How Did Prussia Become a Great Power? | Frederick the Great & Enlightened Despotism

From humble beginnings, the Kingdom of Prussia came to be synonymous with military might. Voltaire called it "the army with a state." Prussia's rise began with the union of Brandenburg and Ducal Prussia in 1618, but it didn't become a Great Power until over a century later. Under Frederick the Great, Prussia ballooned in size, but far from being a common warlord, 'Der alte Fritz' was a man of the Enlightenment who brought Prussia into the modern age.
Subscribe for more history:
kzread.info...
Instagram (behind the scenes!):
/ james_king3125
More Videos:
Why Did the Kaiser HAVE to Abdicate?: • Why Did the Kaiser HAV...
How Did the German Empire Actually Work?: • How Did the German Emp...
How Did Austria-Hungary Actually Work?: • How Did the Austro-Hun...
What Caused Division in Cyprus?: • What Caused Division i...
Why Does Qatar Exist?: • Why Does Qatar Exist? ...
Sources Consulted:
Miller, Stuart T. Mastering Modern European History. London: Macmillan Education LTD, 1990.
Lentin, Tony & Frederick II. Units 15-16 Frederick the Great, Letters and Documents. Milton Keynes: The Open University Press, 1979.

Пікірлер: 90

  • @Veriox22
    @Veriox22 Жыл бұрын

    the rise of prussia really was a miracle. from a vassal to poland and a desolate swamp, to the unifier of germany. very well made video.

  • @myhonorwasloyalty

    @myhonorwasloyalty

    Жыл бұрын

    Poland never existed

  • @jojospice3353

    @jojospice3353

    Жыл бұрын

    Prussia wasn't even german in the beginning. It was originally a Baltic country

  • @sebe2255

    @sebe2255

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jojospice3353 The lands of Prussia were, but the kingdom of Prussia in the video was obviously always Germanic (with Significant polish population)

  • @pedanticradiator1491

    @pedanticradiator1491

    11 ай бұрын

    @@myhonorwasloyalty never heard of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth?

  • @granockss9548

    @granockss9548

    10 ай бұрын

    @@jojospice3353 Prussia roots lies in Brandenburg, not the native pruß.

  • @Gorboduc
    @Gorboduc Жыл бұрын

    Frederick's balance between "enlightened" and "despot" is best illustrated by his attitude to freedom of speech: "My people and I have come to an agreement which satisfies us both. They are to say what they please, and I am to do what I please."

  • @absboodoo

    @absboodoo

    21 күн бұрын

    I love his "carefree" attitude regarding most contemporary value of the time.

  • @luckyluciano1584
    @luckyluciano1584 Жыл бұрын

    You should make a video about how the Dutch survived the Holland war

  • @thommyneter168

    @thommyneter168

    Жыл бұрын

    What is the Holland war? I'm from the Netherlands but I'm not aware of a war with that name

  • @TerrierMartello

    @TerrierMartello

    Жыл бұрын

    @Thom Hendriks: The Franco-Dutch War (1672-1678). The Dutch language Wikipedia page lists it as "De Hollandse Oorlog," which translates to "The Holland War." Franco-Dutch War: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Dutch_War Hollandse Oorlog: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollandse_Oorlog

  • @LookBackHistory

    @LookBackHistory

    Жыл бұрын

    The French invasion under Louis XIV? Maybe!

  • @SchmulKrieger

    @SchmulKrieger

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@TerrierMartello right after the Netherlanders left the Holy Roman Empire to form an own imperial Empire.

  • @sebe2255

    @sebe2255

    10 ай бұрын

    @@SchmulKrieger Not an Imperial one

  • @jml732
    @jml732 Жыл бұрын

    The Prussian kings truly managed to build breathtaking cities. Potsdam is an expression of local styles, with French and Italian palaces and villas, Romanesque city planing, as well as Russian- and Dutch architecture. One cannot help but be overwhelmed by the awe-inspiring beauty of this city.

  • @zoomerboomer1396
    @zoomerboomer1396 Жыл бұрын

    Yt Historian about Bismarck:"A disciple of Fredicks school of cold pragmatism" Meanwhile Bismarck:"I'M THROWING MYSELF OUT OF THE WINDOW IF I DON'T GET MY WAY"

  • @LookBackHistory

    @LookBackHistory

    Жыл бұрын

    Lol, I was thinking more in regards to foriegn affairs.

