Everyone has heard of the Third Reich, led by Hitler. There is no person who does not know about the strongest state, the power of which was based on the idea in which the citizens so selflessly and devotedly believed. But how much do we know about the state, which was called the 1st Reich?
Formation and existence of states
In all the years of its existence, the First Reich occupied different territories due to the unification of completely different peoples. It is customary to call this state, formed in 962, the Holy Roman Empire. It existed for a long time, until 1806. It was formed as an analogue of the ancient Roman Empire. At first, the state united the German peoples, but over the entire period of its existence, its territory has repeatedly changed. Over the years, the Roman Empire included Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Alsace and Lorraine, the Kingdom of Burgundy, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The East Frankish King Otto I can rightfully be called the father of the First Reich state, since it was he who was able to unite these states into a single whole. It was quite difficult to keep such a large number of people under one command, so the territory of the empire repeatedly changedtheir boundaries. As a result of the encroachments of the papal throne on Roman power, the Thirty Years' War, the Reformation period, the state could not stand it and began to disintegrate. The final collapse came as a result of the invasion of the Napoleonic army, and in 1806 the last king, Franz II, was forced to abdicate. After the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire, only in 1871 did Bismarck unite Germany and Prussia into one state, which is commonly called the Second Reich.
The fate of this state we know much better: it failed to exist even for a century. Firstly, royal power became a relic of the past, new progressive parties were increasingly gaining ground in society. Secondly, the failure in the First World War was the last straw in the existence of the state, which we call the 2nd Reich. Then the era of the Third Reich began, led by Adolf Hitler.
Form of government in the First Reich
Because the First Reich united many states, it was rather difficult to legitimize centralized power. At the head of the Roman Empire was the emperor, whose power was not unlimited and absolute. The power of the emperor was not inherited, he was elected by the princes-electors. Since the empire was a feudal state, each principality was headed by a prince who had the right to vote in the election of the emperor. The power of the emperor was limited to the aristocracy, and most of the state issues were decided by it by voting.
Since the 15th century, this authority has beenrenamed the Reichstag, which included representatives of the highest aristocratic families of Germany. Gradually, under the influence of neighboring states, the papal throne, under the threat of creating a union of independent republics, imperial power weakened. In 1806, the state called the First Reich, or, as we used to call it, the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist.
