It was on this day in 1871 that the German states outside Austria came together under the leadership of the Kingdom of Prussia to form the 2nd German Empire. Lasting from 1871 until 1918 it knew only three monarchs; Kaiser Wilhelm I, the short-reigning Kaiser Friedrich III and the controversial Kaiser Wilhelm II. Despite being so short-lived it was actually a pretty well organized realm with the member states retaining a relatively high degree of autonomy. The Kaiserreich had, at the same time, some of the most liberal institutions in Europe as well as one of the most powerful (many would say autocratic) monarchies. For good or ill the unification of Germany was a pivotal event in world history and for all the flaws critics might point to; it can surely be said that the fall of the Kaiserreich was ultimately a disaster for Germany, Europe and the world at large.
So I told my students here in Peking. Have you seen the series 'Fall of Eagles' detailing the empires from 1848-1918? Terrific, with Sir Patrick Stewart as Lenin!
ReplyDeleteDo you have large image of the prussian eagle with black background ?. Am very interested in the german monarchies, been at most places of theirs including Doorn :) And i want to extend my already large image-gallery. And while i have lots of paintings, photos of the rulers, i have no really awsome picture of the eagle of Prussia. Or their Crown for that matter, but that seems impossible to get :) nice youtube anyways.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've seen "Fall of Eagles", one of my favorite BBC series. The actor who played Wilhelm II was really 'spot-on' especially in the later episodes. Didn't know Patrick Stewart had been knighted though, good for him.
ReplyDeleteTo Mr Anonymous, I'm afraid you're too late. I used to have at least two or three really big, very detailed Prussian eagles (as used at different times) but they were on my computer that recently went kaput. I may be able to have it looked at tomorrow but I'm told chances are everything that was on it is gone forever.