ABSTRACT
The ruler known to history as Frederick II of Prussia was born on 24 January 1712. Destiny had determined him to be the heir to the Prussian throne in accordance with the law of succession through male primogeniture. Frederick overthrew Europe's existing political order, not Prussia's social order, which he was always concerned to uphold. This overthrow depended for its success upon Frederick's possession of three qualities rarely found in the same person: political decisiveness, an aptitude for military leadership and practical administrative talent. Frederick II's seven-year struggle with Austria was merely a sideshow in this crucial global struggle which was being fought to secure the riches of the New World. Frederick William subjected his state and his subjects to a harsh learning process, imposed from above and carried out by governmental institutions, but not based on the conscious cooperation of those it affected.
