Prussia
the larg ful State of the German republic; occupying a N. central portion of the European pean continent; between lat. 49° and 56° bounded on the N. by the Baltic and Denmark; on the E. by Russia and Poland; on the S. by Bohemia, Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden; and on the W. by Belgium and the Netherlands.
From the extreme E. frontier of Prussia to Aix-la-Chapelle, the distance is about 775 miles, and from the the promontory on the Baltic above Stralextreme S. frontier, of Silesia, the distance is 404 miles. The length of the coast line is about 250 miles on the North Sea, and 750 miles on the Baltic. The following islands belong to Prussia: Rügen, Fehmarn, Alsen, Frisian Islands.
Total area, before the World War, 134,- 650 square miles; total population about 40,000,000. As a result of the Peace parts of Posen, Silesia, East and West Prussia, Schleswig , and the Rheinland, amounting to some 31,000 square miles with almost 8,000,000 inhabitants and reducing its square miles and its population to about area reducing its area to about 103,000 32,000,000.
Political Divisions. - Prussia before divided into 14 provinces, which were the World War was administratively again subdivided into 35 government districts, with the principality of Hohenzollern, the cradle of the royal family.
The provinces were as follows, with population in 1910: Rhine (Rheinland), 7,120,519; Silesia ( Schlesien), 5,226,311; Brandenburg, Brandenburg, 4,093,007; Westphalia 4,125,904; Saxony (Sachsen), 3,088,778; Hanover (Hannover), 2,942,546; East Prussia (Ostpreussen), sau, 2,220,956; Berlin, 2,070,695; Pome- 2,064,368; Posen, 2,100,044; Hesse-Nas- Prussia rania (Pommern), 1,716,481; West henzollern, 71,009. The principal cities Schleswig Schleswig-Holstein, 1,619,673; and Ho- (Westpreussen), 1,703,042; 042; Frankfort-on-the-Main, 414,406; 064,153; Breslau, 519,929; Cologne, 511,with population for 1910 are: Berlin, 2,- Hanover, 299,753; Magdeburg, 279,644; 042; Frankfort-on-the- Main, 414,406; Charlottenburg, 304,280; Königsberg, Düsseldorf, 356,733; Stettin, 234,033; 248,059. kingdom is generally level, sloping in the Topography. The surface of the N. to the sea, and forming part of the great N. plain of Europe. The S. and S. W. parts of the kingdom are hilly, or even ranges are the Sudetic, the Thuringian, mountainous . The principal the Hartz, the Teutoburgerwald, the Taunus and the Westerwald.
Swabian Alps. Prussia is well watered.
The province of Hohenzollern is in the The Rhenish provinces are traversed by the Rhine, while the E. frontier is partly formed by the Weser. The Elbe intersects the Saxon provinces; the Oder, which is almost entirely a Prussian river, runs through the whole extent of the monarchy , from the S. frontier of Silesia to the isle of Usedom, where it falls into the Baltic . Polish Prussia (or Posen) Posen) is watered by the Wartha; West ; and Ducal, or East Prussia by the Pregel and Niemen. many other large streams, as the Ems, Besides the above , there are Moselle, Spree, Havel, Netze, etc. Owing to the flatness of the country through which they flow, none of the great rivers are interrupted by cataracts, and they are all navigable-the Rhine, Elbe, and their whole course in the Prussian dominions; the Oder for Ratibor in southern PRUSSIA Silesia, and the Pregel and Niemen to a considerable distance inland. Lakes are exceedingly numerous, particularly in East Prussia and Pomerania. There are also along the coast several large bays, or rather lagoons, communicating with the sea by narrow mouths, and possessing more of the character of freshwater lakes than of arms of the sea. They are denominated haffs. The climate of Prussia is not less varied than the soil. Along the Baltic it is moist, and in East Prussia, especially, the winter is long and severe. It is also harsh in the S. part of Silesia, Brandenburg, and in the Saxon and Rhenish provinces it is comparatively mild. The quality of the soil is various. In Brandenburg and Pomerania it is generally poor; in many parts, indeed, it consists of tracts of loose barren sand, diversified with extensive heaths and moors; but, in other parts, particularly along the rivers and lakes, there is a good deal of meadow, marsh, and other comparatively rich land. In Ducal Prussia and Prussian Poland, including the province of Posen, the soil consists generally of black earth and sand, and is, in many parts, very superior; but Silesia, and the Saxon and Rhenish provinces, are naturally, perhaps, the most productive. The plain of Magdeburg, on the left bank of the Elbe, is also very fertile.
