Emperor The empire was officially defined as a federation of the member states under the permanent presidency of Prussia. The presidency of the Confederation (Bundespräsidium) was a hereditary office of the King of Prussia. From 1 January 1871 onward, he was granted the additional title of German Emperor (Deutscher Kaiser). Thus, the imperial crown was tied to the office of the King of Prussia. Wilhelm II discovered this at the end of World War I. He believed that he ruled the Empire in personal union with Prussia, and could merely abdicate as German Emperor while keeping the Prussian crown. However, he realized that he could not do so without renouncing the entire constitution, which would have been, in effect, the de jure dissolution of the Empire. Article 11 stated that the emperor had the power to declare war (and make peace), represent the Empire abroad, conclude treaties and alliances, and accredit and receive ambassadors. In the case of a non-defensive war being declared, consent of the Bundesrat was required. Both the Bundesrat and the Reichstag had to approve a treaty and also had to approve laws for it to be ratified. He had other powers: To convene the Bundesrat and the Reichstag (Article 12); the convocation of the Bundesrat was required to take place as soon as demanded by one-third of its members (Article 14). To execute and publish Imperial laws (Article 17). To appoint and dismiss Imperial officials (Article 18). The Reichskanzler (Imperial Chancellor) The Emperor exercised his powers with the assistance of the Chancellor of the Empire (Reichskanzler). The Chancellor was appointed by the Emperor, to whom he was solely responsible. He presided over the Bundesrat and supervised the conduct of its business. The Chancellor had the right to delegate the power to represent him to any member of the Bundesrat. (Article 15) Decrees and ordinances of the Emperor required the counter-signature of the Chancellor to be valid (Article 17). On paper, the Chancellor was a one-man cabinet. In practice, however, the Secretaries of State functioned much like ministers in other monarchies. Legislation Imperial laws were enacted, via simple majority, by both the Reichstag (parliament) and the Bundesrat (Article 5). These laws took precedence over the laws of the individual states (Article 2). Article 13 required the annual convocation of both bodies. The Bundesrat could be called together for the preparation of business without the Reichstag, but not