The 1871 map of Germany shows Prussia at the height of its power

This map of Germany during the Second Reich, 1871 to 1918, shows Prussia at the height of its power. Prussian states are shown in green, all other German states are shown in yellow. It is interesting to see the map in this simple two color presentation because you don’t lose the forest for the trees…Prussia was the absolute dominant state in Germany.

But it started out small, on this map as state number 2, founded by German crusaders in 1226. It was then merged with state number 1 (Brandenburg) in 1701, and in less than 200 years grew to the massive green area shown here.

Great leaders in Prussian history who made this possible were Grandmaster Albrecht von Hohenzollern in the 16th century… Der Grosse Kurfürst (The Great Elector) in the 17th century… Frederick the Great in the 18th century… and Otto von Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm I in the 19th century. No doubt, many more great men could be listed, but this is my short list.

I should also note the Prussian motto, which I believe was a strong ingredient of Prussia’s success: SUUM CUIQUE, Latin words which translate to this: “to each according to their merit”. What was valued and rewarded was the merit of individuals, a policy that rewarded those striving to achieve, a total opposite of modern socialism’s tendency to reward those who do not strive to succeed..