King Frederick II: The Great of Prussia

Because of all the good things he did he got the name FREDERICK THE GREAT!!!! He was also nickname der alte Fritz (Old Fritz.)                                         

Frederick was born in Berlin, the son of Sophia Dorothea of Hanover and King Frederick William I of Germany. The so-called “Soldier-King”, Frederick William had created a formidable army and efficient civil service.                                                                                                    

During Frederick IIs’ rule Prussia’s territory grew, and they became the strongest power in Europe.  Adolf Hitler, (mean dictator from Germany during World War II) was a great admirer of Frederick “The Great.” Frederick was considered the greatest Prussian of all time. Frederick’s practical reforms made the Prussian civil service better, reasonable, and hard working and also aware of its public duty. He also introduced a system of education, and codified the law. This would become the center of the future German state, and Prussian character, which valued military ability, owed a lot to Frederick’s own military successes. This later became linked with the German sense of “I am better than you” sickness that contributed to the causes of the two world wars. The French had tried to keep Germany weak and divided. Frederick placed Prussia securely on the military map. Prussia has been described as not so much a country with an army, but an army with a country.                                         

Frederick managed to transform Prussia from a European background to a reasonably strong and politically changed state. His achievement of Silesia was made so as to provide Prussia’s industries with raw materials, and he protected these industries with minimal restrictions on inside trade. Canals were built, including between the Vistula and the Oder, swamps drained for farming cultivation, and new crops, such as the potato and the turnip, were introduced. Frederick regarded his recovery of land in the Oderbruch as an area conquered in peace. With the help of French experts, he reorganized the system of indirect taxes, which provided the state with more income than direct taxes. Then on August 17, 1786 he died, he buried next to his greyhounds.  Personally I think his name; Frederick “The Great” says it all. I hope you liked my project.