History UsefulNotes / Prussia

* Kind of inverted in ''AxisPowersHetalia'', as the [[MoeAnthropomorphism character]] of Prussia is [[HotBlooded loud, rude, and undisciplined]]. [[BloodKnight But he kicks ass in fights]] ([[SmallNameBigEgo some]][[ButtMonkey times]]) and according to WordOfGod he is ''completely'' devoted to his mentor and one of his bosses, [[MagnificentBastard Friedrich II]]. He has a NiceHat. WordOfGod also once stated that Prussia's true nature is that of a "punctual and dilligent soldier," but this is masked by his bad manners.

* The planet on which the plot of PoulAnderson's "Among Thieves" is set is very clearly Prussia [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]] - inhabited by Germanic warriors led by a Junker-like aristocracy. The story's protagonist, a wily ChessMaster who is clearly modeled on Bismark, manages to outwit and destroy the story's true villains - a culture of ruthless sadistic cannibals who delight in genocide - and gets the reader's full-hearted applause.

** Also notable is their use [[FunetikAksent ov reedikulous quasi-german hak-sents]], even though the [[TranslationConvention entire cast is supposed to be speaking German]]. This emphasizes the fact that they really ARE invoking tropes in-universe; they were created by a mad scientist in the stereotyped Prussian mold.
*** They do seem to have MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily (especially the more monstrous generals), which would presumably give them a rather odd accent.

Incidentally, while many in the Nazi top leadership had a big nostalgia for the glory days of the Prussian-run Empire and of the Prussian military, most of these men, including Hitler, weren't Prussian at all: they were predominantly southerners (or Austrians like Hitler). Furthermore, while they both supported the idea of a powerful German empire, the Nazis largely had nothing but contempt for the Prussian aristocracy, holding them to blame for losing the First World War.

'''Prussia''' (''Preußen'' in German), named after the duchy and former ''[[TheTeutonicKnights Ordenstaat]]'' but born of the margravate and electorate of Brandenburg (coincidentally by merging with said ''Ordenstaat'', by then secularized), historically the land of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Prussian_language Baltic]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Prussians Old Prussians]], became the dominant state in {{Germany}} (having more than half of Germany's land area and population) by the time it was unified (by Prussia, incidentally) in 1871. From 1701 until the end of WorldWarOne in 1918, it was known as "The Kingdom of Prussia", and post-WWI as "The Free State of Prussia". Because "republic" [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad sounded too French]]. Which had one of the most stable democratic state governments of the Weimar Republic until it was deposed in a military coup on the orders of President Hindenburg. After WorldWarII Prussia ceased to exist because the four Allied powers saw fit to place the blame for what had gone wrong with Germany and dismembered its territory.

After WorldWarOne, the Hohenzollern monarchy was overthrown and Germany was forced by the Allies to give up a significant chunk of its eastern territory to the newly-recreated state of Poland[[note]] Territories lost to Poland were Posen and a small bit of Silesia (both of which had Polish majorities), as well as West Prussia (which had a Polish-speaking majority, although it should be noted that in places where referendums were held many Polish-speakers voted to stay with Germany and Prussia). Germany was forced to give up West Prussia mostly because the League of Nations wanted Poland to have a seaport (the major port in the area, Danzig, was almost entirely German at the time, and despite the Versailles Treaty legally separating it from the rest of Germany, had zero desire to become part of Poland)[[/note]]. This left East Prussia and the old imperial capital Königsberg (plus the neighbouring, short-lived, Free State of Danzig) physically separated from the rest of Germany by a small strip of land known as the Polish Corridor, the existence of which was one of the many many factors that led [[AdolfHitler that short guy with the Chaplin moustache]] and [[ThoseWackyNazis his friends]] to start another war. It didn't end well.

Incidentally, while many in the Nazi top leadership had a big nostalgia for the glory days of the Prussian-run Empire and of the Prussian military, most of these men, including Hitler, weren't Prussian at all: they were predominantly southerners (or Austrians like Hitler). Furthermore, while they both supported the idea of a powerful German empire, the Nazis largely had nothing but contempt for "Prussians" themselves, particularly the aristocracy, holding them to blame for losing the First World War.

