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<span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Usage throughout German history</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Usage_throughout_German_history-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Usage throughout German history subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Usage_throughout_German_history-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Frankish_Empire" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Frankish_Empire"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Frankish Empire</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Frankish_Empire-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Holy_Roman_Empire" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Holy_Roman_Empire"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Holy Roman Empire</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Holy_Roman_Empire-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Modern_age" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Modern_age"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2.1</span> <span>Modern age</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Modern_age-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-German_Reich" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#German_Reich"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>German Reich</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-German_Reich-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-During_the_Weimar_Republic" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#During_the_Weimar_Republic"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.4</span> <span>During the Weimar Republic</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-During_the_Weimar_Republic-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-During_the_Nazi_period" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#During_the_Nazi_period"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.5</span> <span>During the Nazi period</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-During_the_Nazi_period-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Possible_negative_connotations_in_modern_usage" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Possible_negative_connotations_in_modern_usage"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.6</span> <span>Possible negative connotations in modern usage</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Possible_negative_connotations_in_modern_usage-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Limited_usage_in_the_railway_system_of_the_German_Democratic_Republic" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Limited_usage_in_the_railway_system_of_the_German_Democratic_Republic"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.7</span> <span>Limited usage in the railway system of the German Democratic Republic</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Limited_usage_in_the_railway_system_of_the_German_Democratic_Republic-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Usage_in_related_languages" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Usage_in_related_languages"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Usage in related languages</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Usage_in_related_languages-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Usage in related languages subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Usage_in_related_languages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-In_Scandinavian_languages" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#In_Scandinavian_languages"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>In Scandinavian languages</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-In_Scandinavian_languages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Rijk/ryk" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Rijk/ryk"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Rijk/ryk</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Rijk/ryk-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Notes</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Notes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc 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mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 28 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-28" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">28 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%AE" title="رايخ – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="رايخ" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reyx" title="Reyx – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Reyx" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh-min-nan mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh-min-nan.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich" title="Reich – Minnan" lang="nan" hreflang="nan" data-title="Reich" data-language-autonym="閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gú" data-language-local-name="Minnan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gú</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be mw-list-item"><a href="https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D1%8D%D0%B9%D1%85" title="Рэйх – Belarusian" lang="be" hreflang="be" data-title="Рэйх" data-language-autonym="Беларуская" data-language-local-name="Belarusian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%B9%D1%85" title="Райх – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Райх" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich" title="Reich – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Reich" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichsidee" title="Reichsidee – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Reichsidee" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eu mw-list-item"><a href="https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich" title="Reich – Basque" lang="eu" hreflang="eu" data-title="Reich" data-language-autonym="Euskara" data-language-local-name="Basque" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Euskara</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B4" title="رایش – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="رایش" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich" title="Reich – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Reich" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hr mw-list-item"><a href="https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich" title="Reich – Croatian" lang="hr" hreflang="hr" data-title="Reich" data-language-autonym="Hrvatski" data-language-local-name="Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hrvatski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich" title="Reich – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Reich" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich" title="Reich – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Reich" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%92" title="ライヒ – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="ライヒ" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rike" title="Rike – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Rike" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nn mw-list-item"><a href="https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rike" title="Rike – Norwegian Nynorsk" lang="nn" hreflang="nn" data-title="Rike" data-language-autonym="Norsk nynorsk" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Nynorsk" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk nynorsk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rzesza" title="Rzesza – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Rzesza" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich" title="Reich – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Reich" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%85" title="Рейх – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Рейх" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sq mw-list-item"><a href="https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajhu" title="Rajhu – Albanian" lang="sq" hreflang="sq" data-title="Rajhu" data-language-autonym="Shqip" data-language-local-name="Albanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Shqip</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr badge-Q70893996 mw-list-item" title=""><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D1%98%D1%85" title="Рајх – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Рајх" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sh badge-Q70893996 mw-list-item" title=""><a href="https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajh" title="Rajh – Serbo-Croatian" lang="sh" hreflang="sh" data-title="Rajh" data-language-autonym="Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски" data-language-local-name="Serbo-Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valtakunta" title="Valtakunta – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Valtakunta" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%AF%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%8D" title="ரெய்க் – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="ரெய்க்" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%8A%E0%B9%8C" title="ไรช์ – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="ไรช์" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich" title="Reich – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Reich" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%85" title="Рейх – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Рейх" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B8%9D%E5%9B%BD_(%E5%BE%B7%E8%AF%AD)" title="帝国 (德语) – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="帝国 (德语)" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>中文</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q960541#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Edit links</a></span></div> </div> 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<div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">German word for "realm" or "empire"</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">This article is about the German noun. For other uses, see <a href="/wiki/Reich_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="Reich (disambiguation)">Reich (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Reich" title="Special:EditPage/Reich">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Reich%22">"Reich"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Reich%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Reich%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Reich%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Reich%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Reich%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">January 2021</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1273380762/mw-parser-output/.tmulti">.mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner{display:flex;flex-direction:column}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow{display:flex;flex-direction:row;clear:left;flex-wrap:wrap;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{margin:1px;float:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .theader{clear:both;font-weight:bold;text-align:center;align-self:center;background-color:transparent;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .thumbcaption{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-left{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-right{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-center{text-align:center}@media all and (max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .tmulti .thumbinner{width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:none!important;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow{justify-content:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{float:none!important;max-width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle .thumbcaption{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow>.thumbcaption{text-align:center}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner span:not(.skin-invert-image):not(.skin-invert):not(.bg-transparent) img{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner span:not(.skin-invert-image):not(.skin-invert):not(.bg-transparent) img{background-color:white}}</style><div class="thumb tmulti tright"><div class="thumbinner multiimageinner" style="width:192px;max-width:192px"><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:190px;max-width:190px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:190px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Holy_Roman_Empire_1714.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Holy_Roman_Empire_1714.svg/250px-Holy_Roman_Empire_1714.svg.png" decoding="async" width="188" height="191" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Holy_Roman_Empire_1714.svg/330px-Holy_Roman_Empire_1714.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Holy_Roman_Empire_1714.svg/376px-Holy_Roman_Empire_1714.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="450" data-file-height="456" /></a></span></div><div class="thumbcaption"><a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a> (800/962–1806) in 1714; the "First Reich"</div></div></div><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:190px;max-width:190px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:190px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:German_Empire_1914.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/German_Empire_1914.svg/250px-German_Empire_1914.svg.png" decoding="async" width="188" height="191" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/German_Empire_1914.svg/330px-German_Empire_1914.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/German_Empire_1914.svg/376px-German_Empire_1914.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="450" data-file-height="456" /></a></span></div><div class="thumbcaption"><a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">German Empire</a> (1871–1918) in 1914; the "Second Reich"</div></div></div><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:190px;max-width:190px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:190px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Greater_German_Reich_(1942).svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Greater_German_Reich_%281942%29.svg/188px-Greater_German_Reich_%281942%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="188" height="191" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Greater_German_Reich_%281942%29.svg/282px-Greater_German_Reich_%281942%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Greater_German_Reich_%281942%29.svg/376px-Greater_German_Reich_%281942%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="450" data-file-height="456" /></a></span></div><div class="thumbcaption"><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a> (1933–1945) in 1942; the "Third Reich"</div></div></div></div></div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p><p><b><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Reich</i></span></b> (<span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="'r' in 'rye'">r</span><span title="/aɪ/: 'i' in 'tide'">aɪ</span><span title="'k' in 'kind'">k</span></span>,<span class="wrap"> </span><span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="'r' in 'rye'">r</span><span title="/aɪ/: 'i' in 'tide'">aɪ</span><span title="/x/: 'ch' in 'loch'">x</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling">ryke, raikh</i></a>;<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-CALD_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-CALD-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1177148991">.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}</style><span class="IPA-label IPA-label-small">German:</span> <span class="IPA nowrap" lang="de-Latn-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/Standard_German" title="Help:IPA/Standard German">[ʁaɪç]</a></span> <span class="ext-phonos"><span data-nosnippet="" id="ooui-php-1" class="noexcerpt ext-phonos-PhonosButton ext-phonos-PhonosButton-emptylabel oo-ui-widget oo-ui-widget-enabled oo-ui-buttonElement oo-ui-buttonElement-frameless oo-ui-iconElement oo-ui-buttonWidget" data-ooui="{"_":"mw.Phonos.PhonosButton","href":"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/transcoded\/1\/1d\/De-Reich.oga\/De-Reich.oga.mp3","rel":["nofollow"],"framed":false,"icon":"volumeUp","data":{"ipa":"","text":"","lang":"en","wikibase":"","file":"De-Reich.oga"},"classes":["noexcerpt","ext-phonos-PhonosButton","ext-phonos-PhonosButton-emptylabel"]}"><a role="button" tabindex="0" href="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1d/De-Reich.oga/De-Reich.oga.mp3" rel="nofollow" aria-label="Play audio" title="Play audio" class="oo-ui-buttonElement-button"><span class="oo-ui-iconElement-icon oo-ui-icon-volumeUp"></span><span class="oo-ui-labelElement-label"></span><span class="oo-ui-indicatorElement-indicator oo-ui-indicatorElement-noIndicator"></span></a></span><sup class="ext-phonos-attribution noexcerpt navigation-not-searchable"><a href="/wiki/File:De-Reich.oga" title="File:De-Reich.oga">ⓘ</a></sup></span>) is a <a href="/wiki/German_language" title="German language">German</a> word whose meaning is analogous to the English word "<a href="/wiki/Realm" title="Realm">realm</a>".<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>a<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The terms <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Kaiserreich</i></span><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>b<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Königreich</i></span><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>c<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> are respectively used in German in reference to <a href="/wiki/Empire" title="Empire">empires</a> and <a href="/wiki/Kingdom_(politics)" class="mw-redirect" title="Kingdom (politics)">kingdoms</a>. In English usage, the term "<em>the</em> Reich" often refers to <a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a>, also called "the Third Reich".