History of Prussia

For centuries, Prussia had a significant influence on German and European history. In 1701, he union of Brandenburg and Prussia in 1618 led to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Prussia. The last capital of the state of Prussia was Berlin. During the 18th century, it became a great European power under the reign of Frederick II and during the 19th century, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck pursued a policy of uniting the German principalities into a "Lesser Germany" which would exclude the Austrian Empire. Prussia became the dominant power in Germany in 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars and Prussia finally became part of the German Confederation. Prussia dominated northern Germany politically, economically, and in terms of population. In 1919, after World War I, Prussia became part of the Weimar Republic as a free state. The long struggle in Germany between liberals, who wanted a united, federal Germany under a democratic constitution, and conservatives, who wanted to maintain Germany as a patchwork of independent, monarchical states, with Prussia and Austria competing for influence. Because of Prussia's size and economic vitality, smaller states began to join its free trade area. In regards to size and capability, Prussia was incredibly successful and powerful. Its population capsized that of bordering countries and states and therefore made Prussia stronger economically.