History UsefulNotes / Prussia

After UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, 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 [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler that short guy with the Chaplin moustache]] and [[ThoseWackyNazis his friends]] to start another war. It didn't end well.

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 height in the UsefulNotes/SevenYearsWar, when Prussia essentially stood alone (heavily 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. This was achieved not merely by skill but also 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 [[UsefulNotes/CatherineTheGreat his "grieving" widow]] who had no interest in pursuing Austria's war. That's why [[UsefulNotes/FrederickTheGreat Frederick II]] is called [[TheMagnificent the Great]]. Their elan fell during the UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution and its military reforms, which eventually led to UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte completely smashing it flat in 1806. In response to Napoleon, the Prussians made a number of reforms inspired by the French Revolution and Napoleon, and once again subsidized and aided by Britain and Russia, they bounced back BackFromTheBrink. The 1813 Battle of Leipzig, or the the Battle of the Nations, was the largest military battle in Europe before World War II and it was the first time Napoleon at the height of his prowess and skill suffered a major defeat in battle, one from which he never recovered. The Prussians also served as TheCavalry during the Battle of Waterloo, and some Prussians and Germans often complain about Britain downplaying its contribution in UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars (in a manner with some similarities to how USSR complains about AmericaWonWorldWarII).

'''Prussia''' (''Preußen'' in German), named after the duchy and former ''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]], was the descendant of UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights and became the dominant state in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} (having more than half of Germany's land area and population) by the time it was unified (by Prussia, incidentally) in 1871. Brandenburg, Prussia was the location of the German capital, Berlin. From 1701 until the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI 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 UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Prussia ceased to exist because the four Allied powers, in their bid to destroy the Third Reich, laid blame on Prussia and its miltarism as a large part of what had gone wrong with Germany and thus 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 the Nazis came to power, usurping much of the aristocratic officer corps' power and enjoying 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 disillusioned. Eventually they were heavily involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler, but it doesn't stop Hollywood [[NaziNobleman from confusing the two]].

Wilhelm II, pictured, Kaiser (German Emperor) 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.

Another notable Prussian was UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismarck, a real-life MagnificentBastard and exemplar of GermanicEfficiency with a [[NiceHat Magnificent Hat]] to prove it. He is at Number 9 on Germany's list of its top 200, because we all love a Magnificent Bastard. [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning Despite his being deceased this is undoubtedly part of his plan. Just what part, we may never know.]]

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 UsefulNotes/SevenYearsWar, when Prussia essentially stood alone (heavily 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 [[UsefulNotes/CatherineTheGreat his "grieving" widow]] who had no interest in pursuing Austria's war[[/note]]. That's why [[UsefulNotes/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".

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. It is also worth noting that the Kreisau Circle, one of the main focal points of conservative resistance to Nazism, also considered itself to be acting in the best Prussian traditions; when Erich von Manstein refused to join the plot by saying that "Prussian field marshals do not mutiny", his interlocutor countered with the example of Yorck, who had done exactly that. "Prussiandom" as a concept, as an ideology, and as a national identity had by then become so ephemeral as to be claimed by a very diverse range of individuals with very diverse hopes and fears.

After UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, all of Germany east of the Oder-Neisse line[[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, or perhaps not so odd given that it's currently named after a member of Stalin's inner circle who was personally responsible for some Soviet atrocities, and post-Soviet Russia has reversed most ''other'' Stalin-era renamings) 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]]

In modern historiography, Prussia remains a controversial proposition. To some historians, especially those who subscribe to the ''Sonderweg'' (the "special path" from aristocracy to democracy) theory of German history, 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, 17th and early 18th centuries it even had a reputation for taking in refugees, such as Huguenots from France, Brethren from the Czech-speaking parts of Austria, and Lutherans from the bishopric of Salzburg. However, Clark's follow-up book was roundly criticized by German historians for excusing Prussia's war-responsibility which to most historians remains incontestable and is something the Germans are still not able to take responsibility for, despite doing so for Hitler. Whatever one's conclusion, Prussia remains a compelling historical enigma.