Incidentally, many in the Nazi top leadership had a big nostalgia for the glory days of the Prussian-run Empire and of the Prussian military; however, most of these men, including Hitler, weren't Prussian at all: they were predominantly southerners (mostly Bavarians, but a few, most famously Hitler, were from Austria and what is now Baden-Württemberg), and most of those who weren't were Rhenish westerners.

Earlier on, Prussia's dominance was built in the eighteenth century on its trademark [[BadAssArmy militarism]], which was summarized by Count Mirabeau as "some countries possess armies, but Prussia is an [[ProudWarriorRace army that happens to possess a country]]." This reached its CrowningMomentOfAwesome in the SevenYearsWar, when Prussia essentially stood alone (heavily subsidized by Great Britain, supported by some small German states that couldn't contribute much and eventually with Portugal on their side in the last two years of the war) against Austria, Saxony, Russia, France and Sweden. All at once. And not only survived, but kept all of its pre-war territory[[note]] largely out of sheer luck, as the Russian empress died during the middle of the war and her throne passed to a Prussophile nephew and later to his "grieving" widow who had no interest in pursuing Austria's war[[/note]]. That's why [[FrederickTheGreat Frederick II]] is called [[TheMagnificent the Great]]. Notably the country was completely smashed flat by Napoleon in 1806, but made a BackFromTheBrink rally, kicked ass at the Battle of the Nations and Waterloo (despite turning up late...or depending on who you ask, just in time) and was set on the road to domination of Germany. With the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871 at the Palace of Versailles, Prussia became the part of the new Germany. Some scholars have argued that Germany was not unified at all, and merely "Prussianized".

'''Prussia''' (''Preußen'' in German), named after the duchy and former ''[[TheTeutonicKnights Ordenstaat]]'' but born of the margravate and electorate of Brandenburg (coincidentally by merging with said ''Ordenstaat'', by then secularized), historically the land of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Prussian_language Baltic]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Prussians Old Prussians]], became the dominant state in Germany (having more than half of Germany's land area and population) by the time it was unified (by Prussia, incidentally) in 1871. From 1701 until the end of WorldWarOne in 1918, it was known as "The Kingdom of Prussia", and post-WWI as "The Free State of Prussia". Because "republic" [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad sounded too French]]. Which had one of the most stable democratic state governments of the Weimar Republic until it was deposed in a military coup on the orders of President Hindenburg. After WorldWarII Prussia ceased to exist because the four Allied powers saw fit to place the blame for what had gone wrong with Germany and dismembered its territory.

Wilhelm II, pictured, Kaiser (Emperor) of Germany and King of Prussia from 1888 to 1918 is probably the most famous Prussian in popular imagination, mostly for being the [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade "bad guy"]] of WWI. Well, he ''did'' show up in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' once.

'''Prussia''' (''Preußen'' in German), named after the duchy and former ''[[TheTeutonicKnights Ordenstaat]]'' but born of the margravate and electorate of Brandenburg (coincidentally by merging with said ''Ordenstaat'', by then secularized), became the dominant state in Germany (having more than half of Germany's land area and population) by the time it was unified (by Prussia, incidentally) in 1871. From 1701 until the end of WorldWarOne in 1918, it was known as "The Kingdom of Prussia", and post-WWI as "The Free State of Prussia". Because "republic" [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad sounded too French]]. Which had one of the most stable democratic state governments of the Weimar Republic until it was deposed in a military coup on the orders of President Hindenburg. After WorldWarII Prussia ceased to exist because the four Allied powers saw fit to place the blame for what had gone wrong with Germany and dismembered its territory.

Ironically considering their authoritarian bent, some members of the old conservative, aristocratic Prussian officer class often ''despised'' the revolutionary and demagogic Nazism but were also often willing to give it tacit support considering democrats, catholics and socialists to be worse. When nazis came to power, usurps much of the aristocratic officer corps power and had military success the Prussian officer class had mixed but mostly positive feelings. However, when the war turned and Hitler's strategy became increasingly irrational they were much disillusionedd. Eventually they were heavily involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler, but it doesn't stop Hollywood [[NaziNobleman from confusing the two]].

