Chapter 3 The mission of Fredrick the Great

Chapter 3:   The mission of Frederick the Great

Frederick William I, King in Prussia

When Frederick William I, ascended on the throne, Prussia was a shattered state: the kingdom was divided with the polish crown, and Prussia has amassed a huge amount of debt from its previous wars.

He had, consequently, first, to improve the finance of the state while also rebuilding militarily his kingdom, in order to be able to defend what was left from the empire of his ancestors from the attacks of his powerful neighbors.

Immediately, he would decree the militarization of the whole kingdom: not only the King and his army, but also all the courtiers and the prominent citizens must live like soldiers and be always acting in preparation for an imminent war.

As his kingdom, little by little, from the ashes of its defeats, has taken a new shape, Frederick William I would raise the militarization of the daily life higher and make it into a culture. It was intended to instill the spirit of conquest to the Prussians in order to allow, as soon as possible, the invasion of the part of Prussia that was now in Poland, and hence to be able to change with full pride his humiliating title of King in Prussia into that of a King of Prussia.

With this concept of militarization, the Prussians would appropriately develop their virtues, according to their situation of defeated nation: self-confidence, thrift and diligence were the qualities that were to be developed among the court members as well as any group with importance in the land. Everywhere in the kingdom, trade would be systematically developed with the territories in the southern part of the Baltic states; people living in the space between Russia and Poland would be brought to work and settle in Prussia, for in all its successive wars, the population of the kingdom has decreased, and now, the authorities were inviting refugees as well as religious and political persecuted, mostly French Protestants, to begin a new life in Prussia.

Hence, would Frederick William I prepare himself for more future wars which he would endeavors for the sake of his beloved but shattered kingdom. Frederick William I would teach his country to organize differently and to acquire the new character needed for its survival. Without any rest, he would persistently prepare to direct his armies against his perceived and real enemies. Mercilessly and in a logical manner, he would, through the years, advance his hordes to invade one valley, one field after the other and re-conquer the empire of his ancestors.

 
After only a few years, the Prussian army would gain, again, an excellent reputation among the European courts for its discipline and cohesion in achieving its goals. Besides, however, people would also, throughout Europe foresee that this same army would not content itself, should its luck in war change positively, with re-conquering its previous territories in Poland.

The unwilling favorite

 

Just like any other adolescent, Schiller would, however, despite the recent change in his condition, be mostly concerned with playing and laughing with his comrades. These moments were, of course, rare as these pupils were severely watched in their activities which did not include any playful occasions. The pupils, then, could only throw themselves into such good-natured occasions but during the rare moments were they were completely alone, without the supervision of the schoolmasters. In these rare and privileged instances, the generous soul of Schiller would reveal itself, through wit and small games that would soon make him into a personality among the other pupils.

Reviews

[patricia]

Your grammar is as bad as mine, but the chapter was interesting, thankyou