Effective administration structures are already an important consideration in 1876 - leading Chancellor Bismarck to unite the post and telegraph administration of the German Empire into one top-level administrative body, the "Reichs-Post und Telegraphenverwaltung," under the direction Heinrich von Stephan. Other reasons for the merger under state control include assertion of the state's sovereignty and control of news communications within the Empire as a fundamental component of national sovereignty as well as ensuring basic, nationwide communication services for the people.