
>you dare criticize g*rman crimes? >you belong in a board of g*rmany apologetics! ?
Lucas Bennett
Austria-Hungary had Freud, Rilke, Mahler, Klimt, Kafka, Adolf Loos, Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Georg Trakl, and Karl Kraus in a couple of decades. Germany produced some of the expressionists but it wasn't until the Weimar Republic that things really got going.
Jason Clark
Yeah big influence in their day was all about empire. And they got in too late for any really meaningful or worthwhile colonies. Imagine if they had india. Or had Spain's colonies in the 1700s or even Portugal's with brazil and indian ports. They would've put the british and french to shame economically. The habsburgs just got in the game early before the days of big time imperialism and esp. Put austria in a position of influence when they put one on the spanish throne when it was top dog in the world and got the crowns of bohemia/hungary on top of austria a little before that.
Joshua Powell
His influence was in his character, his unpredictability and readiness to go to extremes for his nation. Old Willy 2 may have had more land but he didn't have the worlds respect. When he talked, maybe a few neighbors would listen. When Hitler talked, the world listened. That's real influence.
Brody Ward
Anyone who says Evropa instead of Europe belongs to rot with the rest of the filth on this site.
Caleb Evans
Political philosophy and propaganda, fascism wasnt german by design. But they sure as hell created that fascist bloc. Helped Overthrow a govt in spain pre ww2. Created puppet states in eastern europe. Even had a lot of sympathizers in the US and UK. Hitler's Germany comes to mind before the Empire for most bc of recency to some extent but more so because of propaganda. Think about it, their propaganda was so good that its still, albeit minimally pervasive today in neo-nazis/white nationalists. Imperial germany doesnt have that legacy pf influence.
Joseph Green
>Think about it, their propaganda was so good that its still, albeit minimally pervasive today in neo-nazis/white nationalists perhaps it is wherever you're from but it isn't in europe. there are far more imperialists jerking themselves off to a new german empire than there are national socialists dreaming of a successor to hitler.
Ayden Jenkins
>there are far more imperialists jerking themselves off to a new german empire than there are national socialists dreaming of a successor to hitler doubt it, unless you're talking about EU4 pros
Oliver Sanchez
>doubt it doubt it all you want yank, makes no difference
Logan Williams
nietzsche, thomas mann, wagner, albert einstein, huge amount of other scientists
Ryan Robinson
I am from Europe and you can find neonazis in every city in every country here
as for "imperialists jerking themselves off to a new german empire", i honestly doubt even in germany itself there are many people who care, but outside germany you can be SURE there arent any
Easton Foster
i live in the netherlands and in every single bar you find guys with the imperial standard tattooed on their arms. ask them about it and they'll say they're for a unification with germany on racial grounds and a reestablishment of the empire. i see scores of the same exact guys in german bars and cities, same tattoos, same goals.
Angel Davis
interesting
by "racial grounds" do they mean the whole "nordic-aryan" type stuff or do they mean their common germanic roots?
pretty funny i actually spoke to dutch guys once, i said to them "every single dutch person i have met is blonde", they said "yes, we send everyone who is not blonde to germany" kek
Benjamin Gutierrez
>Prussia, the most slavic of all german states ends up forming Germany really makes you think, doesn't it user?
Maybe on Veeky Forums but really not in the rest of the world to normal people. Fascism , made popular by Hitler's germany, is pervasive in the far right of modern politics even though its not as big of a force as socialism or neoliberalism in general in democracies. Might only draw small amounts of votes in europran democracies but imperialism and restoration of absolute monarchies in general are pretty much dead in modern politics by comparison.
Colton Baker
common germanic roots. the imperialists want a united germannic empire that encompasses flanders, netherlands, switzerland, austria and germany. i think the proper term is pan-germanic?
and yes, we do send all non-blondes to germany. that's where rejects of all kinds go.
Kevin Rogers
read perhaps they are not incredibly well known now but they have a definite presence and it is growing.
Dominic Barnes
That's pretty interesting actually. Didn't know that. Wonder if the dutch could ever pull it off.
Jace Lee
of course we could potentially, we are the strongest nation in europe. the question is not can we do it, but do we want to invite the lesser germanics into our nation?
Ethan Robinson
I've heard Tanganykia was actually a very valuable colony and Germany also created Tsingtao beer in the Tsingtao colony
Daniel Kelly
Why does that shape makes me feel good? even, my potato drew a german empire while it cooked in the bbq
>The most slavic of german states ends up forming the worst germany Seems about right.
Luke Nelson
Wtf which bars do you visit? Complete bullshit
Matthew Morris
1. It had a huge military and great scientists 2. It created much of germany 3. It spread the modern education system.
I just think ww1 was bad, but that not original lol. Imagine the world without it, the youth and wealth we would keep would be staggering.
Blake Flores
It was a unifying power for those peoples, certainly. That prospect threatened the other powers though, so it had to be undone at any price, and subversion of their principles.
Caleb Hughes
Fucking lol, maps make me feel good to. Maybe youll like this
We don't see anyone as Dutch except for the Flemish who talk in a funny way, stretch it out maybe the Afrikaners too but they seem so alienated nowadays.
To us Anglos are just Anglos are every German a kankermof.
