As the title of the article, I chose the aphorism of Kozma Prutkov (Thoughts and aphorisms not included in "The Fruits of Thought"; No. 95). What is its meaning? At first glance, this statement seems strange, made when Prussia was a Kingdom (probably, 60s of the XIX century). But there is reason to believe that people with special historical sensitivity already foresaw that the desire of the Prussian Hohenzollern dynasty to create the German Empire (which happened in 1871) would have tragic consequences. And for Prussia itself, and for Russia, and for many other European countries. Therefore, Kozma Prutkov's phrase can be interpreted as follows: "Prussia should be a Kingdom - not an Empire."
I became interested in the very turbulent and complex history of this country, and at the same time in the relations between Prussia and the Moscow state, which, with poor results, were, nevertheless, an important diplomatic experience for Russia. And why was such a strange name chosen for Prussia?
Origin of Prussia from the Margrave of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia had two German states as "ancestors".
Margrave of Brandenburg
First- This is the Margrave of Brandenburg, one of the most significant principalities in the Holy Roman Empire, which existed from 1157 until the liquidation of the Empire in 1806. Brandenburg developed from the Northern Mark (a border administrative-territorial entity in the early era of the Holy Roman Empire), based on the territory of the settlement of the Slavic tribes of the Wends. The ruling margraves of this state by the Imperial Golden Bull of 1356 received the title of Elector, allowing them to vote in the election of the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Thanks to this, the state was also known as the Electorship of Brandenburg. A key historical event was the accession to the throne of Brandenburg in 1415 by the Hohenzollern dynasty, originating from southern Germany (from Swabia). Thus, the state that united Germany within the framework of the Second Empire was a fringe country, far from the historical core of the German people.
Brandenburg gave the future Kingdom of Prussia a dynasty and principles of state structure and administration; in a sense, this can be considered a legacy of the body.
Teutonic Order - Duchy of Prussia
Second- Duchy of Prussia; a state created from the Prussian possessions of the Teutonic Order. The Teutonic Order of Chivalry became entrenched in the Baltics in the 13th century. The Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order was the Livonian Order (it ceased to exist in 1561 due to the defeat by Russian troops). From the beginning of the 15th century, the Order experienced great difficulties in the struggle against the power of Lithuania and Poland. In 1410, the famous Battle of Grunwald took place, in which the Order suffered a heavy defeat. The rapid decline of the Teutonic state began, which in 1466, according to the Second Treaty of Torun, recognized itself as a vassal of the King of Poland. This important circumstance in the future radically determined the foreign policy of the Teutons, which had the intention of freeing itself from a subordinate position. In 1511, Albrecht of the Brandenburg Hohenzollern dynasty became the Grand Master of the Order. In 1525, Albrecht converted to Protestantism, resigned as Grand Master and announced the secularization of the Prussian lands of the Teutonic Order. The newly formed Duchy of Prussia became the first Protestant state in Europe, but continued to remain in vassal dependence on Catholic Poland, which lasted until 1657.
Unification of the Margrave of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia. Creation of the Kingdom of Prussia
In 1618 a single principality of Brandenburg-Prussia arose. In 1701, Elector Frederick III assumed the Royal title (as Frederick I). Since there was only one King of the Germans within the Empire, Frederick, according to the sanction of Emperor Leopold I, was crowned under the title “King of Prussia” on lands that were not part of the Imperial territories.
The coronation ceremony of Frederick I in Königsberg
Taking into account their ambiguous position (as Imperial princes and Kings of Prussia, not part of the Empire), and also in order not to question the formal sovereignty of the "King of the Germans", the Prussian Monarchs were forced to use the unusual title "King in Prussia" until 1772.
In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was abolished. The title of Elector became meaningless and was also canceled. The Hohenzollerns acquired the normal title "King of Prussia".
Thus, the new state inherited a specific mentality from Teutonic Prussia - the spirit of community, motivated by aggression and adventurism. There would be nothing tragic in this if the matter were limited only to this Kingdom itself, and not later passed on to the German Empire. And the contrast between the Prussians and other Germans was too striking. The Kingdom of Prussia was a German country more or less natural, but the transmission of its spirit to other Germans had a distinctly unnatural character. It was abnormal to drive into endless marching columns of the color of a fieldgrau the businesslike Hanseaticans, the good-natured Bavarians, the merry Rhines; it was also abnormal to make them manufacturers of an unthinkable number of weapons with the classic epithet "colossal".
