THE RISE OF PRUSSIA 1700-1830 This page intentionally left blank T H E RISE OF PRUSSIA 1700-1830 Edited by PHILIP G. DWYER First published 2000 by Pearson Education Limited Published 2013 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon 0X14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright © 2000, Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Notices Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and ex­ perience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary. 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Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-582-29268-9 (pbk.) — ISBN 0-582-29269-7 (cased) 1. Prussia (Germany)—History—Frederick William I, 1713—1740. 2. Prussia (Germany)—History—1740-1815. 3. Prussia (Germany)—History, Military. 4. Nationalism—Germany—Prussia—History—-19th century. 5. Church and state—Germany-—Prussia—History—18th century. I. Dwyer, Philip G. DD395.R58 2000 943'.05—dc21 00-057560 Typeset by 35 in Baskerville MT 11/13pt CONTENTS List of Maps and Tables...............................................................................viii List of Prussian Rulers....................................................................................................ix Preface...................................................................................................................................x About the Contributors....................................................................................................xii Introduction: The rise of Prussia Philip G. Dwyer...............................................................................................1 The disparate nature of the Prussian state...................................................................4 Religious and intellectual movements: Pietism and the Enlightenment....................5 The rural and urban environment................................................................................8 The state and the army................................................................................................12 Expansion and consolidation........................................................................................15 The French Revolution and Napoleon.......................................................................22 1. Prussia in history and historiography from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century Stefan Berger......................................................................................................................27 Prussian historiography in the eighteenth century....................................................30 Prussian historiography in the early nineteenth century.........................................34 The ‘German vocation’ of Prussia and the ‘Hohenzollern legend’ ........................37 The critics of Prussianism.............................................................................................40 PART ONE: POLITICS, RELIGION AND SOCIETY.....................................45 2. Frederick William I and the beginnings of Prussian absolutism, 1713—1740 Rodney Gothelf..................................................................................................................47 Frederick William I as king.........................................................................................47 Some obstacles to the development of Hohenzollerna bsolutism............................51 Restructuring the central agencies of the state.........................................................56 The expansion of the army.........................................................................................59 Conclusion......................................................................................................................66 THE RISE OF PRUSSIA 1700-1830 3. Piety, politics and society: Pietism in eighteenth- century Prussia Christopher Clark..........................................................................................................68 Philipp Jakob Spener and the origins of the Pietist movement...........................69 The alliance between Pietism and the monarchy..................................................71 The impact of the Pietist movement on Prussian society and institutions ..........84 4. Prussia and the Enlightenment Johan van der Zande..................................................................................................89 The social and political context of the Enlightenment.........................................90 The two faces of the Enlightenment.......................................................................96 Enlightenment institutions and sociability in Prussia............................................100 The debate in Prussia on the Enlightenment..........................................................103 PART TWO: THE RURAL AND URBAN ENVIRONMENT................. 109 5. The transformation of the rural economy in East Elbian Prussia, 1750—1830 Edgar Melton .................................................................................................................Ill Prussian Gutsherrschqft around 1750 ........................................................................Ill Prussian Gutsherrschqft in crisis, 1750-1807.............................................................116 Resolving the crisis of Gutsherrschqft.........................................................................120 The agrarian reforms, 1807-21...............................................................................123 Results of the reforms...............................................................................................125 Conclusion..................................................................................................................127 6. The development of the Prussian town, 1720-1815 Karin Friedrich.............................................................................................................129 The end of the Teutonic Knights’ state and the towns of Royal (Polish) Prussia...............................................................................................132 Brandenburg-Prussian towns and Hohenzollern rule..........................................135 The towns of Prussian Silesia.................................................................................143 The annexation of the .Polish Prussian cities........................................................145 The impact of the urban reform work: the Stadteordnung of 1808 ......................149 PART THREE: THE STATE AND THE ARMY..........................................151 7. Prussia’s emergence as a European great power, 1740-1763 II. M. Scott..................................................................................................................153 The sinews of Prussian power................................................................................153 Prussia’s emergence, 1740—6..................................................................................159 Consolidation, 1746-56...........................................................................................165 Survival, 1756-63....................................................................................................170 VI CONTENTS 8. 1763—1786: The Second Reign of Frederick the Great? H. M. Scott.....................................................................................................................177 Bureaucratic absolutism or personal monarchy?...................................................178 Aping the great powers?............................................................................................186 Conquering new provinces in peacetime................................................................193 The legacies of the second reign..............................................................................197 9. The Prussian military state, 1763-1806 Hagen Schulze................................................................................................................201 Prussia’s geopolitical imperative ...............................................................................203 The position of the nobility......................................................................................207 The French Revolution and its consequences........................................................211 10. Prussia’s army: continuity and change, 1713-1830 Dennis Showalter............................................................................................................220 Geography, diplomacy and Prussia’s military requirements................................221 The nature of the army............................................................................................226 PART FOUR: PRUSSIA, THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON.......................................................................................................237 11. Prussia during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1786-1815 Philip G. Dwyer...........................................................................................................239 Frederick William II and the search for territorial aggrandizement...................240 Frederick William III and the Napoleonic threat.................................................246 A place in the European states-system....................................................................255 12. The Prussian Reform Movement and the rise of enlightened nationalism Matthew Levinger...........................................................................................................259 Eighteenth-century traditions and nineteenth-century challenges.......................262 The project of nation-building in Napoleonic Prussia..........................................265 Legacies of enlightened nationalism........................................................................275 Suggestions for further reading.....................................................................................279 A note on further research possibilities......................................................................299 Index.................................................................................................................................313 VII LIST OF MAPS AND TABLES MAPS 1. Prussia at the death of Frederick William I (1740) 308 2. Prussia at the death of Frederick II (1786) 309 3. Prussia at the death of Frederick William II (1797) 310 4. Prussia at the time of the Treaty of Tilsit (1807) 311 5. Prussia at the time of the Congress of Vienna (1815) 312 TABLES Table 1.1 Relative troop strengths of the European powers 14 Table 1.2 Prussian participation in European wars, 1701-1871 18-19 Table 2.1 Growth of the Brandenburg-Prussian army, 1713—40 59 Table 9.1 Population of the European powers around 1700 205 LIST OF PRUSSIAN RULERS Rulers Reign Frederick William, the Great Elector (1620-1688) 1640-1688 Elector Frederick III, King Frederick I from 1701 (1657-1713) 1688-1713 King Frederick William I (1688-1740) 1713-1740 King Frederick II, the Great (1712-1786) 1740-1786 King Frederick William II (1744-1797) 1786-1797 King Frederick William III (1770—1840) 1797-1840 King Frederick William IV (1795-1861) 1840-1861 King William I, Kaiser William I from 1871 (1797—1888) 1861-1888 Kaiser Frederick III (1831-1888) 1888 Kaiser William II (1859-1941) 1888-1918