  • @samdaman2939
    @samdaman2939 Жыл бұрын

    This is amazing. I'm still suprised you have less subs than you should. You clearly take time when it comes to these videos and focus on knowledge to teach others what you know. Keep up these videos. They are amazing.

  • @LookBackHistory

    @LookBackHistory

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks, that's the goal!

  • @anti-spiral159
    @anti-spiral159 Жыл бұрын

    Great video, I hope you rise and collaborate with other youtubers!

  • @Kackpuh
    @Kackpuh Жыл бұрын

    "He ran the kingdom well enough, though." Possibly the greatest understatement of the century. Friedrich Wilhelm I. pretty much built Prussia and laid all the foundations of it. As well as building upon those. Friedrich II. mostly just used what his father provided, even though he used it well.

  • @sebe2255

    @sebe2255

    Жыл бұрын

    I wouldn’t say he used it well. He was in a completely hopeless situation and was even willing to cede east prussia to Russia just to make peace with them. He got incredibly lucky with the Tsarina dying and her Prussiaboo son taking over. If that hadn’t happened he would have been a complete failure

  • @JaydenNunez-oz7ll
    @JaydenNunez-oz7ll9 ай бұрын

    3:53 - his conquest of Silesia during the war was probably his most impactful military victory. 4:25 - concluding the treaty with Maria Theresa that saw Silesia ceded to him in 1742. 4:39 - 1741, the 1745 battles of Hohenfriedberg and Soor proved the power of Frederick’s cold analytical style of leadership. 5:08 - Acquiring Silesia was a game changer. It was the largest expansion made by the Hohenzollern dynasty to that point, increasing Frederick’s subjects by 50% and his state revenue by a third.

  • @ConstantineTheFirst
    @ConstantineTheFirst Жыл бұрын

    i love your work keep doing this great job !!!!! btw video idea :what was the opinion of britain to monarchies becoming republics (or the monarchs of britain)

  • @LookBackHistory

    @LookBackHistory

    Жыл бұрын

    Good question! Definitely an interesting topic.

  • @garvjuice2
    @garvjuice2 Жыл бұрын

    finallly someone explains this, i have been tryna find a video like this

  • @LookBackHistory

    @LookBackHistory

    Жыл бұрын

    Happy to help!

  • @thorpeaaron1110
    @thorpeaaron1110 Жыл бұрын

    You should definitely do a video on the Belgian Revolution.

  • @emilianohermosilla3996
    @emilianohermosilla3996 Жыл бұрын

    Look back history’s always so great! Hahah

  • @axelven8080
    @axelven8080 Жыл бұрын

    U should do a video on Tuetons and livnonians and Kazkhstan

  • @Kackpuh
    @Kackpuh Жыл бұрын

    One further correction: Friedrich II didn't see himself as "personification of the state", that would be other absolute monarchs, he saw himself as the first servant of his state, appointed to this position by God (yes, you still can see his deep religiousness). The difference wasn't the "God" part but the "who is here to serve whom" part.

  • @tahamuhammad1814
    @tahamuhammad1814 Жыл бұрын

    Napoleon was Corsican Hitler was Austrian Stalin was Georgian See a pattern?

  • @thelvadam2884

    @thelvadam2884

    Жыл бұрын

    Hitler very much was german , many German speaking people viewed themself as germans not austrians , and also really just were germans. Prussia , Austria , Bavaria etc all are german , just not always have been part of germany.

  • @tahamuhammad1814

    @tahamuhammad1814

    Жыл бұрын

    @@thelvadam2884 when did I say Hitler wasn't german, I just said that he was originally Austrian.

  • @vetarlittorf1807

    @vetarlittorf1807

    8 күн бұрын

    Austrians ARE Germans. For the same reason Bavarians are Germans.

  • @thelvadam2884
    @thelvadam2884 Жыл бұрын

    thank you for making this Video ! Frederick the great / Friedrich Der Große , is often very much underrated, with Prussia rose to great power status , and that is what made it even possible to at the end unify Germany in the long run.

