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'''Prussia''' was a former [[Germany|German]] state in eastern Europe dating back to the union of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg (with its capital [[Berlin]]) in 1618. It became a kingdom in 1701, and by military prowess became a major power under [[Frederick the Great]].  It expanded rapidly, winning new territory after each major war.  Later, under Chancellor [[Otto von Bismarck]] Prussia defeated [[Denmark]], [[Austria]] and [[France]], and in 1871 it became the core of a new German empire or [[Second Reich]].  It included East Prussia, Brandenburg, Pomerania, Silesia, a large part of Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hannover, Westphalia, Hesse-Nassau, the Rhine Province, and the [[Hohenzollern]] Lands in southwest Germany. The total area was 113,000 square miles (293,000 km<sup>2</sup>), second in Europe in size and population only to [[Russia]]. The Hohenzollern family ruled the Prussian lands from the 11th century to 1918.

==Early Prussia==
The history of the Duchy of Prussia before 1618 is complicated, too. The area, which laid outside of the [[First Reich]], or [[Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation]], was conquered by the Teutonic Knights, who followed an invitation of the [[Masovia]]n Duke Konrad I. in 1226. Western Prussia became part of Poland in 1466, while Eastern Prussia stayed with the Teutonic Knights, who moved the capital to [[Koenigsberg]]. In 1525, the Grand Master Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach became Lutheran and secularised  Eastern Prussia, in effect making it a duchy for his family.

==Second Reich==
{{See also|German Empire}}

The Prussian king became the German Emperor (Deutscher Kaiser). Bismarck became Chancellor. He and other Protestant Prussians dominated the new Germany, and began a [[Kulturkampf]] ("culture war") against the Catholics and Socialists in Germany.  

Prussia was long synonymous with militarism (military control of the government) and a very high degree of military professionalism.  Dominating politics were the rich landowners in the East known as "Junkers."  The Junkers supported rapid industrialization in order to support a strong army and navy.

Bismarck was a master diplomat and kept the peace in Europe until his removal by a new young [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] in 1890. Wilhelm led Germany to a disastrous defeat in [[World War I]] and he and all the aristocrats lost their titles and power in 1918 - though, in contrast to Austria, the titles weren't dropped altogether, but became part of the family names. 

The Prussian monarchy was abolished in 1918 just before the end of [[World War I]]. Prussia continued as a province of Germany until 1945, when it was dissolved by the Allies after [[World War II]], and the oldest portion east of the [[Oder-Neisse Line]] was divided between Poland and Russia. What remained, the five states (Länder) of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia formed the [[Deutsche Democratic Republic]] (DDR), commonly known in English as [[East Germany]].

==Further reading==
* Barraclough, Geoffrey. ''The Origins of Modern Germany'' (2d ed., 1947)
* Clark, Christopher. ''Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947'' (2009), standard scholarly history
* Haffner, Sebastian. ''The Rise and Fall of Prussia'' (1998) 192 pp 
* Holborn, Hajo. ''A History of Modern Germany'' (3 vol 1959-64); col 1: The Reformation; vol 2: 1648-1840 [https://www.amazon.com/History-Modern-Germany-Hajo-Holborn/dp/0691007969/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201323320&sr=8-1 online and text search];  vol 3. 1840-1945
* Jeep, John M. ''Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia''  (2001), 928pp, 650 articles by 200 scholars cover A.D. 500 to 1500 [https://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Germany-Encyclopedia-Routledge-Encyclopedias/dp/0824076443 excerpt and text search]
* Koch, H. W. ''History of Prussia'' (1987), short scholarly history
* Maehl, William Harvey. ''Germany in Western Civilization'' (1979), 833pp
* Reinhardt, Kurt F. ''Germany: 2000 Years'' (2 vols., 1961), stress on cultural topics
* Shennan, M. ''The Rise of Brandenburg Prussia'' (1997), on 1600-1740 [https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Brandenburg-Prussia-Lancaster-Pamphlets/dp/0415129389/ref=pd_bbs_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238973154&sr=8-10 excerpt and text search]
* Taylor, A. J. P. ''The Course of German History: A Survey of the Development of German History since 1815.'' (2001). 280pp; [http://www.questia.com/read/107459655 online edition]

==External links==
*[https://youtu.be/IEh_2YqCyu8 What on Earth Happened to the Prussians?], Masaman, Dec 20, 2017. [[YouTube]]
*[https://youtu.be/y8SdcFFK1N0 The Disappearance of the Eastern Germans], Masaman, Oct 5, 2018. YouTube
*[https://youtu.be/aiCvQh69vS8 Just how Slavic is East Germany?], Masaman, May 13, 2019. YouTube
[[Category:Medieval History]]
[[Category:German History]]