Hypothesis of the origin of the name of Prussia
And one more circumstance attracts my attention. It looks very strange that the new German state was given a name that, at first glance, comes from an extinct alien ethnonym. Yes, it was the land of the Prussians, but the Germans partially destroyed this tribe, partially assimilated. Why was the country given the name Prussia? And how could this “dead” name have influenced her story if it really was dead?
There is a hypothesis according to which the name "Prussia" may come from the name "Prusius", which was worn by several representatives of the Thracian royal dynasty, which ruled from the 5th to the 1st century BC. in Bithynia (Asia Minor) and in the Balkans. Coming from this dynasty, Tsar Vindevut and his brother Prince Bruten arrived along the Vistula and Neman on the Baltic Sea coast and founded a state there. In the name of Bruten the word "Prus" sounds remotely / In Latin "Prussia" is written "Borussia" or "Pruthenia". In turn, some Old Russian legends ("The Legend of St. Spyridon-Sava" and "The Legend of the Princes of Vladimir") say that Prince Prus (from whom Rurik was born) was the brother of the Roman Emperor Augustus. Octavian Augustus did not have such a blood brother, but he could well have a named brother. Thus, it can be assumed that the Teutons knew about the origin of Prussia from the royal and imperial thrones of antiquity and, apparently, pretended to establish a connection with them themselves through the accepted name of the country. But was this fully justified by the Teutons?
The collapse of Prussia
I think, being a Kingdom, Prussia was quite consistent with historical Providence or destiny. But the German Empire, which grew out of Prussia, was inspired by the disastrous ideology of terry patriotism / chauvinism / nationalism born of the Great French Revolution of 1789 - a turning point in European history. A turn to its future collapse, the loss of your face, your soul, your “I”. This ideology could still bear fruit for Britain, with the unique political sanity of its prime ministers. But not for Germany, which Prussian patriotism-imperialism has plunged into isolation and hostile relations with most powers. Worst of all, the charge of this patriotism blew up Russian-German ties. This is what I grieve most of all.
Less than half a century was measured by the life of the Second Reich created by Prussia. In November 1918, the Kingdom of Prussia, together with the German Empire, ceased to exist. The state of Prussia arose as part of the first Weimar Republic, then the Third Reich. After 29 years, the toponym "Prussia" disappeared from the map of Europe altogether due to the decision of the winners in the Second World War to liquidate the Prussian state. Its lands were transferred to the RSFSR, the Lithuanian SSR and Poland.
Prussia SHOULD be a Kingdom - not an Empire ...
Three images of the Baltic Orders
Russian-Prussian relations
Of all Prussia's relations with Eastern Europe, I am, of course, most interested in her contacts with Russia, beginning with the period of the Muscovite state. The relations of the Teutonic Order with Novgorod, the Galicia-Volyn principality and other East Slavic countries are beyond my consideration. I will only note that I do not feel any enthusiasm about the participation of Russian banners (Smolyans) in the Battle of Grunwald; Russians acted there as subjects of Lithuania. And I do not consider the Battle of the Ice to be an outstanding event in Russian history (all the more, I don’t like the fact that the majority of the inhabitants of Russia had an idea of it formed by the film "Alexander Nevsky", which is a collection of fabrications).
Late 15th - first quarter of the 16th centuries
Let me turn to the period at the end of the 15th century. Muscovy is gradually expanding westward; in this he is hindered by the hostility of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, united by a union. In turn, the Teutonic Order drags out the painful existence of a vassal of Poland. A situation arose that can be described in the words from V. Tsoi's song "Anthill": "Since those who are against those who are against us, cannot cope with them without us." Or the classical principle of diplomacy "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
The Teutonic Order could become one of the allies of the Moscow Grand Duke. The first attempt at contact dates back to 1491, when the Imperial Ambassador arrived in Moscow. He conveyed to John III the Emperor's request to take the Prussian and Livonian masters "into his observance". The ambassador confirmed this request with the message that he has master's certificates, which say that both the Teutons and the Livonians agree to oppose King Casimir, if they are supported by the Grand Duke of Moscow. The embassy was not successful, but the very fact of trying to speak the language of diplomacy is important. With Poland, the conversation was mainly conducted in the language of cannons, reeds and squeaks; the other language was poorly understood by their magnateria and her protégés, the kings.
