Great Elector And Fredrick And Fredrick William example essay topic

The rise of Prussia between 1640 and 1786 happened because of the combination of military, political, and social factors. Three of the kings responsible for the uprising of Prussia were, Fredrick William, "the Great Elector", and Fredrick, and Fredrick William I. The nobility and aristocracy, known as "Junkers", played a dominating role in the Prussian state. The military had grown from 45,000 to 83,000 men, consisting of nobles as high-ranking generals, and peasants as low-ranking soldiers, these factors led to the rise of Prussia. Fredrick William, "the Great Elector", ruled from 1640 to 1688, fifteen years after he came to power his troops occupied Warsaw and he made his debut, when Prussia would there after be considered sovereign under the Hohenzollern family. Fredrick William's son, Fredrick, elector of Brandenburg, became king of Prussia in 1701, receiving recognition from Emperor Leopold I in exchange for military aid in the War of Spanish Succession. Fredrick I dramatically increased the size of the Prussian army and rebuilt the organization of the state around the military establishment.

Fredrick wanted to build a court modeled after Louis XIV of France. Although Fredrick nearly depleted the treasury during his reign, he made the establishment in 1694 of the University of Halle and the founding of the Academy of Sciences. He also encouraged prosecuted Protestants to his land for safety to help assure his treasury. Fredrick William I, son of Fredrick, came to rule in 1713.

Fredrick William I, wise by economy, had military severity, and the establishment of a formidable army, laid the foundation of the power of Prussia. A standing army of 83,000 men, with a population of two and a half million people, Fredrick William I was a great help in the rise of Prussia. Fredrick II, The Great of Prussia, and son of Fredrick William I came to rule 1740 thru 1786. Fredrick II was caused to be in the War of The Austrian Succession because of his claims to parts of Silesia, and desire to take over all of Silesia. The rejection of the offer made at Vienna made his relations with Austria hostile, until he got a portion of Silesia because of legal matters. In 1742 the victory of Fredrick at Czaslau and Chotusiz, and Maria Theresa's desire to rid herself of an enemy, had the Treaty of Breslau and Berlin arranged.

It stated that Austria would let Prussia have Silesia if they paid the debt on Silesia, and were allies from that point. In 1745 the Treaty of Dresden was concluded between Prussia and Austria. It was the ratification of the Treaty of Breslau and Berlin, and Fredrick II recognized Francis I as emperor of Austria. This was the last effecting decision Fredrick II made before 1786. The nobility owned large estates with many serfs and were still dominating Prussia during its rise.

Nobles served as generals in the army and peasants as soldiers. The army was very disciplined, and cruel, often people would desert the army. Since the nobility were kept with a connection to the army, they were loyal to an absolute monarchy. All of the nobility virtues were military virtues, being: duty, obedience, and sacrifice. The peasants were considerably less important than the nobility.

They were born on their lord's estates and spent most or all of their lives in the army. They had few rights and needed their lord's permission to marry. The Prussian civil service was the only opportunity for the middle class to be anywhere on the upper-scale. They would become the ideal of loyal service to the state, and therefore respected as a server of Prussia. The nobles were the main focus during the rise of Prussia. Under Fredrick William I, the army of 23,000 men had turned to 83,000 men.

The nobility was already in charge of peasants that were born on their land, so being in charge of them at battle too wasn't too much of a change from their daily lives. The nobles working as generals commanding the peasants worked perfectly for the leadership needed. The army was based on officer corps, and after 1733 on the cantonal system of peasant conscription. The discipline and athleticism of the Prussian army struck fear into their enemies because they believed it showed they were ruthless, strong, arrogant, and dangerous. The march of the Prussian army was nicknamed, the "goose-step", because the Prussian army had some of the hardest marches ever made, and some of the most unnatural, almost impossible marches. Prussia's professional population-solider relationship turned out thirty times more efficient than its neighbor, Poland-Lithuania.

The seizure of Silesia in 1740 was the prime instrument of policy for a quarter of the century. Fredrick the Great, kept the reputation of his armies by having so many battles, from the Silesian wars, to the Seven Years War. The rise of Prussia during 1640 and 1786 occurred because of the combined use of military, political, and social factors. The military played an important role to the people because most of them participated in the army in some way.

All of the rulers of Prussia from 1640 to 1786 helped the Prussia's economics, military, and social life in some way..