GERMAN WAR.) The German Empire.—During the war public opinion throughout Germany had loudly demanded that one result of the war should be a permanent union of northern and southern Germany. Bismarck laid great stress upon the necessity of the Southern States seeking admission to the Confederation of their own volition. It might otherwise be said that Prussia had seized the opportunity afforded her by the trustfulness of these States in placing their troops under her command, to compel them to make unwelcome decisions. Ultimately, under pressure from pub lic opinion in Bavaria, and acting on the pressing advice of the rulers of Saxony and Baden, the Bavarian Government deter mined to initiate a discussion upon the new organization of Ger many. The conference met in Munich (Sept. 22 to 27, 187o), and Bismarck was represented by the president of the federal chancellory, Rudolph Delbriick. The conference was composed solely of representatives of Prussia, Bavaria and Wurttemberg. Complete unity was still not effected because the Bavarian minister, Count Bray, firmly maintained that the conference was not competent to deal with the entry of the South German States into the North German Confederation but had only to consider a new treaty of confederation, and moreover, he de manded far-reaching privileges for Bavaria.
Nevertheless the existing difficulties seemed capable of solution, and Bismarck therefore induced the grand-duke of Baden to effect the inclusion of his State in the North German Confedera tion and to send the minister for war, von Suckow, to Versailles for this purpose. Thereupon Bavaria and Wurttemberg also felt obliged to send representatives. On Oct. 25, began the final ne gotiations which were carried on with each of the South German States separately. In return for an assurance on the part of Bis marck that he was prepared to concede at least some of her special desires, Bavaria withdrew her opposition to entry into the North German Confederation, and by the end of November treaties had been concluded with all the South German States. Bavaria and Wurttemberg retained their own postal and telegraph services and the right to levy their own taxes on beer and brandy. Bavaria was further conceded the right to independent control of her army in time of peace; her troops were only to be placed under the command of the federal commander-in-chief in time of war. Further the Bavarian ambassadors were to have the right to represent the ambassadors of the Confederation should occa sion arise. Finally a diplomatic committee of the Bundesrat was established under Bavarian chairmanship which was to give its opinion concerning important questions of foreign policy.
Even during these negotiations there arose the idea that it might perhaps be possible to renew the old German imperial dignity in connection with the re-establishment of a national German State. Lest this question should first be raised by anyone else, King Ludwig II. of Bavaria determined to take the initiative, and he addressed a letter to King William in which he invited him to accept the imperial title. The letter was drafted by Bismarck at Ludwig's own desire. When the remaining German rulers pro claimed their agreement, with the request contained in the letter, and when the North German Reichstag despatched a special deputation to lay a similar request before him, the king decided to comply with the general wish although he personally was averse to seeing the Prussian royal title thus subordinated to the imperial dignity. But it was only after the acceptance of the Treaty of Versailles by the North German Reichstag and the South German Landtags that the idea could be put into execution. On Jan. 18, 1871, the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles beheld the ceremonial proclamation of William I. as German emperor.
In accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles the Constitution had to be remodelled to include the alterations necessitated by the transformation of the German Confederation into the German Reich and the president of the Confederation into the German emperor. In its new form the Constitution was laid before the Reichstag which had been elected by the whole population of the new Reich. The Constitution was almost unanimously adopted on April 14, 1871. The new Reich was com posed of 25 States, the four kingdoms of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg; five grand-duchies; 13 duchies and principali ties; and the three free cities of Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck. Alsace-Lorraine was to be the common property of all the Ger man States. It was designated a "Reichsland" and was given an imperial Statthalter. The main principles of the constitution followed that of the North German Confederation of 1867 ; the special rights of the South German States were embodied ; and it was clearly laid down that they could not be annulled without their consent.
Thus the aim of the small German party in the Frankfurt par liament was finally attained. Germany once more possessed a common political organization, such as she had not in fact en joyed since the Peace of Westphalia, although the old constitu tional forms had nominally existed until 18o6. But this unifica tion of the greater part of the German peoples was purchased at the cost of the exclusion of German Austria. As long as the Habsburg empire existed, and as long as its German inhabitants felt that they owed allegiance primarily to this State, no other scheme for unification of Germany was possible.