The Rise and Fall of Prussia
About this book
Prussia is best remembered for its military prowess, but Sebastian Haffner brilliantly argues that what made it a sinister and sometimes dangerous state for its neighbours was in fact the quality of its corporate identity: its incorruptible administration and independent legal system, its religious toleration and its enlightened education. A state which contributed so much to European civilization, Prussia only existed as an independent power for 170 years. Haffner, a Prussian by birth, reassesses the legend and tells the short but dramatic history of this unique state. He casts fresh light on its foundation, its struggle to become a great power in the eighteenth century, its important role as one of the Three Black Eagles with Austria and Russia, and its eventual disappearance from the map of Europe after the establishment of the German Empire.