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Capital of the German Empire
At the time the German Empire was established in 1871, Berlin had 800,000 inhabitants. Wilhelm I of Prussia (1861 - 1888) was crowned German Emperor. Berlin became the capital of the German empire, and by 1895 had over 1.5 million of population. The last German emperor, Wilhelm II (1888 - 1918) went into exile following Germany's defeat in the First World War.
The important defeat of the First World War generated a grave crisis for both Germany and for Berlin, and resulted in the creation of the first German Republic. In spite of the economic adversities and civil unrest of the 1920s, Berlin became a cultural metropolis. Its revolutionary theatre productions, stylish film premieres, and risqué varietés were at the heart of the Golden Twenties.
In 1933, Adolf Hitler turned into German Chancellor. After grasping power, Hitler undertook a programme of persecution against Jews, communists, homosexuals, political opponents, and several others. The darkest chapters in Berlin's history had started.
The summer Olympic Games was in Berlin in 1936, with rare people realizing Hitler's delusions of grandeur. In the time of Second World War started on 1st September, 1939, Berlin's population had grown to 4.5 million. The bombs commenced to reign down on the city in 1943 and led to the city's capitulation on 8th May, 1945. At least a third of the city's historic buildings and living-space had been destroyed.
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Berlin History
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