'''Prussia''' (''Preußen'' in German), named after the duchy and former ''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]], was the descendant of UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights and became the dominant state in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} (having more than half of Germany's land area and population) by the time it was unified (by Prussia, incidentally) in 1871. Brandenburg, Prussia was the location of the German capital, Berlin. From 1701 until the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI 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 UsefulNotes/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.

In modern historiography, Prussia remains a controversial proposition. To some historians, especially those who subscribe to the ''Sonderweg'' ("special path") theory of German history, 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, 17th and early 18th centuries it even had a reputation for taking in refugees, such as Huguenots from France, Brethren from the Czech-speaking parts of Austria, and Lutherans from the bishopric of Salzburg. However, Clark's follow-up book was roundly criticized by German historians for excusing Prussia's war-responsibility which to most historians remains incontestable and is something the Germans are still not able to take responsibility for, despite doing so for Hitler. Whatever one's conclusion, Prussia remains a compelling historical enigma.

In modern historiography, Prussia remains a controversial proposition. To some historians, especially those who subscribe to the ''Sonderweg'' theory of German history, 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, 17th and early 18th centuries it even had a reputation for taking in refugees, such as Huguenots from France, Brethren from the Czech-speaking parts of Austria, and Lutherans from the bishopric of Salzburg. However, Clark's follow-up book was roundly criticized by German historians for excusing Prussia's war-responsibility which to most historians remains incontestable and is something the Germans are still not able to take responsibility for, despite doing so for Hitler. Whatever one's conclusion, Prussia remains a compelling historical enigma.

Also see UsefulNotes/PrussianKings. Compare and contrast UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany. Also related to {{Kaiserreich}}.

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 UsefulNotes/SevenYearsWar, when Prussia essentially stood alone (heavily 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 [[UsefulNotes/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".

,
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 the Nazis came to power, usurping much of the aristocratic officer corps' power and enjoying 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 disillusioned. Eventually they were heavily involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler, but it doesn't stop Hollywood [[NaziNobleman from confusing the two]].

In modern historiography, Prussia remains a controversial proposition. To some historians, especially those who subscribe to the ''Sonderweg'' theory of German history, 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, 17th and early 18th centuries it even had a reputation for taking in refugees, such as Huguenots from France, Brethren from the Czech-speaking parts of Austria, and Lutherans from the bishopric of Salzburg. Whatever one's conclusion, Prussia remains a compelling historical enigma.

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 the Nazis came to power, usurping much of the aristocratic officer corps' power and enjoying 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 disillusioned. Eventually they were heavily involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler, but it doesn't stop Hollywood [[NaziNobleman from confusing the two]].

'''Prussia''' (''Preußen'' in German), named after the duchy and former ''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]], was the descendant of UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights and became the dominant state in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} (having more than half of Germany's land area and population) by the time it was unified (by Prussia, incidentally) in 1871. Brandenburg, Prussia was the location of the German capital, Berlin. From 1701 until the end of UsefulNotes/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.

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 UsefulNotes/SevenYearsWar, when Prussia essentially stood alone (heavily 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 [[UsefulNotes/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 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 [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler that short guy with the Chaplin moustache]] and [[ThoseWackyNazis his friends]] to start another war. It didn't end well.

After WorldWarTwo, all of Germany east of the Oder-Neisse line[[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, or perhaps not so odd given that it's currently named after a member of Stalin's inner circle who was personally responsible for some Soviet atrocities, and post-Soviet Russia has reversed most ''other'' Stalin-era renamings) 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]]

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, 17th and early 18th centuries it even had a reputation for taking in refugees, such as Huguenots from France, Brethren from the Czech-speaking parts of Austria, and Lutherans from the bishopric of Salzburg. Whatever one's conclusion, Prussia remains a compelling historical enigma.

