7.3: Prussia

Besides France, the most successful absolutist state in Europe was the small northern German kingdom of Brandenburg, the forerunner of the later German state of Prussia. In 1618, the king of Brandenburg inherited the kingdom of East Prussia, and in the following years smaller territories in the west on the Rhine River. From this geographically unconnected series of territories, the country now known as Germany evolved.

In 1653, the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm struck the “Great Compromise” with his nobles. In return for a military subsidy in the form of taxes, along with the right to make law independent of noble oversight, the nobility received confirmation that only nobles could own land and that they had total control over the peasants on their land. In essence, the already-existing status of serfdom on Prussian lands was made permanent. Serfs could not inherit property or even leave the land they worked on without the permission of their lord. One Prussian recalled being taught that “the king could cut off the noses and ears of all his subjects if he wished to do so, and that we owed it to his goodness and his gentle disposition that he had left us in possession of these necessary organs.”

Friedrich Wilhelm oversaw the creation of the first truly efficient state apparatus in Europe. Indeed, his tax collection agency (which grew out of the war office) operated at twice the efficiency of the French equivalent. The major state office was called General Directory Over Finance, War, and Royal Domains. His son, Frederick I (r. 1688 – 1713), further consolidated the power of the monarchy, built up the royal capital of Berlin, and received the right to claim the title of “King of Prussia” from the Holy Roman Emperor.

Figure 7.4.1: Prussia began as the union of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia, eventually growing to become one of the most powerful German states.

His grandson, Friedrich Wilhelm I (r. 1713 – 1740) concentrated all state power on the military. As a result, the size of the Prussian army more than doubled (from 30,000 to 83,000, making it the fourth largest in Europe). During his rule, at least one person commented that “what distinguishes the Prussians from other people is that theirs is not a country with an army. They have an army and a country that serves it.” Most importantly, Frederick Wilhelm created formal systems of conscription (i.e. "the draft"), and established the first system of military reserves, with reservists drilling for two months a year during the summers. In short, Prussia became the most militarized society in Europe.

Over the course of the eighteenth century, Prussia was embroiled in a series of wars that confirmed its status as a European "great power." Its version of absolutism, centered on the authority of the king, the rights of the nobles, and an overwhelming focus on the military, proved effective in transforming the region into Austria's only serious rival for dominance in Central Europe. Notably, in 1772, Prussia joined Austria and Russia in dividing up the entire kingdom of Poland, extinguishing Polish independence until the twentieth century.