Freistaat Preußen Factbook

[The Confederation]

Freistaat Preußen

Flag of the Freestate

Borussia, Prūsija, Prusy, Prusko, Poroszország, Preußen

Foreword: A History of the Prussian Nation: Excerpt from the book "Preußen" written by Feliks von Danzig

Prussia first originatined out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1525. As a significant German-speaking state comprised of a majority Lutheran practicing populace within the existing Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, it strove for independence and reform. The House Hohenzollern was on the forefront of this reform, striving to unify their lands in south-east Germany, with their now ruled lands in Prussia. Significant strives forward were made during the 30 years war, when although many nations marched through Hohenzollern lands, their armies were crushed by a strong military tradition and dedicated--yet small--base of warriors.

Prussia in Approximately 1600

With the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth floundering after the war, and under attack from the Swedish and other European Powers during The Swedish Deluge, the Polish leadership felt that Prussian leadership as an independent state would turn the tide of the war. In 1657, the Treaty of Wehlau was signed, establishing Prussia as it's own free nation. However, by the time Frederick William I and King Władysław IV Vasa signed and established border regions, the war was over. Frederick William became known as the "Great Elector" for his introduction of absolutism into Brandenburg-Prussia. Above all, he emphasized the importance of a powerful military to protect the state's disconnected territories.

On 18 January 1701, Frederick William's son, Elector Frederick III, upgraded Prussia from a duchy to a kingdom and crowned himself King Frederick I. The tradition of Hohenzollern monarchs and elected leaders continues to this day. During the reign of King Frederick William II (1786–1797), Prussia annexed additional Polish territory through further Partitions of Poland. His successor, Frederick William III (1797–1840), announced the union of the Prussian Lutheran and Reformed churches into one church, establishing the state religion of Prussia as Prussian Unionism.

Frederick William III, The Great Unifier of Prussian lands and cultures

Prussia took a leading part in the French Revolutionary Wars, but remained quiet for more than a decade due to the Peace of Basel of 1795, only to go once more to war with France in 1806 as negotiations with that country over the allocation of the spheres of influence in Germany failed. Prussia suffered a devastating defeat against Napoleon Bonaparte's troops in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, leading Frederick William III and his family to flee temporarily to Memel. Under the Treaties of Tilsit in 1807, the state lost about half of its area, including the areas gained from the second and third Partitions of Poland, which now fell to the Duchy of Warsaw. Beyond that, the king was obliged to make an alliance with France and join the Continental System. These actions ushered in one of the darkest moments in Prussian history.

In response to this defeat, reformers such as Stein and Hardenberg set about modernising the Prussian state. Among their reforms were the liberation of peasants from serfdom, the emancipation of Jews and making full citizens of them (at the time, non-Lutherans were considered second rate-citizens) , and the institution of self-administration in municipalities. The school system was rearranged, and in 1818 free trade was introduced. The process of army reform ended in 1813 with the introduction of compulsory military service.

After the defeat of Napoleon in Russia, Prussia left its forced alliance with France and took part in the Sixth Coalition during the "Wars of Liberation" (Befreiungskriege) against the French occupation. Prussian troops under Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher contributed crucially in the Battle of Waterloo of 1815 to the final victory over Napoleon. Prussia's reward in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna was the recovery of her lost territories, as well as the whole of the Rhineland, Westphalia, and other small connective territories.

Prussia emerged from the Napoleonic Wars as the dominant power in Germany, overshadowing her long-time rival Austria, which had given up the imperial crown in 1806. In 1815 Prussia became part of the German Confederation as it's leading member. Bright days were ahead for Prussia.

Overtime, struggles between democratic liberals and the ruling aristocrats heeded the rewards of compromise, allowing for the establishment of a Prussian constitution which established a parliamentary system divided between the Prussian Landtag and The House of Lords (Herrenhaus). This move was seen as incredibly progressive across Europe and the world, with mounting pressures on governments around the world and revolutions aplenty.

In 1862 King William I appointed Otto von Bismarck as Prime Minister of Prussia. Bismarck was determined to defeat both the liberals and conservatives and increase Prussian supremacy and influence among the German states. The following wars--collectively known as Wars of unification--would finally form a unified Germany, after thousands of years of small city states and municipalities ruling the land.

Schleswig Wars--a war against Denmark--in which the The Austro-Prussian forces defeated the Danes with significant force and tactical advantage. The result of the war set up a dual administration between the Prussians and the Austrians of Schleswig and Holstein. Realizing that a two-state rule was only a short-term solution, Bismarck prepared for war with the Austrians.

In 1866, Prussian-led Germany provoked Austria politically and diplomatically over the administration of Schleswig and Holstein. The war the broke out soon after became what was as close to an all German civil war as possible. The Austrians--mustering the help of the Bavarians, Saxons, and other southern and central German states, and the Prussians with their grand coalition which included Italy, Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck. The Deutscher Krieg had begun.

The Belligerents of the Deutscher Krieg.

