At the beginning of the eighteenth century Prussia was but one in a mosaic of German states, but it rose to be the unchallenged leader of German-speaking Europe after the fall of Napoleon. The book goes beyond the political, military and diplomatic concerns of the Prussian elite, whose record of events is the one upon which most histories of Prussia are based, and explains its rise in relation to Prussian society as a whole. Political analysis is integrated with material on such areas as agrarian society, urban life and religion, which are not fully examined in existing histories.

List of Maps and Tables List of Prussian Rulers Preface About the Contributors Introduction: The rise of Prussia 1. Prussia in history and historiography from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century, Stefan Berger Part One: Politics, Religion and Society 2. Frederick William I and the beginnings of Prussian absolutism, 1713-1740, Rodney Gothelf 3. Piety, politics and society: Pietism in eighteenth-century Prussia, Christopher Clark 4. Prussia and the Enlightenment, Johan van der Zande Part Two: The Rural and Urban Environment 5. The transformation of the rural economy in East Elbian Prussia, 1750-1830 6. The development of the Prussian town, 1720-1815, Karin Friedrich Part Three: The State and the Army 7. Prussia's emergence as a European great power, 1740-1763, H. M. Scott 8. 1763-1786: The Second Reign of Frederick the Great? H. M. Scott 9. The Prussian military state, 1763-1806, Hagen Schulze 10. Prussia's army: continuity and change, 1713-1830, Dennis Showalter Part Four: Prussia, The French Revolution 11. Prussia during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1786-1815, Philip G. Dwyer 12. The Prussian Reform Movement and the rise of enlightened nationalism, Matthew Levinger Suggestions for further reading, A note on further research possibilities, Index