The Rise of Brandenburg-Prussia

Paper Summary:

The paper looks at the broad context within which the elevation of the German-speaking peoples took place. The paper looks at the role the Treaty of Westphalia played in prompting German militarism under the reign of Frederick William I of Brandenburg. The paper explores in detail the policy initiatives and exploits of the three great leaders who turned Brandenburg-Prussia into an aspiring and powerful state: Frederick William I of Brandenburg, Frederick William I of Prussia and Frederick William II of Prussia. The paper argues that all three were driven by a desire to make the country militarily powerful, economically wealthy and with sufficient human resources to allow the fledgling nation to overcome the advantages of its neighbors and rivals.

From the Paper:

"In the eighteenth century, the German peoples of Central Europe still lived within what was then the Holy Roman Empire. That is to say, there was still a Habsburg Emperor, there were still electors (albeit only eight after Bavaria and the Palatinate were joined in 1778) and there was still a Diet which met regularly at Ratisbon (Hayes, 342). Nonetheless, a case can be made that the German territories of the eighteenth century were ones in which the Holy Roman Empire became increasingly dispensable in the eyes of the inhabitants. For instance, the ancient Peace of Westphalia dictated that each German state was permitted to freely make war or peace without consulting the emperor - each prince, in fact, was granted sovereign authority (Hayes, 228). Thus, the political bonds which might have previously bound the German areas of continental Europe to the ancient empire of Charlemagne were vastly weakened - if not fatally undermined."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Darby, Graham. "The 30 Years' War: Graham Darby Examines the Nature and Effects of the War That Dominated the First Half of the Seventeenth Century." History Review, (2001): 3+. Questia.com <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000921247>
• Goldsmith, Margaret. Frederick the Great. New York: Charles Boni, 1929. Questia.com <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=54003681>
• Hayes, Carlton J.H. A Political and Social History of Modern Europe, vol. New York: MacMillan Company, 1916. Questia.com <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=65350496>
• Marriott, J.A.R., and C. Grant Robertson. The Evolution of Prussia: The Making of an Empire. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1916. Questia.com <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=20863093>
• Riches, Daniel. "Early Modern Military Reform and the Connection between Sweden and Brandenburg-Prussia." Scandinavian Studies, 77 (2003): 347+. Questia.com <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5012409012>

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