Guide:

Red Areas: Austria and Allies

Blue Areas: Prussia and Allies

Green Areas: Neutral States

Yellow Areas: Schleswig and Holstein (disputed areas)

The war waged successfully for the Prussians, due to superior tactics, numbers and more advanced technology. However, a fear that was shared by both the Austrians and the Prussians began to loom over the war. Foreign intervention by the French or the Russians was imminent. In order to forestall intervention by France or Russia, Bismarck pushed King William I to make peace with the Austrians rapidly, rather than continue the war in hopes of further gains. The Austrians accepted mediation from France's Napoleon III. The Peace of Prague on August 23, 1866 resulted in the dissolution of the German Confederation, Prussian annexation of many of Austria’s former allies, and the permanent exclusion of Austria from German affairs. This left Prussia free to form the North German Confederation the next year, incorporating all the German states north of the Main River. Prussia chose not to seek Austrian territory for itself, and this made it possible for Prussia and Austria to ally in the future, since Austria was threatened more by Italian and Pan-Slavic irredentism than by Prussia.

After the war, most of Germany was unified under the flag of the Prussian Hohenzollern Family and under the rule of the great leader Bismarck. However, foreign meddling continued around Europe, when the French took subject with a Hohenzollern leader in a Spanish state. The weak leadership of Napoleon III excepted the German states to war over the matter, and foolishly declared war on Prussia. However, nearly every German state honored their treaties to Prussia and rose against the pathetic French advance. France was utterly crushed in the war, concluding with the Treaty of Frankfurt, allowing Prussia to annex Alsace-Lorraine from the French. As a result of the war, Bavaria, Baden and Württemberg joined with the North German Confederacy, allowing for a true German Empire to be established, and Prussia was at it's helm.

Historic and "True" Prussian Holdings within the German Empire

The years preceding the Great War were excellent for the Prussian and the German people. Economically, Scientifically and Militarily the state boomed, making it one of the world's most progressive nations. Forging an alliance with the Austrian-Hungarians and other nations across the center of Europe, diplomatically Prussia was unstoppable. Until the meddling of foreign nations in Austrian affairs. The world was plunged in it's first world war. Germany, led by Prussian innovators and generals won significant early victories in the war against the French, Italians and British. However, the treason of some and the economic downturn that occurred as a result of the war was too much for Germany and her allies, signing the treaty of Versailles, plunging Germany--and Prussia with it--into by far the darkest hours of her history.

With the economic and honorific damage done by the war, the terrors of National Socialism began to creep throughout Germany. Adolf Hitler, an Austrian, used the large Prussian brain bank to establish a bastardized system of rule that continues to be a scar on the Prussian and German People. Prussian Generals led the armies of Germany to war again, but this time, not for their nation, but for an ideology of hate. Many Prussian generals resisted Hitler's policies of hate, even going as far as planning and executing the July 20th plot. However, overextended in war, the nation of Germany was once again defeated by the Western European Powers.

The allies divided Germany into sections, and essentially damned Prussia to nonexistence. However, it was to be short lived.

Approximately 100 years after the terrors of Nazism were purged from Germany, a doctor named Kaiser Martens, disgusted at the newly formed Liberal Dictatorships, Stalinist and National Socialist German states that had formed. Using his connection to the German people, he mustered all of his strength and ability to attempt to realize Bismarck's dream. Now called "The Silver Revolution", Martens eliminated the Communists, Dictators and Nazis from Europe for it's last time. Establishing the new Deutschland, Germany ruled in peace for many years.

However, with chaos striking Germany, Kaiser Martens' exile from the continent and the newly established Polish rule of most of the old Prussian lands, Prussia was reborn. The nation was not reborn in the traditional sense, but in the halls of Legislation and Aristocracy, Prussia was back in full force. The Hohenzollern family returned from exile to retake their place as rightful rulers of the Germanic states. Soon, merging with the previous regime of "Prussian Domain" (sans Martens), the nations became known as "Greater Nordland".

Once again, the super-German state did not last long, collapsing after a long war of imperialism against the Slavorussian nation, backed by the majority of the world's developed nations. However, from the ashes of Greater Nordland, the true Prussian state was reestablished with it's capital in Königsberg, the historic home of the Prussian people. Led by Albert Tanzband, a young politician and patriarch of the House Hohenzollern, the state thrived in neutrality until the Greater European War, where it attempted to crush the oppressive German regime to it's west. The war ended in a nuclear stalemate between the nations.

However, excitement once again struck Prussia, Europe, and the World. Kaiser Martens had once again returned to Europe, and strove to reunify the German peoples of Europe. Prussia, with many of it's citizens still loyal to Deutschland roared to join with other European nations to establish "The Greater Nordlandic Reich". Albert Tanzband, then Kaiser of Prussia objected to the move, and resigned his post as Kaiser of Prussia temporarily and went into exile in Rebel Army, only to return later and be elected governor of the Nordlandic länder of Prussia.

Prussia's flag in the Nordlandic period

However, Tanzband had one last trick of his sleeve. On the eve of war with the Republic of Mariehamm, Tanzband held a secret meeting with the coalition against Nordland. Ruling that he wished for Prussia to be free from the bonds of Nordland, and to establish a democracy in it's midst. With the launch of nuclear weapons by an unstable German state, their interception by Prussian missile defense systems, and the invasion of Germany proper by Prussian forces, the war was over and The Freistaat Preußen was born. Tanzband pushed for the liberation of other nations in Europe, including old adversaries in Lübeck and Bavaria.

