The Prussian constitution adopted in 1850, amended in the following years was far less liberal than the federal constitution of the German Empire. The government was not responsible to the Prussian Landtag (lower chamber), whose powers were small and whose members were elected by a suffrage system based on tax-paying ability. The house of lords (Herrenhaus) was largely controlled by the conservative Junkers, who held immense tracts of generally poor land East of the Elbe (particularly in East Prussia). Endowed with little money and much pride, they had continued to form the officer corps of the army. The rising industrialists, notably the great Rhenish and Westphalian mine owners and steel magnates, although their interests were often opposed to those of the Junkers, exerted an equally reactionary influence on politics. While the monarch had the "potential power of the Prusso-German crown was vast" (Christopher Clarke, Kasier Wilhelm II), he had for examople the power to nominate and dismiss Prussian officials (as well as federal ones). His assent was also nessessary for legislation to pass into law, as well as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and coming with this, the power to appoint or dismiss officials during peace time. In a decree William I of Prussia, stated that acts of the Prussian government were those of the King of Prussia also "from whose decision they originate, and who expresses his opinion and will constitutionally through them" (Christopher Clarke, Kasier Wilhelm II). Flag of Prussia (1894 - 1918) The Kingdom of Prussia existed from 1701 until 1918, and from 1871 was the leading kingdom of the German Empire, comprising in its last form almost two-thirds of the area of the Empire. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: Gott mit Uns (German: God with us”) Anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz (unofficial) Territory of the German Empire in 1914, prior to World War I   Capital Berlin Language(s) German (official) Polish (Posen, Upper Silesia, Masuria) French (Alsace-Lorraine) Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1871-1888 William I  - 1888 Frederick... A Landtag (Diet) is a representative assembly, with some legislative authority, of a political entity called Land (i. ... The German term Herrenhaus is equivalent to the English House of Lords and describes roughly similar institutions as the English House of Lords in German-speaking countries. ... This article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ... Junkers (English pronunciation: ; German pronunciation: ) were the landed aristocracy of Prussia and Eastern Germany - often also called Eastelbia (Ostelbien in German - the land east of river Elbe). ... Army (From Latin armata (act of arming) via Old French armée) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force. ... Westphalia (in German, Westfalen) is a (historic) region in Germany, centred on the cities of Dortmund, Münster, Bielefeld, and Osnabrück and now included in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia (and the (south-)west of Lower Saxony). ... Reactionary (or reactionist) is a political epithet, generally used as a pejorative, originally applied in the context of the French Revolution to counter-revolutionaries who wished to restore the real or imagined conditions of the monarchical Ancien Régime. ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... Decree is an order that has the force of law. ... William I (William Frederick Louis) (March 22, 1797 – March 9, 1888), (German: Wilhelm I., Deutscher Kaiser und König von Preußen), ruled January 18, 1871 – 9 March 1888 as German Emperor and 2 January 1861 – 9 March 1888 as King of Prussia. ... The following is a list of Kings of Prussia (Könige von Preußen) from the Hohenzollern family. ...

The Prussian Republic

The Prussian constitution had liberalized after Prussia became a republic in 1918, and the Junkers won many of their estates through the cession of Prussian territory to Poland. However, both the Junkers and the Rhenish industrialists continued to exert much power behind the scenes, and when Franz von Papen became German chancellor in 1932 and commissioner for Prussia, they came into their own. In July, 1932, Papen suspended the Prussian parliament and ousted the Social Democrat Otto Braun, who had been premier of Prussia (with brief interruptions) from 1920. In a broad definition, a republic is a state or country that is led by people whose political power is based on principles that are not beyond the control of the people of that state or country. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen (29 October 1879 – 2 May 1969) was a German Catholic politician and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Otto Braun to the left, 1932 Otto Braun (28 January 1872 - 14 December 1955) was a German Social Democratic politician, who was Prime Minister of Prussia. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ...