History 332 – German History -- September 10, 2008  

Frederick II – the Reformer  

I.                   1763 – End of Seven Years War, end of Frederick’s 23 years of war

A.    Prussia – now a major player in the ruthless game of European state politics

B.     Frederick “the Great” as one of Europe’s greatest generals

C.     Prussia virtually bankrupt

 

II.                1763-1786 – The next 23 years spent re-building Prussia

A.    The State: F. insists on EFFICIENT and COMPETENT civil service; Prussia’s Civil Service becomes the best in Europe; Prussia’s army becomes one of the most powerful in Europe

B.     Economics: F. builds roads; drains swamps; encourages commerce; improves agriculture; reorganizes taxes; encourages agricultural experiments (the potato) – Prussia emerges as important economic power

C.     Population: F. encourages immigration into Prussia; boasts that he’ll take anyone, so long as they obey the law and pay their taxes

D.    Culture: F. encourages all sorts of culture – music, painting, architecture, literature

E.     Religion: F. personally dislikes all religion;  to keep the peace, though, he insists on Freedom of Conscience in Prussia

F.      Architecture: building boom in Berlin;  F. builds his royal palace at Sans Souci

G.    Music: F. loves music and encourages musicians.  F. himself writes some 100 pieces for flute (his instrument); in 1747, F. met J. S. Bach and Bach became one of his favorite composers

H.    Philosophy: F. read everything!  He especially liked the scientific philosophy of the Enlightenment.  He and VOLTAIRE were friends; they had an unhappy break-up in the 1750s, but reconciled later.

 

III.             The Partition(s) of Poland – a final foray into International Affairs

A.    Poland in the 1700s – a vast, sprawling, failing state

B.     1772 – PRUSSIA – AUSTRIA – RUSSIA pounce!

C.     FIRST PARTITION OF POLAND

1.      Neighbors PRUSSIA, RUSSIA, AUSTRIA “intervene to keep law & order”

2.      And they also annex large chunks of Polish territory

3.      F. links occupied Polish territory to Brandenburg & Prussia

                  D. Was F. an “enlightened” ruler of these new Polish lands?

·         He accepts Polish as an official language

·         He quickly expands schools, roads, businesses in these territories

       E. But: the population is still largely Polish and not particularly happy to be part of

    Prussia

 

IV. Frederick’s State:  

Contemporary USA		Frederick’s ABSOLUTIST Prussia
EXECUTIVE Chief law enforcer Commander in Chief Elected Term limits Legal limits to power		EXECUTIVE Chief law enforcer Commander in Chief Hereditary monarchy Unlimited authority Powerful Civil Service Powerful Army
LEGISLATIVE Elected Represents the people Checks & balances executive Makes the laws (which the executive is to enforce)		LEGISLATIVE None (in some cities, there are town councils; some counties have Committees of Nobles)
JUDICIAL Adjudicates disputes “Judicial review” – has final word on disputes about meanings of laws INDEPENDENT of Executive and Legislature		JUDICIAL Courts are branches of the Executive Courts have no authority to “check & balance” the executive No independent courts
CIVIL SOCIETY Social activism independent of gov’t Political Parties Free Press Churches Independent Schools Trade Unions Private businesses		CIVIL SOCIETY The only active social group are elite landowners, the JUNKERS Junkers provide the members of the court, the top gov’t officials, the top generals The Church is an “Established” Church NO: independent media, political parties, unions, very few private businesses
A Messy Democracy		A “Rechtsstaat” – a State of Law & Order

 

 

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