----
!!Examples

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* Kind of inverted in ''Webcomic/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 comic also points out that the Prussian state is descended from UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights (remember ''[[VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII Age of Kings]]'' and ''VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis''?). They were like UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar, except that they owned all the Baltic states and periodically tried to destroy Poland.
* The Galactic Empire in ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' is basically Prussia [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]!
** Same thing with the Andermani Empire in ''Literature/HonorHarrington''.
*** "Andermani" is clearly a play on "Alemanni".
* Weissen in ''Manga/GunkaNoBalzer'' is very similar to Prussia, but the king takes on a more subordinate role compared to the military leadership.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* The planet on which the plot of Creator/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.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* Creator/DCComics has Virman Vundabar, an agent of {{ComicBook/Darkseid}} who fits the stereotype to a T. Why an alien "god" from another galaxy models himself after a bygone Earth culture is anybody's guess. (Note the character was created by Creator/JackKirby, who had a penchant for creating anachronistic characters.)

[[AC:{{Commercials}}]]
* The latest Citroen ad (that's right, a ''French'' car), "Unmistakeably German- Made in France" invokes this one in spades. "Music/RideOfTheValkyries", fencing, blond bloke and the Brandenburg Gate.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

* Inspector Kemp in ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'': [[BlingOfWar Spiffy uniform with jackboots]], [[HighClassGlass monocle]] ''[[CrazyAwesome (over an eyepatch)]]'', and [[BadassMustache thick full mustache/mutton chops.]] And actually a subversion, as he lives in Transylvania and wears an Austro-Hungarian style uniform.
* Colonel von Holstein in ''ThoseMagnificentMenInTheirFlyingMachines'', played by [[FakeNationality Gert Fröbe from Saxony]].

[[AC:{{Fanfic}}]]
* The Mass Effect fanfic series {{Fanfic/Uplifted}} plays straight with this trope, with the Prussian aristocracy forming the core of a coup against Hitler. However, the Prussians are viewed as arrogant and narrow minded against non Prussian officers. It is a fairly realistic portrayal of the period.

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]
* Famous sports cartoonist Bill Gallo of the New York Daily News memorably renamed infamous Yankee owner George Steinbrenner as Prussian General von Steingrabber, complete with a thick accent and a pointy helmet. It became so popular that Steinbrenner posed as his Prussian alterego for a photoshoot.

[[AC:[[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMORPGs]]]]
* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' BigBad and resident TheChessmaster Nemesis is from Prussia. He uses only the most state of the art steampunk technology and even dresses his EvilMinions in Prussian military gear. Since he's a very high level villain, it can be quite humbling to have your team wiped by a bunch of guys looking like they belong to a marching band.

[[AC:TabletopGames]]
* The Neu Swabian League, a supranational alliance of Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland that's one of the ''TabletopGame/FullThrust'' superpowers, is Prussia [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]] complete with an emblem that's the Imperial Eagle given a sci-fi makeover. In an aversion of Prussia's usual portrayal, they are as close to "good guys" as you're getting in a GreyAndGreyMorality setting.
* In the tabletop RPG ''TabletopGame/CastleFalkenstein'', Prussia is the EvilEmpire. Bismarck is basically TheDragon to the setting's BigBad, The Adversary, [[TheFairFolk Lord of the Unseelie]].
* The Chaos Dwarfs in TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} use mostly Mesopotamian imagery, with elaborate helmets, ziggurat temples, Persian style beards and bull-like monsters. But on second look, they are a rigidly disciplined race with advanced industry and love of firepower, especially heavy artillery. And many of their helmets have spikes on top. You can even find an old model of an artillery sergeant wearing a monocle.
** The Reikland, political capital of the Empire, is strongly based on Prussia, keeping with the Germanic theme of the Empire.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' gives the German (rumored to be ex-Nazi) Medic an unlockable hat called the Prussian Pickelhaube.
* ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'' takes place in a castle in 19th Century Prussia. [[CosmicHorrorStory And it's evil.]]
* In ''Videogame/EuropaUniversalis III'' you can found Prussian beginning in the 1500s. To do this you have to convert to Protestantism, except, ironically if you play as the Teutonic Order, where you can keep the Catholic faith.