Agriculture and Stock Raising.- Large estates are generally managed by stewards and the occupants of smaller properties are, in most cases, the owners.
Rye, wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, beet root, flax, hops, tobacco and hemp form the chief products. Chicory is also largely cultivated. The extensive beet root plantations give rise to one of the most important industries. Madder and other plants used in dyeing are also raised. Fruits and vegetables are most extensively grown in the W. provinces, which are also famous for their wines.
Horses, cattle and sheep are extensively raised, wool being an an im important product.
Large numbers of fine horses are exported from East Prussia. Mining. The mineral products are abundant, coal being the most important.
The production of lignite is large. Copper, iron and lead are extensively worked. Prussia yields about one-half of the world's annual production of zinc.
Manufacturing. - Though more of an agricultural than a manufacturing country, Prussia has greatly distinguished herself, particularly of recent years, in various branches of manufacture. The Rhenish provinces, and Saxony and Silesia, are the districts most prominent in this industry. Linens and coarse woolens for domestic consumption are made PRUSSIA in every village, and, indeed, in most cottages throughout the kingdom.
Large quantities of silk and cotton goods, and linen, are produced in Elberfeld, and other towns of the Rhine provinces. Very superior broadcloth is largely manufactured at Berlin and Aixla-Chapelle. Prussia occupies an advanced rank as a producer of the useful metals. The articles of hardware made at Berlin, Iserlohn, Hagen, Solingen, Olpe, and Essen enjoy a high reputation, the last-named place being the seat of the famous Krupp steel and gun works.
Porcelain, jewelry, watches, and carriages are also manufactured in the latter city on a most extensive scale.
Paper, leather, soap, oil and cigars are important manufactures; and beer and spirits are very extensively produced.
Commerce.-Commerce is facilitated by the long coast line, and by an elaborate system of railways and canals. In 1919, the number of miles open for traffic was about 25,000. The Kiel Canal is of especial service and value in development of agriculture and of commerce, both foreign and domestic. There are chambers and corporations of commerce in all of the larger towns of the kingdom.
There are no se separate statistics for the trade of Prussia; they are included under those of the German empire. Education. Throughout the kingdom, education is general and compulsory for the elementary grades. The school age is from 6 to 14 years. In 1919 the institutions for_secondary education were as follows: Universities, 11; classical and scientific high schools (gymnasia and realschulen), over 1,300; public normal schools, 204.
Religion. Absolute religious liberty is guaranteed by the constitution. Nearly two-thirds of the population are Protestants and most of the remainder Roman Catholic. The State Church is Evangelical or Protestant, and since 1817 has consisted of a fusion of the Lutheran and Calvinistic bodies. The relations of the Roman Catholic Church to the government differ in the various provinces. Government and Finances. - Previous to the World War the constitution vested the executive and part of the legislative authority in a king. The crown was hereditary in the male line, according to primogeniture. The king was advised by a council of ministers appointed by royal decree. The representative assembly, the Landtag, was composed of two chambers, the House of Lords (Herrenhaus) and the Chamber of Deputies (Abgeordnetenhaus). The assent of the king and both chambers was requisite for all laws. The executive government was carried on by a Ministry of State ap- PRUSSIA pointed by the king and holding office at his pleasure. Prussia was proclaimed a republic on Nov. 13, 1918. A new constitution was adopted in April, 1920. Under it every citizen over 20 years of age became a voter, the term of parliament was set at 4 years, and the powers of the former king were transferred to the ministry. In 1919 the revenue and expenditures were each estimated at 6,- 546,699,278 marks. The public debt on April 1, 1919, was 14,724,436,874 marks.
