the odious
expropriations of Polish land in the district of Posen. The ablest
literary and industrial and political talent from all parts of Germany
has been attracted for generations to the Prussian capital. Prussian
jingoes claim for Prussia the credit of every administrative
improvement, of every political achievement of modern Germany. As a
matter of fact, the Prussian State has achieved little by itself. Its
originality is never to initiate, but skilfully to exploit the
creations of others. It is a safe rule to assume that every statesman
or leader who has made an original contribution to Prussian history is
not of Prussian origin. The greatest philosopher of Prussia, Kant, was
a Scotsman. Her greatest statesman, Stein, was a Westphalian. Of the
two greatest Prussian Generals, one, Bluecher, was a Mecklenburger; the
other, Moltke, was a Dane. The national historian of Prussia,
Treitschke, is a Saxon of Bohemian descent.

VII.--PRUSSIA AS A MILITARY STATE.

That colony of many heterogeneous populations is above all a military
State, a _Kriegstaat_. It was created through war and has been
organized for war. In the eighteenth century the whole of Prussia was
one vast camp and barracks. The King of Prussia is primarily the
_Kriegsherr_, or war-lord. The ruling caste of Junkers is a caste of
warriors. The very _schoolmasters in the eighteenth century were
nearly all recruited from the invalided non-commissioned officers_.
Historians single out Fat William, the Sergeant-King, as the supreme
type of the martinet King. But it is not only Fat William, but all the
Kings of Prussia who have been martinet Kings and recruiting
sergeants. Prussia has made war into an exact science. Prussia has
created the "nation in arms."

Geographical conditions and the ambitions of the Hohenzollern have
combined to make war a permanent necessity. Prussia was a "mark" or
frontier land, and the margraves or mark-grafs were the earls and
protectors of the Mark. The frontiers of Prussia were open on every
side. She was surrounded by enemies. George William, the father of the
Great Elector, during the Thirty Years' War tried to maintain
neutrality. He soon found out that neutrality did not pay, and his
territory was overrun by hostile bands. Pomerania was occupied and
retained by the Swedes. Poles, Russians, and Austrians in turn invaded
the country. After the Battle of Kunersdorff, in 1761, Prussia was at
her last gasp, and Frederick the Gr