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Bezig met laden... The other Prussia : Royal Prussia, Poland and liberty, 1569-1772door Karin Friedrich
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This book considers the phenomenon of nation-building before the age of modern nationalism. It focuses on royal (Polish) Prussia - the 'other' Prussia - a province of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1466 to 1772/3, and its major cities Danzig, Thorn and Elbing. As an integral part of the Polish state the Prussian estates took pride in their separate institutions and privileges. Although its urban elites became predominantly Protestant and German-speaking, they formulated a republican identity deliberately hostile to the competing monarchical-dynastic myth in neighbouring ducal Prussia, ruled by the Brandenburg-Hohenzollerns from 1618. After 1700, the Polish crown increasingly antagonized the Prussian burghers by its centralizing policies and its failure to protect the integrity of the Commonwealth's borders. The decline of Poland and the partitions of 1772-93 guaranteed that it was not the tradition of liberty but the Hohenzollern version of Prussian identity that survived into the modern era. Joint winner of the Orbis book prize, The American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)943.8History and Geography Europe Germany and central Europe PolandLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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Karin Friedrich argues that Royal Prussia had a distinct identity, that it was neither German or Polish, and defined itself in terms of its rights and privileges. It had its own Diet and it was urban based. It recognised its German origins only in the sense that the German culture carried the basis of their identity. It also was very conscious that it was the underlying political principles of the Polish Kingdom, and later of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, that allowed Royal Prussia to maintain its distinct identity.
Even though they did not like the Polish Szlachta, and their attempts to undermine Royal Prussia's rights and privileges, they remained exceedingly loyal to the PLC, defying the Swedish invaders in the 17th century and criticising those who sought to undermine it. Ironically, in the 18th century the Royal Prussians became staunch opponents of attempts to reform the corrupt practices of the Liberum Veto and the Confederation which were weakening Poland, as these practices allowed them to maintain their own rights and privileges.
Karin uses this history to explore the processes of identity formation and transformation, examining how history was used to create myths to support current political practices, and how changing circumstances forced new interpretations and creation of new myths.
The major myth Karin dispels is that of a continuity of a singular Prussian identity steeped in German culture and anti-Polish. A bit of time was spent on how the Prussian identity known in modern times was developed by the Hohenzollerns, establishing its absolute rule in Ducal Prussia and through propaganda slowly blurring the historical distinctions of the two Prussias. The singular Prussia of the 19th century was not one desired by the Royal Prussians, but the only option left them as the PLC collapsed as an indepedent state:
"When in 1793 Hohenzollern troops entered Danzig and Thorn, the Prussian burghers of the Sarmatian republic had only one option - to forget that they had been free citizens of the Polish crown, in order to become obedient subjects of the Prussian king."
This is a well researched and well-argued book. It was also a delight to read. ( )