Diplomatic missions on both sides continued. True, there were few successes, for this is a complicated matter, especially in those times when even the movement of ambassadors presented significant difficulties. But what is important is that the Grand Master began to see a potential partner in the large eastern neighbor. The Russian-Prussian rapprochement, of course, had its own problems, especially for the Order. Russia was a forced ally, somewhat unusual, even inconvenient - and at the same time extremely necessary in the current situation. The order tried not to publicize the imminent rapprochement and was concerned that the Vatican would find out about it. However, the proposal of the Lithuanian prince about a joint alliance against the "schismatics" in 1505 by the Grand Master was ignored.
The earliest of the Russian documents on the history of Russian-Prussian diplomatic relations is the "dangerous letter" of 1511, sent by Moscow to the leadership of the Order (it was already received by Albrecht of Brandenburg). It was connected with the intention of Moscow to start a new war with Poland, which happened in the fall of 1512. European diplomacy immediately intensified. Emperor Maximilian I, who had long fought for the Hungarian crown, which then belonged to the brother of the Polish King Vladislav II Jagiellon, decided to create a broad anti-Polish coalition from the Empire, the Teutonic Order, Russia, Denmark (since the 15th century it was on friendly terms with Russia), Brandenburg, Saxony and Wallachia.
The Grand Master was in a difficult situation: on the one hand, many forces and his own desire prompted him to war against Poland, on the other, he was restrained by his vassalage and his own military weakness. Thanks to the capture of Smolensk by Russian troops in 1514, Albrecht decided to fight the Poles. However, after a while he was let down by the unprincipled policy of Maximilian (typical of the Habsburgs). The Polish King Sigismund promised the Emperor the crown of Hungary, and he immediately changed his position. Nevertheless, the Order did not break the alliance with Moscow, but continued relations with it. The Teutons needed the money they were expecting from Russia to equip the army. Vasily III put forward a tough condition - he will give money only when the Order starts a war. Some funds were actually transferred to the Order's treasury, but the Teutons fought badly. In April 1521, the Order was forced to sign peace with Poland. Albrecht Hohenzollern decided to take a course towards the secularization of Prussia and in this way get rid of vassalage.
So, in the history of the last years of the Order, Russia has played an important role. It is unlikely that Albrecht would have dared to oppose Poland, against vassal dependence on the Polish King without a Russian-Prussian military alliance. Thanks to the support of the Moscow state (primarily by military force in Lithuania, and not by money), the Order decided to attempt an independent policy, which had far-reaching consequences.
As for Russia, for her Russian-Prussian relations in the first quarter of the 16th century became a valuable experience for the future Baltic policy, which was already begun by the son of Vasily III, Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
Second half of the 17th century
For a while, Russian-Prussian relations froze. Ivan the Terrible led the conquests in Livonia, and then the Troubles in the Russian state, naturally, paralyzed diplomacy. Since the middle of the 17th century, Sweden has become an active participant in politics (including military measures) in this region. Poland still retained its power and ambitions. New relations in 1650 began to be built between Russia and the Duchy of Prussia.
In 1654, the Russian embassy arrived in Berlin, which, however, began to demand too directly from the elector the recognition of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich's claims to Little Russia. Elector Friedrich Wilhelm was bound by vassalage to Poland and feared to enter into open confrontation with it. However, soon, after the great victories of the Russian army, Prussia began to draw closer to Russia.
But the Russian-Prussian was significantly influenced by the influence on Prussia from Sweden. Sweden itself waged a war against Poland and along the way captured the cities occupied by the Russians. The military conflict between Russia and Sweden began.
Prussia at that time was a weak and poor country, so it was hard for her to find herself between the millstones of three powerful powers. The tangle of relationships was very confusing. The Prussian duke chose the only acceptable solution in such a situation - to follow the strongest. Such in 1657 was still the Rzeczpospolita, which, recovering from defeats, defeated the Swedes and again pressed hard on Moscow. Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, through negotiations, finally managed to remove the vassal dependence on Poland from Prussia. From that time on, the Elector became the sovereign ruler of the Duchy of Prussia. The estates of Prussia, which had also previously sworn allegiance to the Polish King, "also recognized in the open Landtags his lordship of the Elector from now on as their only real direct ruler and declared their obedience, loyalty and readiness to serve the Elector to the whole world."