->''Prussia is not a state that possesses an army, but an army that has conquered a state.''
-->-- '''''Honoré-Gabriel comte Mirabeau'''''

Ironically considering their authoritarian bent, some members of the old conservative, aristocratic Prussian officer class (who ''despised'' Nazism) were heavily involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler, but it doesn't stop Hollywood [[NaziNobleman from confusing the two]].

Earlier on, Prussia's dominance was built in the eighteenth century on its trademark [[BadAssArmy militarism]], which was summarized by Count Mirabeau as "some countries possess armies, but Prussia is an [[ProudWarriorRace army that happens to possess a country]]." This reached its CrowningMomentOfAwesome in the SevenYearsWar, when Prussia essentially stood alone (though subsidized by Great Britain) against Austria, Saxony, Russia, France and Sweden. All at once. And not only survived, but kept all of its pre-war territory[[note]] largely out of sheer luck, as the Russian empress died during the middle of the war and her throne passed to a Prussophile nephew and later to his "grieving" widow who had no interest in pursuing Austria's war[[/note]]. That's why [[FrederickTheGreat Frederick II]] is called [[TheMagnificent the Great]]. Notably the country was completely smashed flat by Napoleon in 1806, but made a BackFromTheBrink rally, kicked ass at the Battle of the Nations and Waterloo (despite turning up late...or depending on who you ask, just in time) and was set on the road to domination of Germany. With the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871 at the Palace of Versailles, Prussia became the part of the new Germany. Some scholars have argued that Germany was not unified at all, and merely "Prussianized".

In modern historiography, Prussia remains a controversial proposition. To some historians, especially those who subscribe to the ''Sonderweg'' theory of German hitory, it represents everything that was wrong with German historical development; expansionist, militaristic, intolerant, reactionary yet technically competent - in essence, a land built of the same ingredients as Nazism, a land which turned Germany into the land of "judges and hangmen" after its centuries as a seat of "poets and philosophers". When it was suggested in 2002 that the name be revived for a proposed merger of Berlin and Brandenburg, one German historian even went so far as to declare "Prussia poisons us". On the other hand, other historians reject viewing the entire history of Prussia through the lens of Nazism; Christopher Clark, in his seminal ''Iron Kingdom'', argues that Prussia was not Germany's undoing, but the opposite. Furthermore, the caricature of Prussia as a "termite-state" ignores a long tradition of intellectual inquiry, scientific progress, and political tolerance; Jewish emancipation in Prussia came early, and during the Catholic-Protestant convulsions that seized Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries it even had a reputation for taking in refugees. Whatever one's conclusion, Prussia remains a compelling historical enigma.

* Inspector Kemp in ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'': [[BlingOfWar Spiffy uniform with jackboots]], [[HighClassGlass monocle]] ''[[CrazyAwesome (over an eyepatch)]]'', and [[BadassMustache thick full mustache/mutton chops.]]

'''Prussia''' (''Preußen'' in German), named after the duchy and former ''[[TheTeutonicKnights Ordenstaat]]'' but born of the margravate and electorate of Brandenburg (coincidentally by merging with said ''Ordenstaat'', by then secularized), became the dominant state in Germany (having more than half of Germany's land area and population) by the time it was unified (by Prussia, incidentally) in 1871. From 1701 until the end of WorldWarOne in 1918, it was known as "The Kingdom of Prussia", and post-WWI as "The Free State of Prussia". Because "republic" [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad sounded too French]]. After WorldWarII Prussia
ceased to exist after [[RapePillageAndBurn ethnic cleansing]] by an [[GloriousMotherRussia oddly similar sounding state]] as part of its RoaringRampageOfRevenge. Any one you meet today of "Prussian" decent is either an immigrant or a descendant of an [[TheExile exile]].

