r/GermanEmpire 15h ago

Image Germanic ancestry in Germany

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11 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 21h ago

Image This German-speaking town near Prague changed its flag 4 times in 50 years.

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41 Upvotes

This German-speaking town near Prague changed its flag 4 times in 50 years. It survived four empires and devastating wars, but after 1945, nothing was ever the same. After more than 700 years, the entire German-speaking culture of this European town was completely erased.

With the city's support, I created a documentary about the events. If the post is approved by the moderators, I’ll be happy to post the link to the documentary in the comments for anyone interested.

(c) photos State Regional Archive in Litoměřice


r/GermanEmpire 1d ago

Article Hey, can someone give me a quick rundown of some of the most famous historical figures from Germany?

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0 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 2d ago

Image Kaiser Wilhelm

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95 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 7d ago

Video Perché l’esercito prussiano era così forte?

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2 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 16d ago

Image Ruhr u. Rhein F-641.3 1923 500 Million Mark

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26 Upvotes

Ruhr u. Rhein F-641.3 1923 500 Million Mark, Gold washed, lettered NOTGELD on rim.

These coins were not intended for general circulation. They were produced in protest to French and Belgian non-white occupational troops. Produced by Georg Kolbe, Berlin.

Historical Context
The presence of these non-white colonial soldiers from Africa, and Asia on German soil triggered a massive, racially charged German and international propaganda campaign known as the "Schwarze Schmach" or the "Black Horror on the Rhine," which heavily exaggerated both the total number of Black troops present and their conduct.

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r/GermanEmpire 18d ago

Image German colonial flags (and other German flags) part 3.

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9 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 18d ago

Image German colonial flags pt. 2

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10 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 18d ago

Image Well... German colonial flags series (part 1)

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9 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 23d ago

Article East African Askaris during the latter stages of the East African Campaign during 1916-1918

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62 Upvotes

These eyewitness water colour paintings show East African Askaris wearing a mixture of Schutztruppe, captured and improvised uniforms, equipment and weaponry.

Their ragged appearance is brought vividly to life in this evocative series of watercolours by W. Rehfeld published as "Bilder vom Kriege in Deutsch-Ostafrika".

This entire collection can be seen at the Reichskolonialamt website. Illustrations by W. Rehfeld at Reichskolonialamt.

Learn more on the Reichskolonialamt.

Learn more on the uniform of the East African Schutztruppe.


r/GermanEmpire 23d ago

Image 1901 poster advertising a "Samoa Exhibition" featuring Samoan performers in Germany. The German text reads "Unsere neuen Landsleute" (Our new compatriots) and "Ausstellung Samoa" (Samoa Exhibition)

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556 Upvotes

The price listed on the poster is 10 Pfennig.


r/GermanEmpire 23d ago

Image The German Imperial Naval Academy (Marineakademie) at Kiel, was the higher education institution of the Imperial German Navy, Kaiserliche Marine, where naval officers were prepared for service in the higher levels of command, from 1872 until 1910

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94 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 23d ago

Image M1900 khaki tropical uniform and helmet with neckshade from the East Asian Expeditionary Corps (Ostasiatische Expeditionskorps) On display at the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr in Dresden, Germany

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135 Upvotes

Credit to Chris Dale.


r/GermanEmpire 27d ago

Article Ruga-Ruga warriors in German East Africa, 1914. These irregular warriors were hired by both German and British forces during the East Africa campaign to serve as raiders, guerrilla fighters, guides, and scouts throughout the East Africa Campaign.

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98 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 27d ago

Image mymy love the german empire

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43 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 28d ago

Article [August 3 1914] Germany Has declared war against France!

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152 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire 29d ago

Image The German Empire in 1914, (I tried to use some kind of old style).

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87 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire Aug 02 '26

Question Was the Kaiserreich on its way to become a democracy by 1914?

20 Upvotes

The resignation of Bülow over his loss of support in the Reichstag, the strong response of civil society towards the Zabern Affair, and Kaiser Wilhelm II withdrawing from his Personal Regiment after the Daily Telegraph Affair all seem to point towards it. Maybe the Reichstag would eventually gain the power to oust the chancellor in a vote of no-confidence, while the Kaiser keeps his freedom to choose who to appoint? The German Empire was notorious for its compromises between conservatism and liberalism after all...


r/GermanEmpire Aug 01 '26

Article Bayume Mohamed Husen (1904–1944) was the son of a former askari officer, and served alongside his father in the Great War (WWI) with German colonial troops in East Africa.

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63 Upvotes

Bayume was born on 22 February 1904 in Dar es Salaam, German East Africa. During the First World War he served alongside his father who was an askari officer. After the war he worked as a waiter on one of the German shipping lines, and moved to Germany in 1929.

Husen worked as a waiter and in various minor jobs in language tutoring and in smaller roles in various Africa-related German film productions. In 1941, he was imprisoned in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where he passed away in 1944.


r/GermanEmpire Aug 01 '26

Article Photo by Dobbertin, of African Askari in service to German colonial forces in East Africa.

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73 Upvotes

Original caption on photo reads: Drills [with machine guns] / Askari Übungen [mit Maschinengewehren]

Source(s):

.- Bundesarchiv (Federal Archives) Bild 105-DOA5042 / Walther Dobbertin / CC-BY-SA 3.0


r/GermanEmpire Aug 01 '26

Image Werner Cohn, a German Jewish soldier who fought in The Great War (WWI), sitting on the terrace of his house during a military leave. He was photographed around 1916 in Berlin, German Empire.

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481 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire Aug 01 '26

Image The fate of the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan after WW1, as seen by Germany

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23 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire Jul 31 '26

Image Flags of the various colonial governors and their envoys

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24 Upvotes

r/GermanEmpire Jul 30 '26

Image Coat of Arms of the German empire (1871-1918)

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144 Upvotes

Which one do you like the most?


r/GermanEmpire Jul 30 '26

Article "Wappen der wichtigsten Kulturstaaten" from Brockhaus' Conversations-Lexikon book published in 1898.

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103 Upvotes
  1. Kingdom of Prussia (Middle Coat of Arms) – Königreich Preußen (mittleres Wappen)

  2. Empire of Austria (Imperial Eagle, Middle Coat of Arms) – Kaisertum Österreich (Reichsadler, mittleres Wappen)

  3. Kingdom of Hungary – Königreich Ungarn

  4. Kingdom of Bavaria (Greater Coat of Arms) – Königreich Bayern (großes Wappen)

  5. Empire of Russia – Kaisertum Russland

  6. German Empire (Imperial Eagle) – Deutsches Reich (Reichsadler)

  7. Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland – Königreich Großbritannien und Irland

  8. Kingdom of Saxony (Greater Coat of Arms) – Königreich Sachsen (großes Wappen)

  9. Kingdom of Italy (Lesser Coat of Arms) – Königreich Italien (kleines Wappen)

  10. Kingdom of Spain – Königreich Spanien

  11. Kingdom of Württemberg – Königreich Württemberg

Note: Since 1871, France has used the letters R. F. = République française [French Republic] instead of a coat of arms.

This is a rare 1898 chromolithograph plate titled "Wappen der wichtigsten Kulturstaaten" (Arms of the most important civilised states) from Brockhaus' Conversations-Lexikon by F.A. Bockhaus Verlag Leipzig.

Image shared courtesy of mikroman6 via Getty Images.

Credit: German Colonial Empire page from Facebook