In 1947, after the end of World War II, the victorious Allies abolished the state of Prussia as they identified it with German militarism. Surprisingly, the prehistory of Prussia started outside the borders of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations in Polish East Prussia (1200s). At the peak of its power, the ruling house of Hohenzollern fought the Hapsburg Empire (1700s) and, with its decline, Prussia rose to dominate first Northern Germany and then united all of Germany under its leadership. Ironically, the conquest of Germany led to Prussia's gradual loss of identity and eventual demise (1871-1932) even before the decree of the Allies.

I. Prehistory

I. Prehistory

It took five centuries from its colonizing beginnings to the foundation of the Kingdom of Prussia (1701). Within the

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Citation: Hoffmeister, Gerhart. "Prussia". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 February 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1528, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1528 Prussia 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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