The subsequent period of forty years (1657-1697) will be difficult in relations between Russia and Prussia. Nevertheless, the diplomatic traditions laid down by Elector Friedrich Wilhelm and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich were continued by their successors: Elector Frederick III and Tsar Peter I. In 1697-1698, the Great Moscow Embassy took place, during which the Russian Tsar visited Konigsberg for the first time.
Probably, one can assume that it is unlikely that Prussia would have gained independence in the middle of the 17th century if Russia had not started a war with Poland for Ukraine and with Sweden for the Baltic states.
XVIII - XIX centuries. The severance of relations by the beginning of the First World War
Relations between Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia were mostly prosperous. They had nothing to share. The only significant dark spot was the Seven Years' War of 1756–1763. It was then that the "Miracle of the Brandenburg House" took place - in January 1762, Emperor Peter III ascended the Russian throne, who ended the Russian-Prussian conflict on exclusively honorable conditions for Frederick II of Hohenzollern, including returning East Prussia and Konigsberg (who had already sworn allegiance to the Russian crown). Well, patriots can peck Peter for this as much as they want, but I believe that he was right. He could not humiliate a large European country in a situation where there were no insurmountable contradictions between it and Russia (such as, for example, between Russia and the Commonwealth). Russia needed a calm, not an angry neighbor. It happened for more than a hundred years.
Russia's contribution to the liberation of Prussia from Napoleonic rule in 1813 is invaluable. An interesting monument to this role of Russia is the Russian colony of Aleksandrovka in Potsdam.
The Prussian campaign to unite the German lands in the period 1848-1871 would have been impossible without the friendly attitude of the Russian Empire. Chancellor Prince Otto von Bismarck skillfully used Russia to achieve his foreign policy goals. Was the support of Prussia a mistake on the part of Alexander II? - the question is extremely complex, and its discussion is beyond the scope of this post. Even now, from the perspective of the 21st century, the solution to this issue does not seem easy to me. All that is clear to me is that Prussia has completely in vain spoiled relations with Russia by destroying the Union of the Three Emperors; first by the policy of the Berlin Congress, then by the creation of a senseless and unviable Triple Alliance. And for Russia, this meant an equally senseless and unviable alliance of the Entente ...
The mysticism of Prussian history is not subject to rational analysis. It sometimes seems to me that it was Prussia that was chosen by Providence as the instrument of punishing Europe. Punishments for patriotism as a form of obsession with “one's own” (one's religion, one's nation, one's class, one's strength, and even God knows what his own - that is, in fact, on himself).
Photolithography of Prussia at the turn of the XIX / XX centuries
Photolithographs taken at the turn of the 19th / 20th centuries show some of the cities and landscapes of Prussia during the time it was German.
A small remark. Many cities in the former Prussia were renamed: in the USSR, they were naturally given new names - after the names of Soviet persons or generally impersonal - names; in Poland - local names have been restored. In the captions for the photolithographs, I used only German place names. In the Soviet (now in the Russian Federation) part of Prussia, the images show the cities of Konigsberg (Kaliningrad), Krantz (Zelenogradsk), Raushen (Svetlogorsk) and Varniken (Lesnoe). In Poland - Danzig (Gdansk), Zopot (Sopot) and Marienburg (Malbork). The latter was the capital of the Teutonic Order.
I will also note that the Königsberg Castle does not currently exist; Damaged during the Anglo-American air raids, it was finally destroyed in 1967 (blown up) by order of the Soviet government. Now it is possible to look at this famous castle, founded in 1255 by the Czech King Ottokar II Přemysl, only in old paintings and photographs.
East Prussia
West Prussia
Once this state was one of the most powerful in Europe. Many countries of the Old World reckoned with his interests. We are talking about Prussia, which has gone through its own unique path of development. Moreover, the history of the formation and the heyday of this state contains many interesting and remarkable facts. Prussia is primarily a country with a high level of civilization. But she did not become such at once. According to some historians, the Germans turned Prussia into a strong power. It was they who advanced it to several stages of development and expanded its boundaries. So what is Prussia? How did this state formation come about? What role did it play in foreign policy? Why did Prussia disappear from the political map of the world? Let's consider these issues in more detail.
Ancient aesties
Quite a few experts are sure that Prussia is a territory that was originally inhabited by representatives of one of the Baltic-speaking peoples. These were the Esties. They lived on the territory of the Sambia Peninsula, but as a result of the "migration of peoples" they moved westward and ended up on the lands located along the lower course of the Vistula.