History. The rise of the Prussian power has been rapid and extraordinary.
The kings of Prussia trace their origin to Count Thassilo of Zollern, one of the PRUTH chambers. In 1864, Prussia, conjointly with Austria, sent an army to occupy the duchy duchy of Schleswig-Holstein. A war with Denmark followed, which resulted in the annexation of that duchy to Prussia. In 1866, Hanover and Saxony were occupied by the Prussian troops, and a war followed with those kingdoms and with Austria, in which, after a brilliant campaign of two weeks, the latter power was obliged to sue for peace, and relinquish her claims as a German power. In addition, Saxony was left a mere nominal sovereignty under the control of Prussia, while Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, Nassau, and the former free city of generals of Charlemagne. His suc- Frankfort-on-the-Main became absorbed cessor, Count Friederich I., built the family castle of Hohenzollern, near the Danube, in the year 980. A subsequent Zollern, or Hohenzollern, Friederich III., was elevated to the rank of a prince of the Holy Roman empire, in 1273, and received the burgraviate of Nuremberg in fief; and his great-grandson, Friederich VI. was invested by the Emperor Sigismund, in 1411, with the province of Brandenburg, and obtained the rank of Elector in 1417. In 1608-1619 the duchy of Prussia was united to the electorate of Brandenburg, the territories of which had been greatly extended by the valor and wisdom of Friederich Wilhelm, "the Great Elector," under whose fostering care arose the first standing army in central Europe. Dying in 1688, he left the province to his son, Frederick I., who assumed the crown at Königsberg, Jan. 18, 1701. Pomerania was soon after added to Prussia. When FREDERICK THE GREAT (q. v.) ascended the throne in 1740, his disjointed dominions did not contain 2,500,000 inhabitants, and these had made but little progress in the arts, or in the accumulation of wealth. But before his death, in 1786, Prussia had been increased in size nearly half; while the population had increased to about 6,000,000. Prussia acquired, by the subsequent partition of Poland in 1792, and its final dismemberment in 1795, a great extension of territory, and upward of 2,000,000 inhabitants. Her disastrous contest with France in 1806 lowered Prussia for a while; but after Napoleon's Russian campaign, the people rose en masse, and drove the French out of Germany. At the general peace of 1815, Prussia recovered all her former possessions (except a portion of her Polish dominions), and gained valuable acquisitions. After the accession, in 1862, of King William I., the executive government presided over by COUNT VON BISMARCK (q. v.), made laws, and even decreed budget estimates, without the concurrence of the of in the Prussian monarchy. In August, 1870, Napoleon III. declared war against Prussia, and the French armies marched toward the Rhine. An alliance having been entered into between Prussia and the southern German powers Bavaria, Württemberg, and Baden, their combined forces crossed the Rhine into France. The part of Prussia in the Franco-Prussian war is inextricably involved with that of the whole German nation. The conflict seemed to precipitate the solution of the question which had always been the aim of the king and Bismarck, German unity under Prussian leadership. On Jan. 18, 1871, King William was crowned at Versailles as Emperor of Germany, and on March 21, the first German Reichstag assembled at Berlin. The history of Prussia since is that of Germany (q. v.).
Frederick I.
KINGS OF PRUSSIA. (House of Hohenzollern.) Frederick William I.
Frederick II. ("The Great") Frederick William II.
Date of accession 1701 " " 1713 66 " 1740 " " 1786 66 66 1797 66 " 1840 Frederick William III.
Frederick William IV.
William I., 1861; Frederick III., 1888; William II. 1888.