  • @balabanasireti

    @balabanasireti

    Жыл бұрын

    Underrated 🤓

  • @sebe2255

    @sebe2255

    Жыл бұрын

    I think he is very overrated. He got his country involved in a war they couldn’t win, and only managed to succeed because of pure luck (Tsarina’s death and Peter III being a prussiaboo

  • @thelvadam2884

    @thelvadam2884

    Жыл бұрын

    @Sean Baggen he didn't even start that war tho.....

  • @sebe2255

    @sebe2255

    Жыл бұрын

    @@thelvadam2884 Didn’t say he did

  • @micahistory
    @micahistory Жыл бұрын

    nice video

  • @mrkalaspuff_3866
    @mrkalaspuff_3866 Жыл бұрын

    Video idea/Video suggestion: Rise of the ottomans

  • @achourfreepalestine
    @achourfreepalestine Жыл бұрын

    0:17 bro really deleted the ottomans out of the map

  • @jtgd

    @jtgd

    Жыл бұрын

    I mean he also didn’t highlight Poland

  • @TheAustrianAnimations87

    @TheAustrianAnimations87

    Жыл бұрын

    Other great powers weren't shown on the map either, but that's because they weren't so important.

  • @achourfreepalestine

    @achourfreepalestine

    Жыл бұрын

    @@TheAustrianAnimations87 oh I'am sorry I didn't mean the map but when he was counting them

  • @someonethatlikesyou7713

    @someonethatlikesyou7713

    Жыл бұрын

    the great powers of europe were austria,russia,france and great Britain the ottomans in the other hand they have been declined like polish-lithuania

  • @Megalodon_Megumer
    @Megalodon_Megumer Жыл бұрын

    Make more videos about Romania

  • @jtgd
    @jtgd Жыл бұрын

    Can you make a video on why Prussia, rather than Bavaria ?

  • @ellidominusser1138

    @ellidominusser1138

    Жыл бұрын

    Prussia was militaristic and expansionist as a result of reforms in the 17th and 18th century which were caused by the 30 years war in 1618-48 that destroyed germany and half it's population. Basically, some guy made Prussia a Military with a state, and no other german state was as eager or had as strong of an army as the prussians. Bavaria just wasn't militaristic

  • @sebe2255

    @sebe2255

    Жыл бұрын

    Bavaria was an underdeveloped agricultural region

  • @jesuschrist2268
    @jesuschrist2268 Жыл бұрын

    2:19 based

  • @CliffCardi
    @CliffCardi Жыл бұрын

    When a Prussia Fanboy suddenly becomes the Russian Czar just when your army is about to collapse on 3 fronts

  • @colindaniels945
    @colindaniels9452 күн бұрын

    As I recall, the partitions of Poland were suggested by Russia as a way to appease Austria and Prussia. See, Austria and Prussia were growing nervous/concerned about Russia's increasing influence in the Ottoman Empire, nevermind all the territory they were taking from it.

  • @juliusvillalon6816
    @juliusvillalon68163 ай бұрын

    Frederick the great is the real life Gustavo Fring

  • @abdullahdaniyal114
    @abdullahdaniyal114 Жыл бұрын

    Prussia was just pure Gigachad state.

  • @papazataklaattiranimam
    @papazataklaattiranimam Жыл бұрын

    Pussia👀

  • @djinnglebells241
    @djinnglebells241 Жыл бұрын

    2:40 “possible lover” tbh probably lover is more accurate. You can joke about how gay Fred G was but a lot of the things we’d call gay today were aristocratic standard then. The only thing we can say was out of the norm was he liked hot dogs more than hamburgers, at least judging by stories of how he interacted w/ his wife.

  • @historian252

    @historian252

    Жыл бұрын

    Nah it really wasn't.

  • @Argacyan

    @Argacyan

    26 күн бұрын

    There's some things people today call gay which were standard then, but most of what they did together was gay back then. It's wasn't aristocratic standard, that's why they executed his love & Friedrich's life too was up in the air, in terms of punishment in that moment.