<sup id="cite_ref-CALD_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-CALD-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The term <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de"><a href="/wiki/German_Reich" title="German Reich">Deutsches Reich</a></i></span> (sometimes translated to "<a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">German Empire</a>") continued to be used even after the collapse of the German Empire and the <a href="/wiki/German_Revolution_of_1918%E2%80%931919" class="mw-redirect" title="German Revolution of 1918–1919">abolition of the monarchy</a> in 1918. There was no emperor, but many Germans had imperialistic ambitions. According to historian <a href="/wiki/Richard_J._Evans" title="Richard J. Evans">Richard J. Evans</a>: </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px}.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;margin-top:0}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{padding-left:1.6em}}</style><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>The continued use of the term "German Empire", <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Deutsches Reich</i></span>, by the <a href="/wiki/Weimar_Republic" title="Weimar Republic">Weimar Republic</a> ... conjured up an image among educated Germans that resonated far beyond the institutional structures Bismarck created: the successor to the Roman Empire; the vision of God's Empire here on earth; the universality of its claim to <a href="/wiki/Suzerainty" title="Suzerainty">suzerainty</a>; and in a more prosaic but no less powerful sense, the concept of a German state that would include all German speakers in central Europe—"one People, one Reich, one Leader", as the Nazi slogan was to put it.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <p>The term is used for historical empires in general, such as the <a href="/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire">Roman Empire</a> (<span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Römisches Reich</i></span>), <a href="/wiki/Persian_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Persian Empire">Persian Empire</a> (<span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Perserreich</i></span>), and both the <a href="/wiki/Tsardom_of_Russia" title="Tsardom of Russia">Tsardom of Russia</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Russian_Empire" title="Russian Empire">Russian Empire</a> (<span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Zarenreich</i></span>, literally "<a href="/wiki/Tsar" title="Tsar">Tsars</a>' realm"). <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Österreich</i></span>, the name used for <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a> today, is composed of <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Öster-</i></span> and <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Reich</i></span> which, literally translated, means "Eastern Realm". The name once referred to the eastern parts of the <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a>. </p><p>In the <a href="/wiki/History_of_Germany" title="History of Germany">history of Germany</a> specifically, it is used to refer to: </p> <ul><li>the early medieval Frankish Realm (<a href="/wiki/Francia" title="Francia">Francia</a>) and <a href="/wiki/Carolingian_Empire" title="Carolingian Empire">Carolingian Empire</a> (the <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Fränkisches Reich</i></span> and <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Karolingerreich</i></span>);</li> <li>the <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a> (<span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Heiliges Römisches Reich</i></span>), which lasted from the coronation of <a href="/wiki/Charlemagne" title="Charlemagne">Charlemagne</a> as <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Emperor" title="Holy Roman Emperor">Holy Roman Emperor</a> in 800, until 1806, when it was dissolved during the <a href="/wiki/Napoleonic_Wars" title="Napoleonic Wars">Napoleonic Wars</a>;</li> <li>the <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">German Empire</a> (<span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Deutsches Reich</i></span> or <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Deutsches Kaiserreich</i></span>), which lasted from the <a href="/wiki/Unification_of_Germany" title="Unification of Germany">unification of Germany</a> in 1871 until its collapse after <a href="/wiki/World_War_I" title="World War I">World War I</a>, during the <a href="/wiki/German_Revolution_of_1918%E2%80%931919" class="mw-redirect" title="German Revolution of 1918–1919">German Revolution of 1918–1919</a>;</li> <li>the <a href="/wiki/Weimar_Republic" title="Weimar Republic">Weimar Republic</a> of 1919–1933 continued to use <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Deutsches Reich</i></span> as its official name;</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a>, the <a href="/wiki/State_(polity)" title="State (polity)">state</a> often referred to as the <i>Third Reich</i>, which lasted from the <a href="/wiki/Enabling_Act_of_1933" title="Enabling Act of 1933">Enabling Act</a> in 1933 until the <a href="/wiki/End_of_World_War_II_in_Europe" title="End of World War II in Europe">end of World War II in Europe</a> in 1945. It continued to use the official name, <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Deutsches Reich</i></span> <span class="gloss-quot">(</span><span class="gloss-text">German Reich</span><span class="gloss-quot">)</span>, until 1943, when it was renamed to the <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Großdeutsches Reich</i></span> <span class="gloss-quot">(</span><span class="gloss-text">Greater German Reich</span><span class="gloss-quot">)</span>.</li></ul> <p>The Nazis adopted the term "Third Reich" to legitimize their government as the rightful successor to the retroactively renamed "First" and "Second" Reichs – the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire, respectively; the Nazis discounted the legitimacy of the Weimar Republic entirely. The terms "First Reich" and "Second Reich" are not used by historians, and the term "<a href="/wiki/Fourth_Reich" title="Fourth Reich">Fourth Reich</a>" is mainly used in fiction and political humor, although it is also used by those who subscribe to <a href="/wiki/Neo-Nazism" title="Neo-Nazism">neo-Nazism</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Etymology">Etymology</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Etymology"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}</style><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/60px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/120px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="512" /></a></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Look up <i><b><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reich" class="extiw" title="wiktionary:Reich">Reich</a></b></i> or <i><b><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/r%C4%ABks" class="extiw" title="wiktionary:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rīks">Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rīks</a></b></i> in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.</div></div> </div> <p>The term is derived from the <a href="/wiki/Germanic_languages" title="Germanic languages">Germanic</a> word which generally means "<span lang="en"><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/realm#English" class="extiw" title="wikt:realm">realm</a></span>", but in German, it is typically used to designate a <a href="/wiki/Monarchy" title="Monarchy">kingdom</a> or an empire, especially the <a href="/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire">Roman Empire</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-HM_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-HM-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The terms <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de"><a href="/wiki/Kaisertum" class="mw-redirect" title="Kaisertum">Kaisertum</a></i></span> (<link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1177148991" /><span class="IPA-label IPA-label-small">German:</span> <span class="IPA nowrap" lang="de-Latn-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/Standard_German" title="Help:IPA/Standard German">[ˈkaɪzɐˌtuːm]</a></span> <span class="ext-phonos"><span data-nosnippet="" id="ooui-php-4" class="noexcerpt ext-phonos-PhonosButton ext-phonos-PhonosButton-emptylabel oo-ui-widget oo-ui-widget-enabled oo-ui-buttonElement oo-ui-buttonElement-frameless oo-ui-iconElement oo-ui-buttonWidget" data-ooui="{"_":"mw.Phonos.PhonosButton","href":"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/transcoded\/9\/9f\/De-Kaisertum.ogg\/De-Kaisertum.ogg.mp3","rel":["nofollow"],"framed":false,"icon":"volumeUp","data":{"ipa":"","text":"","lang":"en","wikibase":"","file":"De-Kaisertum.ogg"},"classes":["noexcerpt","ext-phonos-PhonosButton","ext-phonos-PhonosButton-emptylabel"]}"><a role="button" tabindex="0" href="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/9f/De-Kaisertum.ogg/De-Kaisertum.ogg.mp3" rel="nofollow" aria-label="Play audio" title="Play audio" class="oo-ui-buttonElement-button"><span class="oo-ui-iconElement-icon oo-ui-icon-volumeUp"></span><span class="oo-ui-labelElement-label"></span><span class="oo-ui-indicatorElement-indicator oo-ui-indicatorElement-noIndicator"></span></a></span><sup class="ext-phonos-attribution noexcerpt navigation-not-searchable"><a href="/wiki/File:De-Kaisertum.ogg" title="File:De-Kaisertum.ogg">ⓘ</a></sup></span>, <span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">Imperium</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>) and <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Kaiserreich</i></span> (<span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">Imperial realm</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>) are used in German to more specifically define an empire ruled by an emperor.