However, if we put this system in the historical background of Prussia's rise, we will find something unusual. Today, people can criticize Frederick II for "strengthening the autocratic system of military landlords and promoting slave education to his subjects" in Prussia. This is a retrogression in history, but it ignores the most basic fact, that is, the pillar of the Prussian kingdom at that time was nobles, and the strength of nobles was to occupy vast real estate and exploit serfs. From this point of view, without serfdom, there would be no brave, and without the support of brave, the powerful Prussian monarchy would only be empty talk. Pursuing mercantilism and paying attention to economic development, Germany's main rivers entering the sea northward, such as Rhine, Weser, Elbe and Oder, all flow through Brandenburg, which gives Prussia a favorable geographical position for economic development.
The rulers of Prussia also regarded industry and commerce as important wealth. They dug canals, built bridges and roads, unified the monetary system and implemented measures to protect tariffs to develop the economy.
At the same time, Prussia also pays attention to exploring overseas markets. 1788 has exported pig iron 10 1000 tons to Britain. By 1980s, Prussia had established three trading companies: Eastern Mediterranean Trading Company, China Trading Company and Bangladeshi Trading Company. The religious reform of encouraging immigrants and accepting Protestant Martin Luther, as well as the victory of the German Protestant Union in the Thirty Years' War, made Prussia a a paradise on earth for those who escaped religious persecution in Europe at that time.
By 1703, about 20,000 Huguenots had moved from France to Brandenburg to settle down, accounting for 1/9 of the urban residents at that time. These people are all skilled craftsmen or businessmen with certain capital. As a result, French industry and commerce suffered serious losses, while Prussia benefited from it. In addition to French immigrants, immigrants from other countries also poured in.
According to statistics, by 1740, the population of Prussia was 2.4 million, of which only foreign immigrants accounted for 1/4, reaching 600,000. Brandenburg was the hardest hit area in the Thirty Years' War. Immigrants injected great vitality into its revival, which enabled Prussia to achieve economic recovery and take-off earlier than other German states. The rulers had a strong sense of hardship and little corruption, which was quite different from the extravagant style prevailing in the European royal family at that time. In order to save valuable military and government expenses, several generations of Prussian rulers lived a puritanical frugal life that was almost masochistic. For example, when Friedrich II's father, William I (who later shared the same name), was in power, the meanness of Prussian diplomatic envoys was "well known" in Europe. The distinguished members of the royal family, whether they are princes or princesses, even princesses or even the king himself, are poor in cooking and food, almost to the point where they can't eat. Because frugality has reached the point of meanness, people call William I "the beggar king" behind his back. The ruling class followed the trend and promoted various reforms in a timely manner. The ruling class in Prussia is not as conservative as the feudal nobles in other European countries and stubbornly refuses all changes. They are good at sizing up the situation, pushing forward the reform from top to bottom (forced by the situation, of course), and firmly controlling the leading power of the reform, so as to conform to the historical trend and avoid relegating themselves to power. Different from the reform of Habsburg dynasty in Austria, most kings in Prussia were able to persist in the reform rather than give up the achievements of their predecessors, which not only ensured the consistency of Prussia's major policies, but also kept the whole country upward all the time.
Take the reform of serfdom in Prussia as an example. During the Napoleonic Wars, Prussia suffered successive defeats and almost perished. The fiasco of the war and the signing of the humiliating peace treaty made Prussians more and more aware of the decline of serfdom society from the contest between feudal Germany and capitalist France. A group of people of insight, deeply influenced by the bourgeois ideology of Britain and France, loudly called for the reform of the old feudal order. In this grim situation, Prussia began a difficult reform.
1807 10 Baron Stein, who is in charge of state affairs, promulgated the October Decree to liberate farmers, which finally made Prussia take a big step on the road from feudal serfdom to bourgeois society.
However, the first round of reform was not thorough, which made the bourgeois liberals in Prussia very dissatisfied with Juncker's continued possession of a large amount of land and manpower, so they once turned to * * * to oppose the monarchy in the European 1848 revolution. In order to consolidate political power, collude with each other and coordinate interests, the government of Yongke landlord class promulgated the Law on Adjusting the Relationship between Landlords and Peasants in March 1850, thus finally completing the reform of serfdom that began in 1807.
