How Prussia began as an obsure duchy in Poland, and became a preemient power in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Continuing our series on German Unification, this week’s article focuses on Prussia, the largest of all the German states during the 19th Century. I thought it would be helpful to explain exactly what Prussia is (or was) since it no longer exists as a country.
Prussia began as duchy, and then moved on to be part of the Electorate of Brandenburg. Under Frederick William, the “Great Elector” Prussia was joined permanently with Brandenburg and several other German provinces in Western Europe. Finally, it was incorporated into the German Empire in 1870.
The reason for examining Prussia is simple: without the influence of this very militaristic state, Germany would not have developed the same sense of national pride that it had during the 19th Century. Kaiser Wilhelm II (biography to follow) was very proud of his Prussian heritage. This pride (along with dysfunctional family politics) would play an important role in starting World War I. Prussia’s early history is interesting, in that it was little more than unimportant part of the Kingdom of Poland until the 17th Century. The ruling family, the Hohenzollerns, had little real power. Nevertheless, through chance, military strength and political scheming, Prussia rose to dominate the political sphere of Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries.