  • @ordomachinum4016
    @ordomachinum4016 Жыл бұрын

    Fredrick the second was a G

  • @thedyingpictureproductions2304
    @thedyingpictureproductions2304 Жыл бұрын

    So, what's your citation for Frederick's view of being a philosopher king? Or is that your opinion on what a philosopher king is? Cuz either way that is an extremely skewed and, basically, utterly false interpretation of Plato's philosopher king.

  • @LookBackHistory

    @LookBackHistory

    Жыл бұрын

    You're of course entitled to your opinion. My primary source for this video was a book containing a collection of quotes from Frederick, listed in the description.

  • @user-ry2qs7xf9k
    @user-ry2qs7xf9k9 ай бұрын

    Gog and Magog.

  • @Shi4Shi
    @Shi4Shi Жыл бұрын

    Simple terms: A shit ton of Frederick The Greats.

  • @jpj77263
    @jpj77263 Жыл бұрын

    Not perfect, but I have seen much worse, e.g. from Extra History. Keep it up!

  • @GreenPoint_one
    @GreenPoint_one Жыл бұрын

    I wanna bring back the old glory of prussia even if that takes a 1000 years

  • @closetglobe.IRGUN.NW0
    @closetglobe.IRGUN.NW0 Жыл бұрын

    It got saved by the russian empire by destroying napoleon's army

  • @commiecat5879
    @commiecat58799 ай бұрын

    Even the average French peasant can dominate France, and Austria fell over in a stiff breeze so I wouldn’t really call Prussia great. sure briefly influential in Europe but little else.

  • @CMitchell808

    @CMitchell808

    8 ай бұрын

    Not even attempting accuracy.

  • @commiecat5879

    @commiecat5879

    8 ай бұрын

    @@CMitchell808 Finland is the true successor state to the Roman Empire

  • @scibanana3542
    @scibanana3542 Жыл бұрын

    By making France not great

  • @haslamabad_
    @haslamabad_ Жыл бұрын

    based gay man

  • @jml732

    @jml732

    Жыл бұрын

    Ja, this is how we Berlin-Brandenburgers see our local hero v:

  • @Ciech_mate
    @Ciech_mate Жыл бұрын

    Prussia was a German colony like Australia is to Britain

  • @LookBackHistory

    @LookBackHistory

    Жыл бұрын

    Uhh, you're gonna have to explain that one to me.

  • @Ciech_mate

    @Ciech_mate

    Жыл бұрын

    @@LookBackHistory they moved to Prussia from modern west Germany. Killed the inhabitants and took the resourses. They don't belong there as much as whites don't belong in for example SA. By don't belong, I mean aren't native to that region. They conquered the native people.

  • @JohnSmith-zs9vr

    @JohnSmith-zs9vr

    Жыл бұрын

    Nah, I would rather compare Prussia to British India. The British East Indian Company was so strong that it managed to colonise a faraway indian region all by itself, acting there independently from the United Kingdom. And so it created a faraway base which eventually became a pivotal part for the entirety of Britain. Just like Prussia (the actual one, excluding Brandenburg): a region once colonised by the german Teutonic Knights who acted there all on their own, independently from the Holy Roman Empire. Although it's more accurate to say that this colony was only East Prussia. West Prussia was a polish region briefly conquered by the Teutonic Knights striking at Poland from East Prussia.

  • @sebe2255

    @sebe2255

    10 ай бұрын

    @@LookBackHistoryProbably because it was actually settled by various Germanic people from the Holy Roman as it was initially Slavic and Baltic

  • @Argacyan

    @Argacyan

    26 күн бұрын

    @@sebe2255 The population of the region changed over the ages, and "initially" very much included first East Germanic tribes and later north germaic Scandianvians as well as west germanic people. The idea of selling the region as "slavic and baltic" was a Cold War era addage to sell ethnic cleansing easier - and it succeeded in doing so. That is with it being the case that yes, later during the early modern period settlers were invited from western europe, mostly the HRE but going as far west as Scottish immigrants settling in the area. Most slavs in this place, especially today, have less of a history with any relationship whatsoever than the Germanic people who used to live in the area - the slavic settlers were resettled from Polish areas taken by the Soviet administration & annexed into Ukraine & Belarus.

  • @dorktriogamer2865
    @dorktriogamer28655 ай бұрын

    AND THEN THE BASTARDS PUT HIM IN THE GROUND NEXT TO HIS FATHER