As a result of the reform, the capitalists got the cheap labor necessary for the development of large industries, and the bourgeoisie was satisfied with the monarchy; By collecting high ransom from serfs, a large number of ceded land and wealth quickly accumulated in Juncker's hands, and the landlord class also made a windfall; Only farmers went bankrupt, lost their land and livestock, became semi-proletarians in large numbers, and then became hired workers in capitalist factories and Yongke Manor. This "experience" of the Prussian ruling class provided an excellent "model" for the later 186 1 Russian serfdom reform. The awakening of German national consciousness and the rise of Prussia are the most important factors. The German nation has a strong desire to rejuvenate the country, which has been caused for hundreds of years. Since16th century, due to division, the German nation is not a political entity in the eyes of Europeans, but also regarded as a lifeless nation. It is this long-term humiliation and contempt that inspired the Germans' enterprising spirit of self-improvement and internalized it as the source of strength for Prussia's rise.
It is precisely because of this spirit that they are urged to learn advanced things from foreign countries and vigorously set up education. In this respect, the achievements of the Kingdom of Prussia are most praised by later generations-in order to implement nationalist education, Prussia began to implement compulsory national education from 17 17, becoming the first country in the world to implement compulsory education. It is worth noting that in 1763, Friedrich II promulgated the school regulations, stipulating that children aged 5- 14 must go to school, and appointed veterans as principals to conduct paramilitary training for students.
All these have laid a solid foundation for Prussia to form a disciplined and high-quality army in the future. 1809 After Humboldt became the highest education official in Prussia, the reform of the education system became the cornerstone of the development of science, culture and cardinals in Germany in the next 200 years. As the first new university in the world, the University of Berlin (now Humboldt University) established in 18 10 has influenced the development of higher education in various countries in the 19 century.
In Prussia, military service and education are regarded as two basic obligations of citizens. According to statistics, among the major European countries in the second half of the19th century, Germany has the lowest illiteracy rate, and Germans should be ahead of European countries in reading, writing, calculation and practical application of scientific theories. Make good use of diplomatic means to maximize national interests. Friedrich II, the early king of Prussia, and Bismarck, the later prime minister, were recognized as one of the smartest diplomats at that time. Although these people can be described as "treacherous, greedy and treacherous" in order to achieve their own goals, it is undeniable that without their superb diplomatic skills, it is hard to imagine that Prussia can survive and develop in Europe surrounded by foreign powers.
Uniting allies and isolating opponents is Prussia's most basic diplomatic strategy. For example, the customs union, which began to operate in 1834, is a great achievement of Prussia-it not only promoted the economic development, but also made the whole Germany start to move closer to it politically, which not only enhanced Prussia's ability and determination to lead Germany's reunification, but also gradually pushed Austria out of Germany politically and economically, killing two birds with one stone.
The customs union is somewhat similar to the European Union today, and each country will eventually move towards a unified country through political and economic integration. Prussia is good at netting German states. As members of the customs union, these countries get material benefits from it. In addition, their development level has not even reached the level close to Prussia, so Prussia has become the center of the bourgeoisie in these States. These bourgeoisie regard Prussia as their economic pioneer and future political backer. In this way, Prussia began to leap to the leading position in Germany. The external forces of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars promoted the military victory of 1805- 1807, which made Napoleon occupy and control most of Germany, and the kingdom of Prussia became a vassal of France against Britain and Russia. In order to safeguard and realize the interests of the French big bourgeoisie, Napoleon carried out military occupation, political rule and diplomatic manipulation of Prussia, and at the same time carried out a series of local reforms in accordance with the model of the French bourgeois revolution.
For example, cancel the privileges of the church and nobility; Abolish serfdom and relieve farmers of their feudal obligations to landlords; Get rid of ancient laws and regulations, cancel the rules and regulations, and so on. Although Napoleon's bourgeois reform in Germany failed to persist because of frequent wars and strong obstruction by anti-French forces, it had a far-reaching impact on the future development of Germany.
It is precisely because Napoleon's violence eliminated the feudal separatist forces and fostered the growing capitalist relationship that Germany has a truly modern industry and the German national bourgeoisie has developed by leaps and bounds. Therefore, Engels once said: "The creator of the German bourgeoisie is Napoleon ... he is the representative of the German revolution, the disseminator of revolutionary principles, and the grave digger of the feudal old society."
To sum up, it is through such a special development path that Prussia rose rapidly in a short period of 100 years and completed the unification of modern Germany, so Prussia has sometimes become synonymous with German spirit and culture. In a sense, the evolutionary history of a "Prussian Road" constantly gives us warnings and inspirations.