<sup id="cite_ref-HM_7-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-HM-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Reich</i></span> is comparable in meaning and development (as well as descending from the same <a href="/wiki/Proto-Indo-European" class="mw-redirect" title="Proto-Indo-European">Proto-Indo-European</a> root) to the English word "realm" (via French <i lang="fr"><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reaume#French" class="extiw" title="wikt:reaume">reaume</a></i> <span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">kingdom</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span> from Latin <i lang="la"><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/regalis#Latin" class="extiw" title="wikt:regalis">regalis</a></i> <span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">royal</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>). </p><p>The German noun <i>Reich</i> is derived from <a href="/wiki/Old_High_German_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Old High German language">Old High German</a>: <i lang="goh">rīhhi</i>, which together with its cognates in <a href="/wiki/Old_English_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Old English language">Old English</a>: <i lang="ang">rīce</i>, <a href="/wiki/Old_Norse_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Old Norse language">Old Norse</a>: <i lang="non">ríki</i>, and <a href="/wiki/Gothic_language" title="Gothic language">Gothic</a>: <i lang="got">reiki</i> is derived from a <a href="/wiki/Common_Germanic" class="mw-redirect" title="Common Germanic">Common Germanic</a> <span title="Proto-Germanic-language text">*<i lang="gem">rīkijan</i></span>. The English noun survives only in the compounds <i><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bishopric" class="extiw" title="wikt:bishopric">bishopric</a></i> and <i><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/archbishopric" class="extiw" title="wikt:archbishopric">archbishopric</a></i>. </p><p>The German adjective <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de"><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reich" class="extiw" title="wikt:reich">reich</a></i></span>, on the other hand, has an exact cognate in English <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rich" class="extiw" title="wikt:rich">rich</a>. Both the noun (<span title="Proto-Germanic-language text">*<i lang="gem">rīkijan</i></span>) and the adjective (<span title="Proto-Germanic-language text">*<i lang="gem">rīkijaz</i></span>) are derivations based on the <a href="/wiki/Common_Germanic" class="mw-redirect" title="Common Germanic">Common Germanic</a> <span title="Proto-Germanic-language text">*<i lang="gem">rīks</i></span> "ruler, <a href="/wiki/Germanic_king" class="mw-redirect" title="Germanic king">king</a>", reflected in Gothic as <span title="Gothic-language text"><i lang="got"><a href="/wiki/Reiks" title="Reiks">reiks</a></i></span>, glossing <span title="Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text"><span lang="grc">ἄρχων</span></span> "leader, ruler, chieftain". </p><p>It is probable that the Germanic word was not inherited from pre-Proto-Germanic, but rather loaned from <a href="/wiki/Continental_Celtic" class="mw-redirect" title="Continental Celtic">Celtic</a> (i.e. <a href="/wiki/Gaulish" title="Gaulish">Gaulish</a> <i>rīx</i>, <a href="/wiki/Modern_Welsh" class="mw-redirect" title="Modern Welsh">Welsh</a> <span title="Welsh-language text"><i lang="cy">rhi</i></span>, both meaning 'king') at an <a href="/wiki/Roman_Iron_Age" class="mw-redirect" title="Roman Iron Age">early time</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The word has many cognates outside of Germanic and Celtic, notably <a href="/wiki/Latin_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Latin language">Latin</a>: <i lang="la">rex</i> and <a href="/wiki/Sanskrit_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Sanskrit language">Sanskrit</a>: <span lang="sa">राज</span>, <small><a href="/wiki/Romanization_of_Sanskrit" class="mw-redirect" title="Romanization of Sanskrit">romanized</a>: </small><span title="Sanskrit-language romanization"><i lang="sa-Latn">raj</i></span>, <small><a href="/wiki/Literal_translation" title="Literal translation">lit.</a> </small>'rule'. It is ultimately from <a href="/wiki/Proto-Indo-European" class="mw-redirect" title="Proto-Indo-European">Proto-Indo-European</a> *<i><span title="Proto-Indo-European-language text" class="Unicode" style="white-space:nowrap;"><span lang="ine">reg-</span></span></i>, <abbr style="font-size:85%" title="literal translation">lit.</abbr><span style="white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">to straighten out or rule</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Usage_throughout_German_history">Usage throughout German history</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Usage throughout German history"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444" /><table class="box-More_citations_needed_section plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Reich" title="Special:EditPage/Reich">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a> in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">January 2021</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Frankish_Empire">Frankish Empire</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Frankish Empire"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><i>Frankenreich</i> or <i>Fränkisches Reich</i> is the German name given to the <a href="/wiki/Frankish_Kingdom" class="mw-redirect" title="Frankish Kingdom">Frankish Kingdom</a> of <a href="/wiki/Charlemagne" title="Charlemagne">Charlemagne</a>. <i>Frankenreich</i> came to be used of <a href="/wiki/Western_Francia" class="mw-redirect" title="Western Francia">Western Francia</a> and <a href="/wiki/Medieval_France" class="mw-redirect" title="Medieval France">medieval France</a> after the development of <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Francia" class="mw-redirect" title="Eastern Francia">Eastern Francia</a> into the <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a>. The German name of <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a>, <i>Frankreich</i>, is a contraction of <i>Frankenreich</i> used in reference to the <a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_France" title="Kingdom of France">kingdom of France</a> from the late medieval period.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Holy_Roman_Empire">Holy Roman Empire</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Holy Roman Empire"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a></div><p>The term <i>Reich</i> was part of the German names for Germany for much of its history. <i>Reich</i> was used by itself in the common German variant of the <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a>, (<i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR)</i></span></i>). <i>Der rîche</i> was a title for the Emperor. However, Latin, not German, was the formal legal language of the medieval Empire (<i><span title="Latin-language text"><i lang="la">Imperium Romanum Sacrum</i></span></i>), so English-speaking historians are more likely to use Latin <i><span title="Latin-language text"><i lang="la">imperium</i></span></i> than German <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Reich</i></span></i> as a term for this period of German history. The common contemporary Latin legal term used in documents of the Holy Roman Empire was for a long time <i>regnum</i> ("rule, domain, empire", such as in <i>Regnum Francorum</i> for the <a href="/wiki/Francia" title="Francia">Frankish Kingdom</a>) before <i>imperium</i> was in fact adopted, the latter first attested in 1157, whereas the parallel use of <i>regnum</i> never fell out of use during the Middle Ages. </p><div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Modern_age">Modern age</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Modern age"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>At the beginning of the <a href="/wiki/Modern_age" class="mw-redirect" title="Modern age">modern age</a>, some circles redubbed the HRE into the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" (<i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation</i></span></i>), a symptom of the formation of a German <a href="/wiki/Nation_state" title="Nation state">nation state</a> as opposed to the <a href="/wiki/Multinational_state" title="Multinational state">multinational state</a> the Empire was throughout its history. </p><p>Resistance against the <a href="/wiki/French_Revolution" title="French Revolution">French Revolution</a> with its concept of the state brought a new movement to create a German "ethnical state", especially after the <a href="/wiki/Napoleonic_wars" class="mw-redirect" title="Napoleonic wars">Napoleonic wars</a>. <a href="/wiki/Ideal_(ethics)" title="Ideal (ethics)">Ideal</a> for this state was the Holy Roman Empire; the <a href="/wiki/Legend" title="Legend">legend</a> arose that Germany were "un-defeated when unified", especially after the <a href="/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War" title="Franco-Prussian War">Franco-Prussian War</a> (<i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Deutsch-Französischer Krieg</i></span></i>, lit. "German-French war"). Before that, the <a href="/wiki/German_question" title="German question">German question</a> ruptured this "German unity" after the <a href="/wiki/Revolutions_of_1848_in_the_German_states" class="mw-redirect" title="Revolutions of 1848 in the German states">1848 Revolution</a> before it was achieved, however; Austria-Hungary as a multinational state could not become part of the new "German empire", and nationality conflicts in <a href="/wiki/Prussia" title="Prussia">Prussia</a> with the Prussian Poles arose ("We can never be Germans – Prussians, every time!"). </p><p>The advent of <a href="/w/index.php?title=National_feeling&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="National feeling (page does not exist)">national feeling</a> and the movement to create an ethnically German Empire did lead directly to <a href="/wiki/Nationalism" title="Nationalism">nationalism</a> in 1871. Ethnic minorities declined since the beginning of the modern age; the <a href="/wiki/Polabian_language" title="Polabian language">Polabs</a>, <a href="/wiki/Sorbian_languages" title="Sorbian languages">Sorbs</a> and even the once important <a href="/wiki/Low_German" title="Low German">Low Germans</a> had to assimilate themselves. This marked the transition between <a href="/wiki/Antijudaism" class="mw-redirect" title="Antijudaism">Antijudaism</a>, where converted Jews were accepted as full citizens (in theory), to <a href="/wiki/Antisemitism" title="Antisemitism">Antisemitism</a>, where Jews were thought to be from a different <a href="/wiki/Ethnic_group" class="mw-redirect" title="Ethnic group">ethnicity</a> that could never become German. Apart from all those ethnic minorities being de facto extinct, even today the era of <a href="/w/index.php?title=National_feeling&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="National feeling (page does not exist)">national feeling</a> is taught in history in German schools as an important stepping-stone on the road to a German nation. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="German_Reich">German Reich</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: German Reich"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/German_Reich" title="German Reich">German Reich</a></div> <p>In the case of the Hohenzollern Empire (1871–1918), the official name of the country was <span title="German-language text"><span lang="de" style="font-style: normal;">Deutsches Reich</span></span> ("German Realm"), because under the <a href="/wiki/Constitution_of_the_German_Empire" title="Constitution of the German Empire">Constitution of the German Empire</a>, it was legally a <a href="/wiki/Confederation" title="Confederation">confederation</a> of German states under the permanent presidency of the <a href="/wiki/King_of_Prussia" class="mw-redirect" title="King of Prussia">King of Prussia</a>. The constitution granted the King of Prussia the title of "German Emperor" (<i>Deutscher Kaiser</i>), but this referred to the German nation rather than directly to the <i>state</i> of Germany.<sup id="cite_ref-HM_7-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-HM-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The exact translation of the term "German Empire" would be <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Deutsches Kaiserreich</i></span>. This name was sometimes used informally for Germany between 1871 and 1918, but it was disliked by the first German Emperor, <a href="/wiki/Wilhelm_I" class="mw-redirect" title="Wilhelm I">Wilhelm I</a>, and never became official. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Unification_of_Germany" title="Unification of Germany">unified Germany</a> which arose under Chancellor <a href="/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck" title="Otto von Bismarck">Otto von Bismarck</a> in 1871 was the first entity that was officially called in German <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Deutsches Reich</i></span></i>. <span title="German-language text"><span lang="de" style="font-style: normal;">Deutsches Reich</span></span> remained the official name of Germany until 1945, although these years saw three very different political systems more commonly referred to in English as: "the <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">German Empire</a>" (1871–1918), the <a href="/wiki/Weimar_Republic" title="Weimar Republic">Weimar Republic</a> (1919–1933; this term is a post-<a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a> coinage not used at the time), and <a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a> (1933–1945). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="During_the_Weimar_Republic">During the Weimar Republic</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: During the Weimar Republic"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>After 1918 "Reich" was usually not translated as "Empire" in English-speaking countries, and the title was instead simply used in its original German. During the <a href="/wiki/Weimar_Republic" title="Weimar Republic">Weimar Republic</a> the term <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Reich</i></span></i> and the prefix <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Reichs-</i></span></i> referred not to the idea of empire but rather to the institutions, officials, affairs etc. of the whole country as opposed to those of one of <a href="/wiki/States_of_the_Weimar_Republic#Constituent_states" title="States of the Weimar Republic">its constituent federal states</a> (<i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Länder</i></span></i>), in the same way that the terms <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Bund</i></span></i> (federation) and <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Bundes-</i></span></i> (federal) are used in Germany today, and comparable to <i>The Crown</i> in Commonwealth countries and <i>The Union</i> in the <a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="During_the_Nazi_period">During the Nazi period</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: During the Nazi period"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Nazism" title="Nazism">Nazis</a> sought to <a href="/wiki/Legitimacy_(political)" class="mw-redirect" title="Legitimacy (political)">legitimize</a> their power <a href="/wiki/Historiography" title="Historiography">historiographically</a> by portraying their ascendancy to rule as the direct continuation of an ancient German past. They adopted the term <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Drittes Reich</i></span></i> ("Third Empire" – usually rendered in English in the partial translation "the Third <i>Reich</i>"), first used in a 1923 book entitled <i><a href="/wiki/Das_Dritte_Reich" title="Das Dritte Reich">Das Dritte Reich</a></i> by <a href="/wiki/Arthur_Moeller_van_den_Bruck" title="Arthur Moeller van den Bruck">Arthur Moeller van den Bruck</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-TR-N-01_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-TR-N-01-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> that counted the medieval <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a> (which nominally survived until the 19th century) as the first and the <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">1871–1918 monarchy</a> as the second, which was then to be followed by a "reinvigorated" third one. The Nazis ignored the previous <a href="/wiki/Weimar_Republic" title="Weimar Republic">1918–1933 Weimar period</a>, which they denounced as a historical aberration, contemptuously referring to it as "<a href="/wiki/The_System_(Nazism)" title="The System (Nazism)">the System</a>". In the summer of 1939, the Nazis themselves actually banned the continued use of the term in the press, ordering it to use expressions such as <i>Nationalsozialistisches Deutschland</i> ("National Socialist Germany"), <i>Großdeutsches Reich</i> ("<a href="/wiki/German_question" title="German question">Greater German Reich</a>"), or simply <i>Deutsches Reich</i> (<a href="/wiki/German_Reich" title="German Reich">German Reich</a>) to refer to the German state instead.<sup id="cite_ref-Vocab_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Vocab-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It was Adolf Hitler's personal desire that <i>Großdeutsches Reich</i> and <i>nationalsozialistischer Staat</i> ("[the] National Socialist State") would be used in place of <i>Drittes Reich</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-Vocab_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Vocab-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <i>Reichskanzlei Berchtesgaden</i> ("<a href="/wiki/Reich_Chancellery" title="Reich Chancellery">Reich Chancellery</a> <a href="/wiki/Berchtesgaden" title="Berchtesgaden">Berchtesgaden</a>"), another nickname of the regime (named after the eponymous town located in the vicinity of <a href="/wiki/Berghof_(residence)" title="Berghof (residence)">Hitler's mountain residence</a> where he spent much of his time in office) was also banned at the same time, despite the fact that a sub-section of the Chancellery was in fact installed there to serve Hitler's needs.