Constitution of the German Empire
First and last page of the constitution of 1871, with the signature of Wilhelm, German Emperor and King of Prussia German constitution of 1871, simplified scheme "Constitution of Germany (1871)" redirects here. For the earlier document from 1 January, see Constitution of the German Confederation 1871. The Constitution of the German Empire (German: Verfassung des Deutschen Reiches ) was the basic law of the German Empire of 1871-1918, from 16 April 1871, coming into effect on 4 May 1871. [1] German historians often refer to it as Bismarck's imperial constitution , in German the Bismarcksche Reichsverfassung (BRV). According to the constitution, the empire was a federation (federally organised national state) of 25 German states under the permanent presidency of Prussia, the largest and most powerful state. The presidency of the confederation ( Bundespräsidium ) was a hereditary office of the King of Prussia, who had the title of German Emperor. The Emperor appointed the...