Earlier on, Prussia's dominance was built in the eighteenth century on its trademark [[BadAssArmy militarism]], which was summarized by Count Mirabeau as "some countries possess armies, but Prussia is an [[ProudWarriorRace army that happens to possess a country]]." This reached its CrowningMomentOfAwesome in the SevenYearsWar, when Prussia essentially stood alone (though subsidized by Great Britain) against Austria, Saxony, Russia, France and Sweden. All at once. And not only survived, but kept all of its pre-war territory[[note]] largely out of sheer luck, as the Russian empress died during the middle of the war and her throne passed to a Prussophile nephew who went so far as to mobilize the Russian garrison in Berlin against their former Austrian allies[[/note]]. That's why [[FrederickTheGreat Frederick II]] is called [[TheMagnificent the Great]]. Notably the country was completely smashed flat by Napoleon in 1806, but made a BackFromTheBrink rally, kicked ass at the Battle of the Nations and Waterloo (despite turning up late...or depending on who you ask, just in time) and was set on the road to domination of Germany. With the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871 at the Palace of Versailles, Prussia became the part of the new Germany. Some scholars have argued that Germany was not unified at all, and merely "Prussianized".

After WorldWarOne, the Hohenzollern monarchy was overthrown and Germany was forced by the Allies to give up a significant chunk of its eastern territory to the newly-recreated state of Poland[[note]] Territories lost to Poland were Posen and a small bit of Silesia (both of which had Polish majorities), as well as West Prussia (which had a large Polish minority). Germany was forced to give up West Prussia mostly because the League of Nations wanted Poland to have a seaport (the major port in the area, Danzig, was almost entirely German at the time, and despite the Versailles Treaty legally separating it from the rest of Germany, had zero desire to become part of Poland)[[/note]]. This left East Prussia and the old imperial capital Königsberg (plus the neighbouring, short-lived, Free State of Danzig) physically separated from the rest of Germany by a small strip of land known as the Polish Corridor, the existence of which was one of the many many factors that led [[AdolfHitler that short guy with the Chaplin moustache]] and [[ThoseWackyNazis his Prussia-idolizing friends]] to start another war. It didn't end well.

Incidentally, many in the Nazi top leadership had a big nostalgia for the glory days of the Prussian-run Empire and of the Prussian military, so they tended to put on thick Prussian accents in an attempt to emulate their predecessors; however, most of these men, including Hitler, weren't Prussian at all: they were predominantly southerners (mostly Bavarians, but a few, most famously Hitler, were from Austria and what is now Baden-Württemberg), and most of those who weren't were Rhenish westerners. This is a ''big'' part of the reason that the Prussian dialect went extinct so quickly (the exiles dropped it because they didn't want to be mistaken for Nazis).

After WorldWarTwo, all of Germany east of the Oder-Neisse[[note]] plus the city of Stettin, now called Szczecin, which is actually on the west bank of the Oder but was given to Poland anyway[[/note]], most of which was Prussia, was handed over to Poland, partly to compensate her for her own territorial losses to Ukraine and Russia (the northern part of East Prussia, including its capital, went directly to the Soviets). The Germans kept a claim on those areas until 1970, when it signed the Treaties of Moscow and Warsaw. This was again confirmed with the 1992 Treaty of Good Neighbourship, which formally and finally recognized East Prussia, along with Pomerania and Silesia, as part of Poland. The area remains a part of Poland to this day, and almost everyone is happy for it to stay that way. The northern half of East Prussia however outlasted the USSR and remains part of Russia as the Kaliningrad Oblast, where there is still talk by some locals (odd, considering said locals are almost all Russians) to rename the titular city back to Königsberg.[[note]] For what it's worth, the local slang term for the city in Russian is ''Kyonig'', an obvious call-back to its original name.[[/note]]

->''Niemand wird Preuße denn aus Not,
->Ist er's geworden, dankt er Gott.''[[note]] "Nobody becomes a Prussian but from need, Once he's become one he thanks God."[[/note]]

->''Most nations arise from the coming-together of their people, or through some great revolutionary event. But Prussia was hatched from a cannonball.''
-->--'''''NapoleonBonaparte'''''

After WorldWarTwo, all of Germany east of the Oder-Neisse[[note]] plus the city of Stettin, now called Sczeczin, which is actually on the west bank of the Oder but was given to Poland anyway[[/note]], most of which was Prussia, was handed over to Poland, partly to compensate her for her own territorial losses to Ukraine and Russia (the northern part of East Prussia, including its capital, went directly to the Soviets). The Germans kept a claim on those areas until 1970, when it signed the Treaties of Moscow and Warsaw. This was again confirmed with the 1992 Treaty of Good Neighbourship, which formally and finally recognized East Prussia, along with Pomerania and Silesia, as part of Poland. The area remains a part of Poland to this day, and almost everyone is happy for it to stay that way. The northern half of East Prussia however outlasted the USSR and remains part of Russia as the Kalilingrad Oblast, where there is still talk by some locals (odd, considering said locals are almost all Russians) to rename the titular city back to Königsberg.[[note]] For what it's worth, the local slang term for the city in Russian is ''Kyonig'', an obvious call-back to its original name.[[/note]]