<sup id="cite_ref-Vocab_11-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Vocab-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Although the term "Third Reich" is still commonly used in reference to the Nazi dictatorship, historians avoid using the terms "First Reich" and "Second Reich", which are seldom found outside <a href="/wiki/Propaganda_in_Nazi_Germany" title="Propaganda in Nazi Germany">Nazi propaganda</a>. During and following the <i><a href="/wiki/Anschluss" title="Anschluss">Anschluss</a></i> (<a href="/wiki/Annexation" title="Annexation">annexation</a>) of <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a> in 1938, Nazi propaganda also used the <a href="/wiki/Political_slogan" class="mw-redirect" title="Political slogan">political slogan</a> <i>Ein <a href="/wiki/Volk" title="Volk">Volk</a>, ein Reich, ein <a href="/wiki/F%C3%BChrer" title="Führer">Führer</a></i> ("One nation, one <i>Reich</i>, one leader"), in order to enforce <a href="/wiki/Pan-Germanism" title="Pan-Germanism">pan-German</a> sentiment. The term <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Altes Reich</i></span></i> ("old Reich"; cf. French <i>ancien regime</i> for monarchical France) is sometimes used to refer to the <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a>. The term <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Altreich</i></span></i> was also used after the Anschluss to denote Germany with its pre-1938 post-World War I borders. Another name that was popular during this period was the term <i>Tausendjähriges Reich</i> ("Thousand-Year Reich"), the <a href="/wiki/Millennialism" title="Millennialism">millennial connotations</a> of which suggested that <a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a> would last a thousand years. </p><p>The Nazis also spoke of enlarging the then-established Greater German Reich into a "<a href="/wiki/Greater_Germanic_Reich" title="Greater Germanic Reich">Greater Germanic Reich of the German Nation</a>" (<i>Großgermanisches Reich Deutscher Nation</i>) by gradually and directly annexing all of the historically Germanic countries and regions of Europe into the Nazi state (<a href="/wiki/Flanders" title="Flanders">Flanders</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Netherlands" title="Netherlands">Netherlands</a>, <a href="/wiki/Denmark" title="Denmark">Denmark</a>, <a href="/wiki/Norway" title="Norway">Norway</a>, <a href="/wiki/Sweden" title="Sweden">Sweden</a> etc.).<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Possible_negative_connotations_in_modern_usage">Possible negative connotations in modern usage</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Possible negative connotations in modern usage"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A number of previously neutral words which were used by the Nazis later took on negative connotations in German (e.g. <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de"><a href="/wiki/F%C3%BChrer" title="Führer">Führer</a></i></span></i> or <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de"><a href="/wiki/Sieg_Heil" class="mw-redirect" title="Sieg Heil">Heil</a></i></span></i>); while in many contexts <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Reich</i></span></i> is not one of them (<i>Frankreich</i>, France; <i>Römisches Reich</i>, <a href="/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire">Roman Empire</a>), it can imply German <a href="/wiki/Imperialism" title="Imperialism">imperialism</a> or strong <a href="/wiki/Nationalism" title="Nationalism">nationalism</a> if it is used to describe a political or governmental entity. <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Reich</i></span></i> has thus not been used in official terminology since 1945, though it is still found in the name of the <a href="/wiki/Reichstag_(building)" class="mw-redirect" title="Reichstag (building)">Reichstag building</a>, which since 1999 has housed the German federal <a href="/wiki/Parliament" title="Parliament">parliament</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Bundestag" title="Bundestag">Bundestag</a>. The decision not to rename the Reichstag building was taken only after long debate in the Bundestag; even then, it is described officially as <i><span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Reichstag – Sitz des Bundestages</i></span></i> (Reichstag, seat of the Bundestag). As seen in this example, the term "Bund" (federation) has replaced "Reich" in the names of various state institutions such as the army ("<a href="/wiki/Bundeswehr" title="Bundeswehr">Bundeswehr</a>"). The term "Reichstag" also remains in use in the German language as the term for the parliaments of some foreign monarchies, such as <a href="/wiki/Sweden" title="Sweden">Sweden</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Riksdag" title="Riksdag">Riksdag</a> and <a href="/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a>'s pre-war <a href="/wiki/Diet_of_Japan" class="mw-redirect" title="Diet of Japan">Imperial Diet</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Limited_usage_in_the_railway_system_of_the_German_Democratic_Republic">Limited usage in the railway system of the German Democratic Republic</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Limited usage in the railway system of the German Democratic Republic"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The exception is that during the <a href="/wiki/Cold_War" title="Cold War">Cold War</a>, the <a href="/wiki/East_Germany" title="East Germany">East German</a> <a href="/wiki/Railway" class="mw-redirect" title="Railway">railway</a> incongruously continued to use the name <i><a href="/wiki/Deutsche_Reichsbahn_of_the_GDR" class="mw-redirect" title="Deutsche Reichsbahn of the GDR">Deutsche Reichsbahn</a></i> (German Reich Railways), which had been the name of the national railway during the Weimar Republic and the Nazi era. Even after <a href="/wiki/German_reunification" title="German reunification">German reunification</a> in October 1990, the Reichsbahn continued to exist for over three years as the operator of the railroad in eastern Germany, ending finally on 1 January 1994 when the Reichsbahn and the western <a href="/wiki/Deutsche_Bundesbahn" title="Deutsche Bundesbahn">Deutsche Bundesbahn</a> were merged to form the privatized <a href="/wiki/Deutsche_Bahn_AG" class="mw-redirect" title="Deutsche Bahn AG">Deutsche Bahn AG</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Usage_in_related_languages">Usage in related languages</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Usage in related languages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="In_Scandinavian_languages">In Scandinavian languages</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: In Scandinavian languages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444" /><table class="box-Unreferenced plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Unreferenced" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>does not <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">cite</a> any <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">sources</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Reich" title="Special:EditPage/Reich">improve this section</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Burden_of_evidence" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">removed</a>.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Reich%22">"Reich"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Reich%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Reich%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Reich%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Reich%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Reich%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">October 2022</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The cognate of the word Reich is used in all <a href="/wiki/Scandinavian_languages" class="mw-redirect" title="Scandinavian languages">Scandinavian languages</a> with the identical meaning, i.e. "<a href="/wiki/Realm" title="Realm">realm</a>". It is spelled <b><span title="Danish-language text"><i lang="da">rige</i></span></b> in Danish and older Norwegian (before the <a href="/wiki/Norwegian_language_conflict#Initial_reforms_and_advocacy" title="Norwegian language conflict">1907 spelling reform</a>) and <b><span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">rike</i></span></b> in Swedish and modern Norwegian. The word is traditionally used for sovereign entities, generally simply means "country" or "nation" (in the sense of a sovereign state) and does not have any special or political connotations. It does not imply any particular form of government, but it implies that the entity is both of a certain size and of a certain standing, like the Scandinavian kingdoms themselves; hence the word might be considered exaggerated for very small states like a city-state. Its use as a stand-alone word is more widespread than in contemporary German, but most often, it refers to the three Scandinavian states themselves and certain historical empires, like the <a