[[AC:WebComics]]
* The Jaegermonsters of ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' invoke a little bit of this, most notably in their [[NiceHat deep respect for ridiculous headgear]]. Captain Vole definitely has vays of makink you tok: his opening line "I hef not yet finished givink my report" is spoken as he ''tears a man's arm off''.
** 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 is due to their great age - they were created by the Heterodynes, who haven't been around for nearly a century. In a short story, the first Heterodyne is briefly brought to the present, speaking the same way.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* As it starts out in the eighteenth century, it's unsurprising that Prussia makes an appearance in the AlternateHistory ''LookToTheWest''. There was no Miracle of the House of Brandenburg in this timeline and Frederick the Great was killed at the Battle of Kunersdorf, meaning Prussia's ascendancy is halted. [[spoiler:Prussia is then completely destroyed over a series of later wars, eventually being divided between Denmark and Saxony and its last king exiled to America]].

* Creator/DCComics has Virman Vundabar, an agent of {{ComicBook/Darkseid}} who fits the stereotype to a T. Why an alien "god" from another galaxy models himself after a bygone Earth culture is anybody's guess. (Note the character was created by JackKirby, who had a penchant for creating anachronistic characters.)

See UsefulNotes/PrussianKings for more info regarding [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Prussia's kings]]. [[InspiredBy Compare and contrast]] UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany. Also related to {{Kaiserreich}}.

See PrussianKings for more info regarding [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Prussia's kings]]. [[InspiredBy Compare and contrast]] UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany. Also related to {{Kaiserreich}}.

See PrussianKings for more info regarding [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Prussia's kings]]. [[InspiredBy Compare and contrast]] ImperialGermany. Also related to {{Kaiserreich}}.

'''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]], was the descendant of TheTeutonicKnights and 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. Brandenburg, Prussia was the location of the German capital, Berlin. 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.

* DCComics has Virman Vundabar, an agent of {{ComicBook/Darkseid}} who fits the stereotype to a T. Why an alien "god" from another galaxy models himself after a bygone Earth culture is anybody's guess. (Note the character was created by JackKirby, who had a penchant for creating anachronistic characters.)

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 the nazis came to power, usurping much of the aristocratic officer corps' power and enjoying 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 disillusioned. Eventually they were heavily involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler, but it doesn't stop Hollywood [[NaziNobleman from confusing the two]].

** The comic also points out that the Prussian state is descended from TheTeutonicKnights (remember ''[[VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII Age of Kings]]'' and ''EuropaUniversalis''?). They were like TheKnightsTemplar, except that they owned all the Baltic states and periodically tried to destroy Poland.

Another notable Prussian was UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismarck, a real-life MagnificentBastard with a [[NiceHat Magnificent Hat]] to prove it. He is at Number 9 on Germany's list of its top 200, because we all love a Magnificent Bastard. [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning Despite his being deceased this is undoubtedly part of his plan. Just what part, we may never know.]]

* The Neu Swabian League, a supranational alliance of Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland that's one of the ''FullThrust'' superpowers, is Prussia [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]] complete with an emblem that's the Imperial Eagle given a sci-fi makeover. In an aversion of Prussia's usual portrayal, they are as close to "good guys" as you're getting in a GreyAndGreyMorality setting.
* In the tabletop RPG ''CastleFalkenstein'', Prussia is the EvilEmpire. Bismarck is basically TheDragon to the setting's BigBad, The Adversary, [[TheFairFolk Lord of the Unseelie]].

* DCComics has Virman Vundabar, an agent of {{Darkseid}} who fits the stereotype to a T. Why an alien "god" from another galaxy models himself after a bygone Earth culture is anybody's guess. (Note the character was created by JackKirby, who had a penchant for creating anachronistic characters.)

* DCComics has Baron Bedlam, an agent of {{Darkseid}} who fits the stereotype to a T. Why an alien "god" from another galaxy models himself after a bygone Earth culture is anybody's guess. (Note the character was created by JackKirby, who had a penchant for creating anachronistic characters.)

* The Galactic Empire in ''LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' is basically Prussia [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]!

'''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. Brandenburg, Prussia was the location of the German capital, Berlin. 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 WorldWarTwo, all of Germany east of the Oder-Neisse line[[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]]

* ''CityOfHeroes'' BigBad and resident TheChessmaster Nemesis is from Prussia. He uses only the most state of the art steampunk technology and even dresses his EvilMinions in Prussian military gear. Since he's a very high level villain, it can be quite humbling to have your team wiped by a bunch of guys looking like they belong to a marching band.

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) 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".