The Roman historian Tacitus mentioned the Esthes in his writings at the beginning of the second century. At the same time, there are not so many details about their way of life, since there are very few sources of information - literally a few. It is known that the Prussian people occupied one of the lowest stages of civilization. The Estians were engaged in hunting and gathering. They diligently worked the land to get a grain harvest, looked for amber in shallow water, which they then sold. Representatives of the above-mentioned Baltic-speaking people could not gather powerful military squads, but they managed to give a serious rebuff to foreigners.
This is how the original history of Prussia began. But after Tacidus for the next 8 centuries, no one mentioned the Aestians. Only in the "Bavarian Geographer" they began to appear again.
Why exactly Prussia?
There is no reliable information about why the state, which in ancient times was inhabited by the Esthians, later became known as Prussia. But there are enough guesses. In particular, the monk Gall Anonymous, who was engaged in the chronicle of Poland at the end of the 11th century, suggested that this was the designation of the territory by settlers from Saxony.
They came to the Esthes to hide from Charlemagne, who was hatching plans to seize the "rebellious" duchy. The great scientist Lomonosov argued that Prussia got its name from the fact that it bordered on Russia. Another version regarding the etymology of the above word is that the name of the state was given by a tributary of the Neman River (Russ). According to the Danish chronicler Saxon Grammaticus, the Viking tribes, who in the 9th century sailed to the Estyans in order to plunder, called these lands Rus, which were then renamed Prussia. But this is far from all the versions. In particular, some researchers are convinced that the Aestians were excellent horse breeders, and "Prus" in the Gothic language means "horse".
Attempts to introduce Catholicism
It should be noted that ancient Prussia is a country that for a long time resisted in every possible way the religious propaganda of the Old World, where Catholicism prevailed. Preachers from Europe repeatedly came to the Estates with the mission of Christianization. One of the first to come with a commission from the Pope was the Benedictine monk (Bishop of Prague) Adalbert. At first, the inhabitants of Prussia favored him, since they took him for a traveling salesman. But, having heard a religious sermon from the lips of Adalbert, the Esthians ordered him to go home. In the end, the monk was killed. Then the Pope made another attempt to convert the inhabitants of Prussia to Catholics. On a sacred mission, he sent the Archbishop of Querfurt to the Estonian Empire.
However, this time the mission was failed, and the preacher himself was killed.
Annexation of the crusaders
But even recognizing that Prussia is a religiously rebellious state, the Pope does not give up hopes of realizing his plans. And such an opportunity will be presented to him in the 13th century. Teutonic Order Initiative Polish prince Konrad Mazowiecki and with the blessing of the head of the Catholic Church invades the territory of the Prussians and completely destroys the atheist tribe, which originally lived on the lands of the lower reaches of the Vistula.
Stronghold of the Teutonic Order
In 1255, the ruler Ottokar II built the city of Konigsberg (East Prussia) on the territory of the destroyed settlement of Tvangste. In a little over fifty years, the "Grand Marshal" of the Teutonic Order will settle here. Germans from the most remote territories came to Königsberg for a new place of residence, and soon the city became an integral part of the Hanseatic League.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the Teutonic Order was defeated by the troops of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the future East Prussia could well have lost the city of Konigsberg, which would have passed under Polish jurisdiction. But the rulers of the Commonwealth did not pursue an aggressive policy, but simply made the Teutons their vassal.
Prussian Duchy
However, the Kingdom of Poland in military terms gradually began to weaken, and its control over the previously conquered territories began to fall.
The Teutonic Order is a vivid confirmation of this. Gradually, an elector emerged on its territory, and after a while the Prussian Duchy was formed, which at the beginning of the first half of the 17th century was consolidated with Brandenburg. This is how the future foundation of the German Empire appeared. The influence of Poland on Prussian affairs came to naught in the second half of the 17th century. And at the beginning of the 18th Elector Frederick I was awarded the royal title. He loved luxury and pomp.