Earlier on, Prussia's dominance was built in the eighteenth century on its trademark [[BadAssArmy militarism]], which was summarized by Count Mirabeau as "some countries possess armies, but Prussia is an [[ProudWarriorRace army that happens to possess a country]]." This reached its CrowningMomentOfAwesome in the SevenYearsWar, when Prussia essentially stood alone (though subsidized by Great Britain) against Austria, Saxony, Russia, France and Sweden. All at once. And not only survived, but kept all of its pre-war territory[[note]] largely out of sheer luck, as the Russian empress died during the middle of the war and her throne passed to a Prussophile nephew who went so far as to mobilize the Russian garrison in Berlin against their former Austrian allies[[/note]]. That's why [[FrederickTheGreat Frederick II]] is called [[TheMagnificent the Great]]. Notably the country was completely smashed flat by Napoleon in 1806, but made a BackFromTheBrink rally, kicked ass at the Battle of the Nations and Waterloo (despite turning up late) and was set on the road to domination of Germany. With the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871 at the Palace of Versailles, Prussia became the part of the new Germany. Some scholars have argued that Germany was not unified at all, and merely "Prussianized".

* Weissen in ''Manga/GunkaNoBalzer'' is very similar to Prussia, but with a more blatant military dictatorship.

Incidentally, many in the Nazi top leadership had a big nostalgia for the glory days of the Prussian-run Empire and of the Prussian military, so they tended to put on thick Prussian accents in an attempt to emulate their predecessors; however, most of these men, including Hitler, weren't Prussian at all: they were predominantly southerners (mostly Bavarians, but a few, most famously Hitler, were from Austria and what is now Baden-Wurttemberg), and most of those who weren't were Rhenish westerners. This is a ''big'' part of the reason that the Prussian dialect went extinct so quickly (the exiles dropped it because they didn't want to be mistaken for Nazis).

Incidentally, many in the Nazi top leadership had a big nostalgia for the glory days of the Prussian-run Empire and of the Prussian military, so they tended to put on thick Prussian accents in an attempt to emulate their predecessors (most of these men, including Hitler, weren't Prussian at all). This is a ''big'' part of the reason that the Prussian dialect went extinct so quickly (the exiles dropped it because they didn't want to be mistaken for Nazis).

->''Prussia is not a state that possesses an army, but an army that has conquered a state.

->''La Prusse n'est pas un État qui possède une armée, c'est une armée qui a conquis une nation.''[[note]] Prussia is not a state that possesses an army, but an army that has conquered a state.[[/note]]

For Hollywood, Prussia – or rather, the Prussian stereotype – lives on into ThePresentDay as an alternative to {{Oktoberfest}} (which, incidentally, is [[TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Bavarian]]). The Prussians/Germans are depicted as all having bullet-shaped heads, crew cuts, ''Pickelhaube'' helmets, [[BadassMustache impressive mustaches]], [[HighClassGlass monocles]], [[DuelingScar duelling scars]], "corpse discipline" (the kind of discipline that would make a corpse jump up and stand to attention), [[JustAStupidAccent "und veys hof makink hyu tok"]] and {{Nice Hat}}s.

Also ironically, the stereotype is to a certain extent a German invention. Specifically, a southern and western (often Roman Catholic, as opposed to the Lutheran north) German one[[note]] Prussia occupied a great deal of Western Germany after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 -- but the Westerners referred to themselves as „''Muß-Preußen''" -- "Have-To-Be-Prussians"[[/note]]. The traits of militarism, arrogant aristocrats, duels, and "veys hof makink hyu tohk" (German has many strong dialects, so the silly Prussian accent can be invoked in German as well as English) were ascribed to the Prussian northerners by Bavarian, Rhenish, and Swabian (not to mention Austrian) southerners for a long time before the lands which form modern Germany were unified under northern leadership and the archetype went international.