November Treaties

[1] The November Treaties are detailed as follows: As a result, the constitution of the North German Confederation had to be adapted.

On 18 January 1871, the Emperor's proclamation in Versailles followed, which, from a legal point of view, did not constitute the founding of the empire, but a commission.

France was surprised by the fact that Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden and Hesse had joined Prussia, although there had been mutual covenants of protection and trusts since 1867.

Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of the North German Confederation, pressed for diplomatic access to the remaining sovereign states, the Grand Duchy of Baden, the Grand Duchy of Hesse, the Kingdom of Württemberg and the Kingdom of Bavaria, in the sense of the Lesser German solution.

It therefore needed diplomatic skills to maintain the sovereignty of the southern German states at the same time and to anchor the unity of constitutional law.

In addition, the foreign policies attracted the suspicion of the remaining European powers (Russian Empire, Austria-Hungary and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) and had to be avoided.

Bavaria's resistance faded, also due to talks by Otto von Bismarck in October and further influence on the Bavarian King Ludwig II.

On this new basis, Bavaria entered the agreement between the North German Confederation and Baden and Hesse in Berlin on 23 November.

[5] The parliaments of Württemberg, Baden and Hesse ratified the treaties in December 1870, Bavaria on 21 January 1871 with clear majorities.

[5] The so-called "Founding of the German Empire" prepared the November Treaties by regulating the conditions of acceptance by the southern states.

Württemberg and Bavaria were allowed to collect their own consumption tax and rail tariffs and received special rights to the postal and telegraph sectors.