Imperial times
The German Empire reached its unprecedented power and prosperity during the reign of Frederick the Great (II). He was able to create the strongest and most numerous army in Western Europe. Most of the treasury was spent on military needs. That is why Prussia began to play almost the first violin (after Russia) in foreign policy. The countries of the Old World were simply afraid to get involved in a war with Frederick. Only the Empress Elizabeth I (daughter of Peter the Great) could compete with the Prussian king. Frederick turned Prussia into a militaristic state with a tough police-bureaucratic regime. His subjects could not even dream of any freedoms and democratic values. It was under Frederick the Great, who initiated numerous military operations, that the territory of Prussia expanded significantly. Let's list the main ones.
Military successes and failures of Frederick II
First of all, mention should be made of the long-term military conflict called the War of the Austrian Succession. The Prussian king managed to join an alliance aimed at destroying the Austrian monarchy.
As a result, Frederick managed to conquer a huge part of the lands in Silesia. The Prussia - Austria confrontation actually began in December 1740. A little over a month later, Frederick's troops were already celebrating victory in the First Silesian War, and then the Prussian troops finally defeated the Austrians near the village of Molwitz.
But the military battles of Frederick the Great in the Seven Years War were not crowned with success. The Prussian king could not fulfill the task of capturing Courland, Pomerania and Saxony. Russia got involved in the war with Frederick the Great and won glorious victories at Groß-Jägersdorf (1757) and at the Battle of Kunersdorf (1759). Moreover, the city of Konigsberg in 1958 became Russian. And in 1760, the troops of Elizabeth I entered Berlin. The victorious war with Prussia promised the expansion of the borders of the empire for the daughter of Peter the Great. But the autocrat died, and Peter III ascended the throne, who idolized his idol Frederick. As a result, Russian troops were withdrawn from East Prussia, and Konigsberg became German again.
Conquests of the 18th century
It should be noted that both Frederick II and other kings of Prussia were concerned with increasing the territory of the Hohenzollern state. In particular, back in 1772, the Russians, Prussians and Austrians captured the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and divided the lands in accordance with the previously signed Convention. The Duchy of Pomerania, the Voivodeships of Malborsk, Pomorsk, Helmins, and part of the regions of Greater Poland passed to Prussia. In 1790, the occupied kingdom entered into an onerous treaty with Prussia, which heralded the second and third partitions of Poland. As a result, Prussia first passed the lands of Mazovia, Kuyavia, Thorn, the city of Danzig, and then the territories to the west of the Vistula, Bug, Pilica, Neman, together with Warsaw and the lands of Lithuania Minor.
After the capture of the Bastille ...
When the French Revolution arrived, Prussia forged an alliance with Austria to restore the Bourbon dynasty. But in 1795, after a series of setbacks, the Germans were forced to sign a separate peace treaty with France in Basel. In 1806, Prussia rejoined the alliance, which pursued the goal of restoring the monarchy in Paris. And after a while the Germans are again defeated, now by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The point in the Prussia-France confrontation was set in 1807, when the Peace of Tilsit was concluded, under which the Hohenzollern empire lost half of its territories. However, after the defeat of the Napoleonic army by Russia in 1812, the previously "selected" lands partially returned to Prussia (Westphalia, the Rhineland, some regions of Saxony).
Foreign policy alliances of the second half of the 19th century
Monarch Wilhelm I helped Alexander II defeat the liberation uprising in Poland, which began in 1863. And shortly thereafter, the Prussian monarch joined Austria to fight Denmark. But already in 1866, Wilhelm I entered into confrontation with his recent allies - the Austrians. He managed to win the military battles against Austria and sever a number of settlements from the Habsburg empire: Schleswig-Holstein, Hanover, Kurfgessen, Frankurth am Main. The victory over the Austrians became a turning point in history: now they could not claim a leading position in Germany, in which the Prussians had become to manage state affairs. In 1867, Wilhelm I agreed to create the North German Confederation.
In the early 70s of the 19th century, Prussia got involved in a war with France, which had a positive ending: the Hohenzollern empire grew into new territories - Eastern Lorraine and Alsace. In addition, the treasury was replenished with 5 billion francs, which were transferred to Welhelm I as an indemnity.
German empire
In the winter of 1871, the creation of the German Empire was officially announced. Moreover, Prussia was assigned a leading role in the management of the new education. The Prussian monarch simultaneously held the post of emperor of Germany, and the minister-president of Prussia was simultaneously the German chancellor. Under the conditions of the emergence of imperialism, the phenomenon of Prussianism entered the political elite of Germany as firmly as possible. Both German and Russian militarists played the first violins in the outbreak of the First World War.