Europe before the Prussian led liberation of ethnic and national groups across the continent. Displays Prussia's current land holdings. White lands were Prussian Protectorates

Currently Prussia is one of the largest and most economically, diplomatically, and militarily powerful nation in Europe and the world and a founding member of the Central European Union. The nation enjoys ties with nations around the world, an incredibly affluent population and a strong tradition of Prussian history. Everyday, the Prussian people step forward to establish the goals of the future and to realize the dreams of the Prussian forefathers. Prussia has returned to her former greatness.

[The Confederation]

The Executive Government of der Freistaat Preußen

The Freistaat Preußen's government consists of an Administrative Branch, a bicameral Legislative Body, and a constitutional court system. Each governmental office has it's own express duties for the governance on the Federal and Länder levels.

The Bundeskanzler and Bundesregierung:

The Bundesregierung is the main executive government of der Freistaat Preußen. The Bundeskanzler is elected every five (5) years to lead and administrate the Bundeskabinett. The Bundeskanzler is responsible to the Bundestag and oversees the daily administration and execution of the entirety of the Prussian government.

Bundeskanzler- Albert Tanzband

Albert Tanzband--a national and international hero--was a shoo-in for the position. He is a master of both diplomatic and internal economic policy. His main duty is to oversee the rest of the cabinet, attend Bundestag meetings, and remain a strong public figure to the Prussian people and the world.

The Chancellery in Berlin, Tanzband's home in Berlin. (Note: He also maintains his family's home in Königsberg and Palais Schaumburg in Bonn)

Bundesminister für Auswärtigen- Karl August von Hardenberg

Karl August von Hardenberg is the acting Federal Foreign Minister. His responsibilities are to attend to daily foreign affairs actions, maintain relations with foreign nations, and filing briefings on foreign events and happenings to the Kanzler and the Bundestag.

Bundesminister für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit- Jürgen Trittin

Jürgen Trittin is the acting Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. His chief responsibility is to oversee industrial and commercial environmental safety, the establishment and administration of Nature Conservation Zones, the status of endangered or threatened animals in Prussian domain land or waters, and the safety and administration of Nuclear fuel disposal and maintenance.

Bundesminister für Wirtschaft und Technologie- Wolfgang Clement

Wolfgang Clement is the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology. His responsibilities include attracting foreign business to Prussia's financial centers, regulating business, overseeing the allocation of research and development funds and promoting trade and business withing Prussia.

Bundesminister der Verteidigung- Welkin Gunther

Welkin Gunther is a career soldier who has worked from the bottom (during the Gebivian Italy Campaign) all the way to the highest ranking officer (Generalfeldmarschall of Prussia) in the nation. His duties are to command lower-Feldmarschalls, establish a basic defense policy, create strategies for individual campaigns and allocate funding for defense projects.

Bundesminister für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend- Hannelore Rönsch

Hannelore Rönsch, a long time women's rights activist has been been appointed to the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Her chief goals are to advise the budget on social welfare and advisory to the Bundeskabinett about issues important to various sex and age groups.

Bundesminister für besondere Aufgaben- Helga van Memel

The Ministry of Special Tasks is an administrative position within the Bundeskabinett. Hegla van Memel is a genius typist and organizational wizard. Her main responsibilities are to take notes and publish reports on Bundeskabinett meetings to the public and other governmental agencies.

Bundesminister des Innern- Otto von Berlin

The Minister of the Interior is responsible for internal security and the protection of the constitutional order, for civil protection against disasters and terrorism, for displaced persons, administrative questions, and sports. Otto von Berlin is an anti-terror expert and genius lawyer who passionately executes his position.

Bundesministerium des Innern Headquarters in Berlin

Bundesminister für Bildung und Forschung- Johanna Bäcker

The Minister of Education and Research provides funding for research projects and institutions and regulates general educational policy. However, a large part of educational policy in Prussia is decided at the Länder level, strongly limiting the influence of the ministry. Johanna Bäcker is a former secondary school English instructor.

Bundesminister für Gesundheit- Ulla Schmidt

The Minister of Health's chief responsibility is maintaining the effectiveness and efficiency of the statutory health insurance and long-term care insurance systems and maintaining and enhancing the quality of the health care system. Ulla Schmidt is a former Medical Doctor and research scientist.

Bundesminister für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz- Björn Engholm

The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection is responsible for overseeing agricultural development, food safety and reports on fraudulent business practices within Prussia and with their business partners. Björn Engholm is a top pundit and economist within Prussia and the CEU, where he established many of their original economic policies.

Bundesminister der Finanzen- Peer Steinbrück

The Ministry of Finance is responsible for managing the federal budget. The finance minister is the only minister who can veto a decision of the government if it would lead to additional expenditure.Peer Steinbrück comes from a long line of bankers and is very cunning with his actions in finances.

Departmental Headquarters of the Ministry of Finance in Berlin