Late Germanic late Germanic confederation was established by an act of the congress of Vienna in 1815, on the overthrow of Napoleon. It was an indissoluble union, from which no single state could at its own own pleasure retire. Its central point and its executive and. legislative powers were represented by the federative diet, which held its meetings at Frankfurt-on-the-Main, and was composed of delegates from all the confederate states chosen, not by the people, but by the various govern ments. The diet deliberated either in a limited council (the federative government) or as a general assembly (plenum). In the limited council there were 17 votes, of which 11 of the principal states had each a single vote, while the remaining states divided the six collective votes betwcen them. The plenum, which met only when any organic change was to be effected in the diet itself, embraced 70 votes, of which Austria and the five German kingdoms had each four, while the other states had 3, 2, or 1 vote each, in pro portion to their individual importance. It rested with the limited council, which executed the enactments of the plenum and dispatched the ordinary business of the confederation, to decide (by a majority of voices) whether a question should be sub mitted to the plenum, where it was not debated, but simply decided by a majority of ayes or noes. Austria presided in both assemblies, and had a casting voice in cases of equality. The diet, as a collective body, had the right of concluding peace and alliances, and declaring war; but this power could only be exercised for the maintenance of the independence and external security of Gernvny, and the individual integrity of the several federative states, which on their part were bound to submit to the diet the con sideration of all questions in dispute between themselves and other powers. Where such differences could not be settled by the committee empowered by the plenum to consider them, they were finally referred to a special tribunal known as the 'Austrtigal ' court, which was composed of several members of the confederation invested for the time with full powers. For a full account of the proceedings which broke np this bond, and of the North German confederation which practically too its place, from 1866 to 1871, see article GERMANY.
New Germanic empire.—The seventy-ninth article of the constitution of the North German confederation provided for the admission of the South German states into the new bund; and the war between France and Germany, which broke out in July, 1870, and in which all the German princes and the peoples took part, gave an irresistible impetus to the desire for national unity. On Nov. 15, 1870, the grand-duchies of Baden and Hesse joined the bond; Bavaria followed on the 23d, and Wurtemberg on the 25th of the same month. Shortly after, the king of Bavaria wrote a letter To the king of Prussia, urging him to re-establish the German empire. This brought the question under the notice of the bund; and on Dec. 10, 1870, it was agreed, by 188 votes to 6, that the empire should be restored, and that the king of Prussia should be acknowledged hereditary emperor of Germany. The latter solemnly accepted the new dignity at Versailles, Jan. 18, 1871.
The new empire is composed, like the old bund, of a confederation of German but these are welded into one, for national purposes, as was never before the case; and the imperial power, by the terms of the constitution, is so fully asserted, that it cannot possibly be assailed or questioned from within. There are two legislative bodies in the
empire—the bundesrath, or federal council, the members of which are annually appointed by the governments of the various states; and the reichstag, the members of which are elected by universal suffrage and ballot for a period of three years. All imperial laws must receive the votes of an absolute majority of both bodies, and, to be valid, must, in addition, have the assent of the emperor, and be countersigned when promulgated by the reichskanzler, or chancellor of the empire, who is, ex-officio, president of the bundes rath.
According to the eleventh article of the constitution, the German emperor. with the consent of the bundesrath, can declare war, make peace, enter into treaties with foreign nations, and appoint and receive ambassadors. If, however, the territory of the empire is attacked, he does not require the consent of the bundesrath to declare war, but can act independently.
The power exercised by the empire extends to everything necessary to the security and welfare of the German people. The preamble to the constitution expressly declares that all the states of Germany schliessen einen euigen Bend rum Schulze des Bundesgellicts, tired zur Pjlege der Wohlfahrt des Deutsehen Volker (" form an eternal union for the pro tection of the territory of the bunch, and for the care of the welfare of the German people"). Thus, it possesses the exclusive right of legislation on all military and naval affairs; on imperial finance and commerce; on posts, telegraphs, and railways, in so far as the interests of the national defense are concerned. Wherever the laws of the empire come into collision with those of particular states of the bund, the latter must be held as abrogated, and in all disputes that arise among the latter, the imperial jurisdiction is supreme and final.
Acting under the direction of the chancellor of the empire, the bundesrath, in addi tion to its legislative functions, represents also a supreme administrative and consultative board, and as such, has seven standing committees—namely, for army and naval mat ters; tariff, excise, and taxes; trade and commerce; railways, posts, and telegraphs; civil and criminal law; financial accounts; and foreign affairs. Each committee con sists of representatives of at least four states of the empire; but the foreign affairs' committee includes only the representatives of the kingdoms of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Wurtemberg.
See Handbuch d.. Geog. and Statist. T. Dr. Wappltus (Eeip. 1850); deogn-Statist.-ffist.
A.das der Staaten d. Deutsch. Bund v. Weiland (1828); IL Berghaus, Ethnoomph.-Statist. Darstellung des deutschen Reichs (Gotha:, 1848); Schauenburg, Plusscharte v. Day (sad. and (Berlin 1855); Stieler's and Spruner's Atlases; Baedeker's Handbooks; Von Kloden's Erdkunde (Berlin; 3d ed. 1873 et seq.); the Statistik, des Deutschen Belches 79); Neumann's Das Deutsche Reich in Ge,ographische•, Statistischer un.d Topoyraphischer Bezichung the Statesman's Year-book and the Almanach de Gotha for the cur rent year.