In the fall of 1918, a revolution took place in Germany, the ideologists of which overthrew the imperial regime. Former Prussia is now left without a monarch. The Kaiser's regime fell.
Now power in the state has passed to the Weimar Republic. It is noteworthy that it included a province called Prussia, and it had far from the last influence on the economic and political life of the country.
Mode change
When, in the first half of the 30s of the 20th century, power in the country passed to Adolf Hitler, the political electorate of the aforementioned province was consolidated with the state apparatus of the Third Reich. Naturally, Prussia, like the rest of Germany, rose under the banner of fascist ideology.
The fate of East Prussia
The Great Patriotic War began with an attack on the Baltic countries, and the German army "North" began to conduct it from East Prussia. Only in April 1945, as a result of the assault, the Russian troops managed to capture Konigsberg. As soon as the war ended, East Prussia became a special military district. And at that time 8 military commandant's offices were stationed in Konigsberg.
At a conference in Potsdam, Stalin, Churchill and Truman decided that East Prussia would be abolished. 1945 was her last year. The former German province was divided between the USSR and Poland. The city of Konigsberg became Russian again. And in the spring of 1946, by a special decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, the Konigsberg Region was formed as part of the RSFSR, which was renamed Kaliningrad Region a few months later. The capital of the new region of the Land of the Soviets was the city of Kaliningrad (formerly Konigsberg). Since 1946, immigrants from other regions of the Union began to move here.
Conclusion
Based on the foregoing, one cannot but agree that Prussia has passed a great path of historical development. Sometimes she had wise rulers who were able to create a unique nation, accustomed to economy, obedience and order. But alas, one day the one whose policy led to the death of the Prussian people came to power.
In 1946, Stalin signed a decree according to which 12 thousand families must be resettled to the Kaliningrad region "on a voluntary basis" for permanent residence.
Over the course of three years, residents of 27 different regions of the RSFSR, union and autonomous republics, whose reliability was carefully monitored, arrived in the region. These were mainly migrants from Belarus, Pskov, Kalinin, Yaroslavl and Moscow regions.
Thus, from 1945 to 1948, tens of thousands of Germans and Soviet citizens lived together in Kaliningrad. At this time, German schools, churches, and other public institutions operated in the city. On the other hand, because of the memory of the very recent war, the German population was subjected to looting and violence from the Soviet side, which manifested itself in forced eviction from apartments, insults and compulsion to perform work.
However, according to many researchers, the conditions of close residence of the two peoples in a small area contributed to their cultural and human rapprochement. Official policy has also tried to help eliminate the hostility between Russians and Germans, but this vector of interaction is soon completely rethought. The deportation of the Germans to Germany is being prepared.
The "peaceful displacement" of the Germans by Soviet citizens did not bear effective fruit, and by 1947 there were more than 100,000 Germans on the territory of the USSR. “The non-working German population does not receive food supplies, as a result of which it is in an extremely depleted state. As a result of this situation among the German population, there has recently been a sharp increase in criminality (theft of food, robbery and even murder), and also in the first quarter of 1947 there were cases of cannibalism, of which twelve were registered in the region.
In order to liberate Kaliningrad from the Germans, a permit to return to their homeland was issued, but not all Germans were able or wanted to use it. Colonel-General Serov spoke about the measures taken: “The presence of the German population in the region has a decomposing effect on the unstable part of not only the Soviet civilian population, but also the servicemen of a large number of the Soviet army and navy stationed in the region, and contributes to the spread of venereal diseases. The introduction of Germans into the life of Soviet people through their fairly widespread use as low-paid or generally free servants contributes to the development of espionage. " Serov raised the issue of the forcible resettlement of the Germans to the territory of the Soviet occupation of Germany.
After that, from 1947 to 1948, about 105,000 Germans and Prussian Lithuanians were resettled from the former East Prussia to Germany.
It was argued that the resettlement organized by the Germans during the Second World War, which, in particular, led to the Holocaust, justified this deportation. The resettlement took place practically without casualties, which was due to the high degree of its organization - the deportees were given dry rations, were allowed to take a large amount of cargo with them and were treated in good faith. Many letters of thanks from the Germans are also known, written by them before the resettlement: "We say goodbye to the Soviet Union with great gratitude."