href="/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire">Roman Empire</a>. The standard word for a "country" is usually <i>land</i>, and there are many other words used to refer to countries. </p><p>The word is part of the official names of Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the form of <span title="Danish-language text"><i lang="da">kongerige</i></span> <span class="languageicon" style="font-size:100%; font-weight:normal">(<a href="/wiki/Danish_language" title="Danish language">Danish</a>)</span>, <span title="Norwegian-language text"><i lang="no">kongerike</i></span> <span class="languageicon" style="font-size:100%; font-weight:normal">(<a href="/wiki/Norwegian_language" title="Norwegian language">Norwegian</a>)</span>, and <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">konungarike</i></span> <span class="languageicon" style="font-size:100%; font-weight:normal">(<a href="/wiki/Swedish_language" title="Swedish language">Swedish</a>)</span>, all meaning kingdom, or literally the "realm of a king" (a kingdom can also be called <span title="Danish-language text"><i lang="da">kongedømme</i></span> in Danish and Norwegian and <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">kungadöme</i></span> or <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">konungadöme</i></span> in Swedish, direct cognates of the English word). Two regions in Norway that were <a href="/wiki/Petty_kingdoms_of_Norway" title="Petty kingdoms of Norway">petty kingdoms</a> before the unification of Norway around 900 AD have retained the word in the names (see <a href="/wiki/Ringerike_(traditional_district)" title="Ringerike (traditional district)">Ringerike</a> and <a href="/wiki/Romerike" title="Romerike">Romerike</a>). The word is also used in "<span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">Svea rike</i></span>", with the current spelling <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">Sverige</i></span>, the name of Sweden in Swedish. Thus in the official name of Sweden, <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">Konunga<u>riket</u> Sve<u>rige</u></i></span>, the word <span title="Danish-language text"><i lang="da">rike</i></span> appears twice. </p><p>The derived prefix <span title="Danish-language text"><i lang="da">rigs-</i></span> (Danish and pre-1907 Norwegian) and <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">riks-</i></span> (Swedish and Norwegian) and implies nationwide or under central jurisdiction. Examples include <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">riksväg</i></span> and <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">riksvei</i></span>, names for a national road in Swedish and Norwegian. It is also present in the names of numerous institutions in all the Scandinavian countries, such as <span title="Danish-language text"><i lang="da"><a href="/wiki/Rigsrevisionen" title="Rigsrevisionen">Rigsrevisionen</a></i></span> (the agency responsible for oversight of the state finances in Denmark) and <span title="Danish-language text"><i lang="da"><a href="/wiki/Sveriges_Riksbank" title="Sveriges Riksbank">Sveriges Riksbank</a></i></span> (commonly known as just <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">Riksbanken</i></span>), the central bank of Sweden. It is also used in words such as <span title="Danish-language text"><i lang="da">udenrigs</i></span> (Danish), <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">utrikes</i></span> (Swedish) and <span title="Norwegian-language text"><i lang="no">utenriks</i></span> (Norwegian), relating to foreign countries and other things from abroad. The opposite word is <span title="Danish-language text"><i lang="da">indenrigs</i></span>/<span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">inrikes</i></span>/<span title="Norwegian-language text"><i lang="no">innenriks</i></span>, meaning domestic. </p><p>The adjective form of the word, <span title="Danish-language text"><i lang="da">rig</i></span> in Danish and <span title="Swedish-language text"><i lang="sv">rik</i></span> in Swedish/Norwegian, means "rich" like in other Germanic languages. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Rijk/ryk"><span id="Rijk.2Fryk"></span>Rijk/ryk</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Rijk/ryk"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><i><b>Rijk</b></i> is the <a href="/wiki/Dutch_language" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a> and <i><b>ryk</b></i> the <a href="/wiki/Afrikaans" title="Afrikaans">Afrikaans</a> and <a href="/wiki/Frisian_languages" title="Frisian languages">Frisian</a> equivalent of the German word <i>Reich</i>. </p><p>In a political sense in the Netherlands and Belgium, the word <i>rijk</i> often connotes a connection with the <a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands" title="Kingdom of the Netherlands">Kingdom of the Netherlands</a> and the Kingdom of Belgium as opposed to the European part of the Netherlands or the provincial or municipal governments. The <i><a href="/wiki/Ministerraad" class="mw-redirect" title="Ministerraad">ministerraad</a></i> is the executive body of the <a href="/wiki/Netherlands" title="Netherlands">Netherlands</a>' government and the <i><a href="/wiki/Rijksministerraad" class="mw-redirect" title="Rijksministerraad">rijksministerraad</a></i> that of the <a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands" title="Kingdom of the Netherlands">Kingdom of the Netherlands</a>, a similar distinction is found in <i>wetten</i> (laws) versus <i>rijkswetten</i> (kingdom laws) or the now-abolished <i><a href="/wiki/Rijkswacht" class="mw-redirect" title="Rijkswacht">rijkswacht</a></i> (lit. "guard of the realm") for <a href="/w/index.php?title=Gendarmerie_*Belgium)&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Gendarmerie *Belgium) (page does not exist)">gendarmerie in Belgium</a>. The word <i>rijk</i> can also be found in institutions like the <a href="/wiki/Rijkswaterstaat" title="Rijkswaterstaat">Rijkswaterstaat</a>, <a href="/wiki/Rijksinstituut_voor_Volksgezondheid_en_Milieu" class="mw-redirect" title="Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu">Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu</a> and <a href="/wiki/Rijksuniversiteit_Groningen" class="mw-redirect" title="Rijksuniversiteit Groningen">Rijksuniversiteit Groningen</a>. The German way of applying <i>rijk</i> is largely followed in Dutch, resulting in <i>Frankrijk</i> (France), <i>Oostenrijk</i> (Austria) and the historical <i>Persische Rijk</i> and <i>Romeinse Rijk</i> for the Persian and Roman Empires respectively. </p><p>In colloquial speech, <i>rijk</i> usually means working for the central government rather than the provincial or municipal government, much as Americans refer to the "federal" government. </p><p>In <a href="/wiki/Afrikaans" title="Afrikaans">Afrikaans</a>, <i>ryk</i> refers to rulership and area of governance (mostly a kingdom), but in a modern sense, the term is used in a much more figurative sense (e.g. <i>Die Hemelse Ryk</i> (the heavenly kingdom, China)), as the sphere under one's control or influencas: </p> <ul><li><i>die drie ryke van die natuur: die plante-, diere- en delfstowweryk</i> (the three kingdoms of nature: the plant, animal and mineral kingdom)</li> <li><i>die duisendjarige ryk</i> (the thousand-year realm, the Biblical millennium)</li> <li><i>die ryk van die verbeelding, van drome</i> (the realm of the imagination, of dreams)</li> <li><i> 'n bestuurder wat sy ryk goed beheer</i> (a manager who controls his domain well)</li></ul> <p>As in German, the adjective <i>rijk</i>/<i>ryk</i> also means "rich". </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Germany" title="Germany">Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_Reich" title="German Reich">German Reich</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Imperium" title="Imperium">Imperium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reich_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="Reich (disambiguation)">Reich (disambiguation)</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-lower-alpha"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Not to be confused with the German <a href="/wiki/Adjective" title="Adjective">adjective</a> <i lang="de"><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reich#German" class="extiw" title="wikt:reich">reich</a></i>, which means 'rich'.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1177148991" /><span class="IPA-label IPA-label-small">German:</span> <span class="IPA nowrap" lang="de-Latn-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/Standard_German" title="Help:IPA/Standard German">[ˈkaɪzɐʁaɪç]</a></span> <span class="ext-phonos"><span data-nosnippet="" id="ooui-php-2" class="noexcerpt ext-phonos-PhonosButton ext-phonos-PhonosButton-emptylabel oo-ui-widget oo-ui-widget-enabled oo-ui-buttonElement oo-ui-buttonElement-frameless oo-ui-iconElement oo-ui-buttonWidget" data-ooui="{"_":"mw.Phonos.PhonosButton","href":"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/transcoded\/0\/0e\/De-Kaiserreich.ogg\/De-Kaiserreich.ogg.mp3","rel":["nofollow"],"framed":false,"icon":"volumeUp","data":{"ipa":"","text":"","lang":"en","wikibase":"","file":"De-Kaiserreich.ogg"},"classes":["noexcerpt","ext-phonos-PhonosButton","ext-phonos-PhonosButton-emptylabel"]}"><a role="button" tabindex="0" href="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0e/De-Kaiserreich.ogg/De-Kaiserreich.ogg.mp3" rel="nofollow" aria-label="Play audio" title="Play audio" class="oo-ui-buttonElement-button"><span class="oo-ui-iconElement-icon oo-ui-icon-volumeUp"></span><span class="oo-ui-labelElement-label"></span><span class="oo-ui-indicatorElement-indicator oo-ui-indicatorElement-noIndicator"></span></a></span><sup class="ext-phonos-attribution noexcerpt navigation-not-searchable"><a href="/wiki/File:De-Kaiserreich.ogg" title="File:De-Kaiserreich.ogg">ⓘ</a></sup></span>; <abbr style="font-size:85%" title="literal translation">lit.