Prussia through the eye's of Montesquieu

Over the past few years I have extended my studies to governemnt. I have created the speration of powers. I hope to spread my ideas fast and change many more governments. Prussia I hear is slowly adapting to the Enlightenment. While Prussia does not have seperation of powers it does have many other things going for it. First, it has a hereditary aristocracy. In addition, Prussia has divided its social classes just like I did to the French society. However, as an opponent of slavery im not happy with Prussia’s practice of serfdom.

Galileo

I as Galileo have been working hard during my stay in Italy. I have so far found the first four satellites of Jupiter, yet still studying their composition and structure. In addition, my work on the telescope is beginning to transform. Within Prussia, other scientists and philosophers have been working hard on new ideas and experiments. My theories of astronomy have been escalating through Europe over the past few years. My hard work and long hours are surely to pay off, and are beginning new theories for this new era of time.

The Period of Enlightenment in Prussia II

“The Enlightenment, the intellectual movement which advocated reason as the primary basis of authority” (Wikipidia). In Prussia, Frederick II was great ruler who was largely influenced by the Enlightenment. For example, he began encouraging religious freedom; an idea by Voltaire. A strict Calvinist, Frederick II showed his passion for religious freedom by building a Roman Catholic cathedral in Berlin. In addition, he was a strong believer in freedom of expression, also an idea by Voltaire. He proved this by not limiting the number of newspapers and books published in Prussia. Frederick II also made improvements in government during the Enlightenment. In the legal department Frederick II turned to the ideas of Beccaria and abolished torture.

The Period of Enlightenment in Prussia

The influences of philosophers and political scientists such as Condorcet resulted in a new form of government called constitutionalism. Many rulers, such as Frederick II of Prussia, began to change along with the ideas introduced by the Enlightenment. Eventually, the new ideas behind the Enlightenment led to the fall of absolutism and the rise of constitutionalism. Frederick the II encouraged these advancements and supported the spread of Enlightened ideas in Prussia.

Journal Entry from a member of the Clergy

Dear Journal,

I know it has been a long while since I have written, but these past few weeks have been quite hectic; so you missed anything let me catch you up in case. If I have not already told you, Frederick I had built Prussia an amazing and talented army, and now his son, Frederick II, has taken that army to battle. All this violence makes me sick because I know this is not what God wants. I pray to him everyday for the safety and success of our soldiers and he answers my prayers almost everyday. We are doing very well in battle; we have become a Great Power! At least during the fighting and battles of the Thirty Years War we were fighting for religious reasons, but now the fighting has become greedy.
Now let me fill you in on Frederick II. Well first, he is a supporter of religious tolerance and as a strict member of the church I can't say I agree. He wants to give the Jews his full support which is nice but...

Oh no I have lost track of time. I have to go pray, until next time journal.

Your Favorite Clergy

Early Politics in Prussia (Holy Roman Empire)

The Holy Roman Empire consisted of my states. It was originally allied with the papacy but after a long struggle with pope for leadership of Christian Europe its power was weakened. In addition, its power was weakened by the Reformation during the 16Th century because it split the Catholic emperors and German Princes who were on the Protestant side. Also, in 1618 The Thirty Years War began. The Thirty Years War was a long series of wars fought over religion and land and driven by rivalry. The first phase of this war was the Bohemian Revolt. The Bohemian Revolt began when Ferdinand II of the Holy Roman Empire attempted to force Roman Catholic absolutism on his territory but Protestant nobles in Bohemia and Austria fought back. It took Ferdinand five years to win this struggle. At the end of the Thirty Years War the states of the Holy Roman Empire were granted complete sovereignty. Although the church and the empire had their problems they remained closely associated throughout the Middle Ages. For example, German kings were crowned by the pope, a tradition that lasted until Maximilian

The Significant impact of the 18th Century on Prussia

The 1700’s were a significant time for Prussia. During this era Prussia was able to create its infamous army. It was Frederick William I who bestowed upon Prussia an army with military and bureaucratic characteristics. In addition, Frederick William I was able to increase the number of men in the army to 80,000. This was almost 4 percent of the population! Half of his army consisted of foreigners, and the other half was made up of his very own young peasant subjects. When he died he left his son, Frederick II the best trained army in Europe. They were well trained and ready to fight. After having only ruled for seven months Frederick II invaded Silesia, thus beginning Prussia’s participation in the War of Austrian Succession and in the struggle for Silesia. Fighting such a flourished province such as Silesia in these wars gave Prussia great recognition as one of the Great Powers.