This is how Russians and Belarusians, Ukrainians and former residents of other union republics began to live in the territory that was once called East Prussia. After the war, the Kaliningrad region began to rapidly militarize, becoming a kind of "shield" of the USSR on the western borders. With the collapse of the USSR, Kaliningrad turned into an enclave of the Russian Federation, and to this day retains memories of its German past.
Where is Prussia located?
Prussia is a German state that has repeatedly waged wars of conquest throughout its history. Prussia cannot be found on the map because it no longer exists.
Once upon a time, the lands of modern Germany, located on its eastern borders with Poland, were inhabited by the Prussians - a group of southern Baltic tribes. But in the 13th century. The Teutonic Order (a Catholic spiritual knightly order founded at the end of the 12th century in Palestine during the Crusades) seizes these lands. A strong Teutonic state emerges. It was called Teutonic after one of the Germanic tribes - the Teutons. For three centuries this state was a constant source of troubles for its neighbors - Poles, Lithuanians and Russians. But in 1410, in the Battle of Grunwald, the order, which by that time occupied a significant territory, was defeated.
In 1525, the Duchy of Prussia was formed on a part of the Teutonic lands. In 1618 it merged with the neighboring principality of Braindenburg, and in 1701 the Kingdom of Prussia arose on these united lands. Berlin became its capital. Prussia was ruled by the Hohenzollern dynasty, rulers from Brandenburg.
Prussia owned the territory not only in the areas of the cities of Brandenburg and Berlin, but also the Rhineland with the Ruhr and other lands.
In 1871, large Prussian landowners, led by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, completed the unification of the German lands around Prussia. The Prussian king Hohenzollern became the German emperor. But in November 1918 the monarchy in Germany was abolished, and Prussia became one of the German lands.
After the end of the war with Nazi Germany, Prussia was divided: part of it went to Poland, part to Russia (Kaliningrad region), part remained with Germany.
What are the lands that united the German nation?
The capital of Germany - Berlin - is located in a swampy lowland along which the Spree River flows. In the west and south - east of Berlin there are lakes and oak, pine and birch forests.
Berlin was first mentioned in documents of the 13th century. Like all medieval cities, it was surrounded by a fortress wall, part of which has survived to this day. In the 15th century, when the Brandenburg dukes moved to Berlin, a bear appeared on its coat of arms. From 1701 Berlin became the seat of the Prussian king, and in 1871 it was proclaimed the capital of the united German state. In the 18th century. in the city were built monumental buildings and the symbol of the city - the Brandenburg Gate, at the same time its most beautiful street - Unter den Linden - appeared in the city. Today, next to the old stone houses on Unter den Linden there are modern buildings made of glass and concrete.
After the division of Germany as a result of the Second World War, Berlin became the capital of the GDR (German Democratic Republic). Now the city is again the capital of the united Germany.
Unlike other European capitals, there are no old buildings in Berlin. It was thoroughly destroyed during the Second World War. On one of the main streets of Berlin - Kurfürstendamm - there are the ruins of a church. It is not being restored so that it does not allow people to forget about the horrors of war. Berlin is now completely restored, but its old layout has changed. There are many banks and administrative buildings in the city center. There are many department stores, hotels, restaurants and cinemas on Kurfürstendamm.
The building of the former Reichstag has been preserved in Berlin. It was reconstructed, there are no shell holes or inscriptions made by Soviet soldiers in May 1945.
Berlin is an unusual city. In addition to parks and forests, it has fields and even agricultural land. There is especially a lot of greenery in its western part. There, along the river, there is a chain of lakes where Berliners like to rest, and near new houses you can see a wheat field and a tractor.
To the southwest of Berlin lies the city of Potsdam. In the 17th century. French and Dutch moved to Potsdam. Since then, French churches and Dutch quarters with houses covered with red tiles have remained in the city. Next to them there are Russian log houses, where Russians lived in those days.
Potsdam was the summer residence of the Prussian kings. In the middle of the 18th century. there was built the magnificent Sanssouci Palace, surrounded by gardens. On the main streets of the city, luxurious buildings decorated with sculptures appeared, in which wealthy burghers lived.
The city of Frankfurt an der Oder arose on the old trade routes to the east. And today the Berlin-Warsaw-Moscow railway passes through it.
There are no mineral reserves in the central regions of East Germany. However, Berlin and the surrounding cities have always been large industrial centers due to the fact that they were located in the center of the country, on the trade routes.