</abbr><span style="white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">realm of an emperor</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1177148991" /><span class="IPA-label IPA-label-small">German:</span> <span class="IPA nowrap" lang="de-Latn-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/Standard_German" title="Help:IPA/Standard German">[ˈkøːnɪkʁaɪç]</a></span> <span class="ext-phonos"><span data-nosnippet="" id="ooui-php-3" class="noexcerpt ext-phonos-PhonosButton ext-phonos-PhonosButton-emptylabel oo-ui-widget oo-ui-widget-enabled oo-ui-buttonElement oo-ui-buttonElement-frameless oo-ui-iconElement oo-ui-buttonWidget" data-ooui="{"_":"mw.Phonos.PhonosButton","href":"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/transcoded\/8\/84\/De-K%C3%B6nigreich.ogg\/De-K%C3%B6nigreich.ogg.mp3","rel":["nofollow"],"framed":false,"icon":"volumeUp","data":{"ipa":"","text":"","lang":"en","wikibase":"","file":"De-K\u00f6nigreich.ogg"},"classes":["noexcerpt","ext-phonos-PhonosButton","ext-phonos-PhonosButton-emptylabel"]}"><a role="button" tabindex="0" href="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/84/De-K%C3%B6nigreich.ogg/De-K%C3%B6nigreich.ogg.mp3" rel="nofollow" aria-label="Play audio" title="Play audio" class="oo-ui-buttonElement-button"><span class="oo-ui-iconElement-icon oo-ui-icon-volumeUp"></span><span class="oo-ui-labelElement-label"></span><span class="oo-ui-indicatorElement-indicator oo-ui-indicatorElement-noIndicator"></span></a></span><sup class="ext-phonos-attribution noexcerpt navigation-not-searchable"><a href="/wiki/File:De-K%C3%B6nigreich.ogg" title="File:De-Königreich.ogg">ⓘ</a></sup></span>; <abbr style="font-size:85%" title="literal translation">lit.</abbr><span style="white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">realm of a king</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reich&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626" /><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/reich">"Reich"</a>. <i>Dictionary.com</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192546/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/reich">Archived</a> from the original on 3 March 2016<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">4 May</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Dictionary.com&rft.atitle=Reich&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fdictionary.reference.com%2Fbrowse%2Freich&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReich" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-CALD-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-CALD_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-CALD_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation encyclopaedia cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reich">"the Reich"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Cambridge_Advanced_Learner%27s_Dictionary" title="Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary">Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary</a></i>. <a href="/wiki/Cambridge_University_Press" title="Cambridge University Press">Cambridge University Press</a>. 2013. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180406163814/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reich">Archived</a> from the original on 2018-04-06<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2025-03-19</span></span>. <q><i>the Reich</i> (also <i>the Third Reich</i>) : Germany during the period of Nazi control from 1933 to 1945</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=the+Reich&rft.btitle=Cambridge+Advanced+Learner%27s+Dictionary&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2013&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionary.cambridge.org%2Fdictionary%2Fenglish%2Freich&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReich" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFEvans2005" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Richard_J._Evans" title="Richard J. Evans">Evans, Richard J.</a> (2005). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=CmjBW3lsA84C&pg=PT33"><i>The Coming of the Third Reich</i></a>. Penguin. p. 33. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781101042670" title="Special:BookSources/9781101042670"><bdi>9781101042670</bdi></a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180504181552/https://books.google.com/books?id=CmjBW3lsA84C&pg=PT33">Archived</a> from the original on 2018-05-04.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Coming+of+the+Third+Reich&rft.pages=33&rft.pub=Penguin&rft.date=2005&rft.isbn=9781101042670&rft.aulast=Evans&rft.aufirst=Richard+J.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DCmjBW3lsA84C%26pg%3DPT33&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReich" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-HM-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-HM_7-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-HM_7-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-HM_7-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFTuttle1881" class="citation magazine cs1">Tuttle, Herbert (September 1881). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/sim_harpers-magazine_1881-09_63_376/page/593/mode/1up">"The German Empire"</a>. <i>Harper's New Monthly Magazine</i>. Vol. 63, no. 376. p. 593. <a href="/wiki/Hdl_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Hdl (identifier)">hdl</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://hdl.handle.net/2027%2Fmdp.39015056091245?urlappend=%3Bseq=605%3Bownerid=13510798885173288-619">2027/mdp.39015056091245</a></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Harper%27s+New+Monthly+Magazine&rft.atitle=The+German+Empire&rft.volume=63&rft.issue=376&rft.pages=593&rft.date=1881-09&rft_id=info%3Ahdl%2F2027%2Fmdp.39015056091245%3Furlappend%3D%253Bseq%3D605%253Bownerid%3D13510798885173288-619&rft.aulast=Tuttle&rft.aufirst=Herbert&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fsim_harpers-magazine_1881-09_63_376%2Fpage%2F593%2Fmode%2F1up&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReich" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Grimm, <i><a href="/wiki/Deutsches_W%C3%B6rterbuch" title="Deutsches Wörterbuch">Deutsches Wörterbuch</a></i>, original suggestion from <a href="/wiki/Karl_Brugmann" title="Karl Brugmann">Karl Brugmann</a> <i>grundrisz der vergl. gramm</i>. 1, 65. Also mentioned in e.g. Calvert Watkins, <i>American Heritage dictionary of Indo-European Roots</i>, p. 70.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"> Grimm, <i>Deutsches Wörterbuch</i> cites <a href="/wiki/Conrad_of_Megenberg" title="Conrad of Megenberg">Conrad of Megenberg</a> (<i>fastn.</i> 140.14): <i>ich pin ein konig aus Frankreich.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-TR-N-01-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-TR-N-01_10-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation book cs1"><i>The man who invented the Third Reich: the life and times of Arthur Moeller van den Bruck</i>. Npi Media Ltd. May 1, 1999. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-75-091866-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-75-091866-4"><bdi>978-0-75-091866-4</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+man+who+invented+the+Third+Reich%3A+the+life+and+times+of+Arthur+Moeller+van+den+Bruck&rft.pub=Npi+Media+Ltd&rft.date=1999-05-01&rft.isbn=978-0-75-091866-4&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReich" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Vocab-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Vocab_11-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Vocab_11-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Vocab_11-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Schmitz-Berning, Cornelia (2000). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=9jmWOMks6bkC&pg=PA607"><i>Vokabular des Nationalsozialismus</i></a>. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, 10875 Berlin, pp. 159–160. (in German)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Elvert, Jürgen (1999) (in German). <i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=siuV-6dosWwC&pg=PA325">Mitteleuropa!: deutsche Pläne zur europäischen Neuordnung (1918–1945)</a></i>, p. 325. 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Inc.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.wikimedia.org\/static\/images\/wmf-hor-googpub.png"}},"datePublished":"2001-05-11T12:24:58Z","dateModified":"2025-03-20T12:24:37Z","image":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/2\/29\/Holy_Roman_Empire_1714.svg","headline":"German word for \"realm\" or \"empire\" having negative connotations"}</script> </body> </html>