Frederick the GreatBrandenburg & Prussia – Modern Day Germany

Absolutism

One King, One Faith, One Law

A political theory holding that all power should be vested in one ruler or other authority

Divine Right Primary Source

The state of monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth; for kings are not only God’s lieutenants upon earth, and sit upon God’s throne, but even by God Himself they are called gods... Kings justly gods, for they exercise a... divine power upon earth... God hath power to create or destroy, make or unmake at His pleasure, to give life or sent death to judge and to be judged nor accountable to none, to raise low things and to make high things low at His pleasure... And the like power of kings...

-King James IV/I of Britain, 1609

Europe

Prussia

In the eighteenth century, the first European power to fully adopt absolutist principles was a tiny, more or less powerless kingdom called Brandenburg-Prussia in what is now modern day Germany; as a result of this centralization, it would become one of the most powerful states in Europe.

PrussiaThroughout the sixteenth century, this area was part of the Holy Roman Empire, a disparate collection of semi-autonomous states from northern Germany to Eastern Europe to the Mediterranean. These states were never fully unified politically or culturally.

The rise of the Reformation severely frayed the political bonds between these separate states, and the Thirty Years' War severed them completely.

What was once a significant empire fragmented into an array of tiny, inconsequential kingdoms.

PrussiaAfter the disintegration of the empire, Prussia was transformed through the efforts of Frederick William, or Frederick the Great, the Elector (head of state) of Brandenburg-Prussia from 1640-1688.

He adopted all the strategies that Louis had innovated in France.

PrussiaHis state consisted of two semi-autonomous and semi-hostile territories Brandenburg in the north and Prussia in the southeast.

In order to effect political unity, he built a large standing army (which would eventually become the largest army in the European world), and he built a centralized and ruthless taxation system.

Prussia

In order to manage this army, he put it under the control of a military commission, which not only ran the military but also managed the industries, which manufactured military goods.

PrussiaThis model--later named the "military-industrial complex" by U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower--would become a standard feature of the modern, centralized state.

As in France, taxes were levied only on the peasants and the middle class; the landlord nobility, called Junkers, were exempt.

But although the Junkers thought that they had gotten away with something, in reality Frederick William's centralization of the military and the taxation system drained regional power from the Junkers and placed it in the hands of Frederick William.

Causes of Absolutism in Brandenburg & Prussia

Economy was very weak,

Low population

High unemployment.

Brandenburg and Prussia were not connected geographically, and separated by Poland.

Solving the issues?

Created jobs for the people to boost the economy

Industrialised the country so they could produce more.

Tolerant of other religions

Gave the military a key role in development projects.

Created the postal service to connect Brandenburg & Prussia.

Increased population.

B&P soon regained its pre war level population and also economy grew by 25%.