Prussia rose to power in the late 1600s. Prussia’s ruling family, the Hohenzollerns, also had ambitions. Those ambitions threatened to upset central Europe’s delicate balance of power. The Hohenzollerns built their state from a number of small holdings, beginning with the German cities of Brandenburg and Prussia. In 1640, a 20-year-old Hohenzollern named Frederick William inherited the title of elector of Brandenburg. Frederick William decided that having a strong army was the only way to ensure safety, after seeing the destruction of the Thirty Years’ War. To protect their lands, the Great Elector and his descendants moved toward absolute monarchy.
Before Frederick took charge Prussia was not a country. It was broken into separate territories. France and England had become very powerful in the 1600's and Prussia felt endangered. Frederick's father Frederick the I was the elector of Prussia. When Frederick came to power his goal was to make Prussia a country. He believed that good government was rational but also authoritarian. Frederick was the first modern organizer. He put most of the country's wealth intro the military. He believed that the key to a country's wealth was through its military. 80% of Prussia's income went to the military. Prussia selected people for the military through the draft. Eventually Frederick died and left the kingdom to his son. Frederick the great was left with a 72,000 person military. This was a great deal of people for such a little country. Prussia only had 2,000,000 people.
The Inquisition run by Tomas de Torquemada persecuted other religions and was a base of counter-reformation
German princes yearned for land, power, and wealth and the ideas Lutheranism contained gave them all of that. Lutherans believed that taxes should be paid to the rulers of the land, which would be the German Princes, instead of the church, like Catholics believed in. Also, if the Lutheranism was to be the true religion then the princes would own all of the church’s land. This was enough for them to support Luther. Free Cities, or imperial cities are cities that are not controlled by a prince. Merchants, lawyers, and literate folk made up the majority of these towns. Residents of
Britain obtained Prussia as her ally, but you might ask, why? Surely you can’t fuel Frederick’s massive army any more? Pitt the Elder argued though that while true...
The Rise in Political Power of 17th Century England and France In the seventeenth century, the political power of the Parliament in England, and the Monarchy in France increased greatly. These conditions were inspired by three major changes: the aftermath of the reformation, the need for an increased governmental financing, and the reorganizing of central governments. These three points were each resolved in a different way in both England and in France. The first major point which eventually increased political power was
Towards the end of the sixteenth century, the Thirty Years War was coming to an end. The Thirty Years War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts, as well as the deadliest European religious war, in history. Ending with the Peace of Westphalia, the war resulted in an end to religious warfare. It also, unintentionally, gave rise to a new type of monarch. The New Monarch worked to unify their nations and create stable and centralized governments. New Monarchs such as Louis XIV, Peter the Great, and Ferdinand III were known for creating a more centralized government. Centralization was the concentration of authority on a single source and was necessary for magisterial absolutism. A monarch was an absolute monarch when they had absolute
Political structure at that time led to Bismarck's success in war. With the untimely death of the Danish King, Christian VII, both Schleswig and Holstein refused to recognize the dynastic succession of the Danish King Frederick VII and appealed to the Frankfurt Assembly for recognition of Schleswig-Holstein as an independent German state, free from the Danish crown (doc2). With the declaration of an all-German war on the Kingdom of Denmark by the Frankfurt Assembly, Prussia immediately prepared a small military force to fight for the independence of Schleswig and Holstein (docs3,4). Prussia's aid proved victorious with the Danish defenses easily besieged (doc5). The English heard about the success of Prussia and of their preparations for an invasion of Jutland.
In contrast in Germany, kings seem unable to keep a reign on their crown as well as their nobles and other officials. ("HISTORY OF FEUDALISM." HISTORY OF FEUDALISM. ) The structure seems to fall over due to the nobility’s places as second in the Feudalism structure. But in some cases the nobility actually had more money and power than the king himself. This and as well as the other problems discussed would eventually lead to taxing and ruling from a central place, slowly becoming the norm. But, although the system seems to fall apart its customs seem to be made use to other places.
Fredericksburg was established under the guidance of John Meusebach in 1846, caused by the German immigration to escape the political turmoil and economic uncertainty the German people looked for a new start in the new world. Traveling for the first time west towards Fredericksburg I found my breath taken by beauty of the plains and hills that fill the skyline, when I crossed through the road almost carved into the hills surrounding it allowing you to see up close the many different layers in the hill itself. When I reached the town I found myself taken by how small in size and compact the town truly was, though I had been told that it was rather small I thought for as much tourism that it hosts.
Absolutism affected the power + status of the European nobility depending on the country in which they lived. In England the power of the nobility increases due to a victory in the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution of 1658. However, in France, Louis XIV¡¯s absolutist regime decreased the powers of the noble but heightened their material status. In Russia and in Prussia, the absolutist leaders of those countries modernized their nations + the nobility underwent a change, but it retained prestige + power.
He brought in the Carlsbad Decree, banning the teaching of nationalism and liberalism. Lecturers were expelled for teaching nationalism and students were not allowed to talk about liberal and nationalist ideas. On the other hand, the second most powerful Germanic state, Prussia was open to the idea of liberalism and nationalism. Prussia welcomed the idea of one German nation. Other states grew closer to Prussia and an economic union called Zollverein was created that did included Austria in it. This economic union allowed Prussia to improve its economic situation and its military. An attempt to unify Germany was made in 1848, which ended up in a partial failure. The 1848 attempt made it clear that the German’s wanted Germany without Austria. The attempt was partially a failure because Prussian king did not take the title of German Emperor since the commoners were giving it and it made the Prussian King feel
The European expansion into the Western Hemisphere in the 15th and 16th centuries was a great advance for most of human civilization. There are several reasons this was an advancement of the human race, such as it laid the groundwork for new politics and a more diverse economy. The expansion is also important because the migration of the Europeans into the Western hemisphere was the first of its kind. The expansion brought new people, culture and ideas. Another reason this is an advancement is that it expanded the economic system, which is important because it made more people wealthy and shifted the economy away from a feudal system. However, socially, the expansion into the Western hemisphere made the settlers develop views of superiority over the natives. In conclusion, the European expansion in the 15th and 16th centuries had many positive effects on the Europeans and its settlers, but affected natives negatively.
European power rose so dramatically between the 16th and the 19th centuries that every other part of the world had to adapt or go under. The social order was expanding and transforming like never before, a Renaissance was taking place. This enligh tenment began revolutionizing and shifting the power structures of the world. Many countries began altering their sea routes with new technologies, as a result, they gained additional trading, exchanging, and subsequently began dominating the new worlds they encountered. These countries were, propelling themselves into prosperous, wealthy and powerful positions. Having dominance in addition to power, formed new ways to claim land, set up ports of trade, and created colonies either formerly or informally. Generating, commerence, land, and influence for those
The exercising of state power during the seventeenth century has undergone a paragon shift; all thanks to the revolutions of the time. During the seventeenth century, many of the nations were ruled by monarchies, much of whom had absolute control. The kings of these nations usually were considered to have the authority of God and their control was widespread. The only way that a leader would change is by inheritance or war. The society was based around aristocracy where people were divided from the peasants to the nobles. Whatever level you were born into, you were most likely going to stay in that level for the rest of your life. This divide is still here today but today, you do have the ability to raise your stature.
The Congress of Vienna in 1814-15 created the so-called German Confederation under Austrian and Prussian hegemony, but this unit disappointed the dreams of nationalists. The rivalry of Austria and Prussia paralyzed it in a way comparable to the effects of Soviet-American dualism on the United Nations during the Cold War. Almost everywhere, the old rulers repressed the nationalist movement after 1815. The German princes realized that nationalism required ...