1. Absolutism and Revolution (1550–1850)
Lesson 2 Rise of Austria, Prussia, and Russia

2. Absolutism and Revolution (1550–1850)
Lesson 2 Rise of Austria, Prussia, and Russia
Learning Objectives
Outline the causes and results of the Thirty Years’ War.
Understand how Austria and Prussia emerged as great powers.
Explain the steps Peter the Great took to modernize Russia.
Describe how Russia grew under Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.
Describe how European nations tried to maintain a balance of power.

3. Absolutism and Revolution (1550–1850)
Lesson 2 Rise of Austria, Prussia, and Russia
Key Terms
electors
mercenaries
depopulation
Peace of Westphalia
Maria Theresa
War of the Austrian Succession
Prussia
Frederick William I
Frederick II
Peter the Great
westernization
boyars
autocratic
warm-water port
St. Petersburg
Catherine the Great
partition

4. The Thirty Years’ War
During the Reformation, the many German-speaking states within the Holy Roman Empire were plunged into religious wars. Some princes remained loyal to the Roman Catholic Church. Others accepted the teachings of Protestant reformers like Martin Luther or John Calvin. By the early 1600s, war raged across much of the Holy Roman Empire.

5. The Thirty Years’ War A Fragmented “Empire”
HRE patchwork of separate states
Holy Roman Emperor chosen by electors
However, rarely listened to emperor
Empire also divided between Catholics and Protestants
Conflict Erupts
Defenestration of Prague-
30 years war
Catholic and Protestant forces faced off
A Time of Chaos
Mercenaries
HRE ravaged by war
Wolves and depopulation
Peace Is Restored
Peace of Westphalia –
France- winner
Loser Spain and Hapsburgs
German lands divided into 360 separate states

6. The Thirty Years’ War
Analyze Maps Identify two modern-day countries with lands that were part of the Holy Roman Empire.

7. The Thirty Years’ War
The Defenestration of Prague, shown here, was the immediate cause of the Thirty Years’ War. The actual causes were long-term political and religious conflict.

8. Hapsburg Austria Expands
The Thirty Years’ War took a terrible toll on the people of the German states. Out of the ashes, however, rose two great German-speaking powers: Austria and Prussia. Like Louis XIV in France, their rulers tried to centralize power and rule as absolute monarchs.

9. Hapsburg Austria Expands
A Diverse Empire
Austria expanded its empire in southern Germany and Hungary under Hapsburg name
Empress Maria Theresa
Daughter of Charles VI
Many did not respect her
Prussia seized northern Austrian lands
War of Austrian Succession
Reforms of an Absolute Monarch
Helped created stronger Austria and absolute monarchy

10. Hapsburg Austria Expands
The Hapsburg empire included many different peoples and cultures. This painted silk flag shows the double-headed eagle, symbol of the Hapsburg dynasty.

11. Prussia Emerges
While Austria was molding a strong Catholic state, Prussia emerged as a new Protestant German-speaking power in the north. In the 1600s, the Hohenzollern (HOH un tsahl urn) family ruled scattered lands across north Germany. After the Peace of Westphalia, ambitious Hohenzollern rulers united their holdings by taking over states between them. Like absolute rulers elsewhere, they imposed royal power on all their subjects and reduced the independence of their nobles, called Junkers (YOON kerz).

12. Prussia Emerges
Creating an Efficient Bureaucracy
Prussia emerges as Protestant power in Northern German States
Hohenzollern family
Subdue nobility- Junkers
Frederick William I- came to power in 1713
Frederick the Great
Frederick II
Harsh father?
United and expanded Prussia

13. Prussia Emerges
Hohenzollern rulers united their lands to create a Prussian empire. This 18th-century print shows a Prussian army camp in Pomerania, territory that lay between East Prussia and West Prussia.

14. Peter the Great Modernizes Russia
From 1604 to 1613, Russia was in a period of disorder, plagued by foreign invasions and internal rebellion. The rise of the first Romanov tsar restored a measure of order. Still, Russia remained a medieval state, untouched by the Renaissance or Reformation and largely isolated from Western Europe.

15. Peter the Great Modernizes Russia
Romanov tsar restore order in Russia
Peter the Great- absolute ruler, 1682
Peter Visits the West
Wanted to westernize, learn from west
Subdue Russian nobles- Boyars
The Westernization of Russia
Autocrat
Boyars shave beards
Modernize army, navy
Extending Serfdom
Kept serfs to make nobles happy
A Harsh, Effective Ruler
Did whatever it took to bring Russia forward

16. Peter the Great Modernizes Russia
Peter the Great, shown here as a young man, worked to restore order in Russia and make it a great modern power.

17. Expanding Russia’s Borders
From his earliest days as tsar, Peter worked to build Russia’s military power. He created the largest standing army in Europe, built a world-class navy from scratch, and set out to extend Russian borders to the west and south. To achieve these goals meant fighting Russia’s neighbors.

18. Expanding Russia’s Borders
Seeking a Warm-Water Seaport
Black Sea- Never got there
Catherine the Great did
The Great Northern War
Took land from Sweden on Baltic
Established St. Petersburg
A “Window on the West”
Expanding to the East
All the way to Bering Sea, crossed and reached California
A Mixed Legacy

19. Expanding Russia’s Borders
Peter wanted to gain access to a warm-water port and the open sea. His first step toward this goal was to capture Azov, a town in what is now southwestern Russia, from the Turks. This painting shows the successful capture of Azov in 1696.

20. Catherine the Great
Peter’s successors in the Romanov dynasty were ineffective rulers. Russian nobles quickly reasserted their independence. Then a new monarch took the reins of power firmly in hand. She became known to history as Catherine the Great.

21. Catherine the Great
A German Princess Becomes Tsar
Probably had husband killed
Catherine Embraces Reform
An Absolute Monarch
Granted charter to boyars- guarantee certain rights
Still absolute monarch
The Partitions of Poland
Russia, Prussia, and Hungary partitioned Poland and took it for themselves

22. Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great, shown here in a 1794 portrait, took over the rule of Russia after the assassination of her husband, Tsar Peter III.

23. Catherine the Great
Analyze Maps Russia expanded its borders from 1689 to Which five cities could probably serve as warm-water ports?

24. Five Great European Powers
By 1750, five European powers had come to dominate European affairs. They were Austria, Prussia, France, Britain, and Russia. All five had strong centralized governments. Although Spain and the Ottoman Empire ruled parts of Europe, these once powerful empires were in decline.

25. Five Great European Powers
Austria, Russia, Prussia, France, and Britain
Struggles for Power
Fought A lot
7 years war
Absolutism at Its Peak
Britain was only exception

26. Five Great European Powers
The Seven Years’ War in Europe pitted Europe, Prussia, and Britain against Austria, France, Russia, and Sweden. This painting shows a December 1757 battle in which the Prussians defeated the Austrians.

27. Quiz: The Thirty Years’ War
Which of the following was a long-term cause of the Thirty Years’ War?
A. the Defenestration of Prague
B. the Protestant Reformation
C. the depopulation of Europe
D. the Peace of Westphalia

28. Quiz: Hapsburg Austria Expands
What was one of Maria Theresa's successes as an absolute monarch?
A. uniting the German states
B. forcing Frederick out of Silesia
C. strengthening royal power
D. adding Hungary to the Hapsburg empire

29. Quiz: Prussia Emerges
What goal did Frederick the Great pursue as monarch of Prussia?
A. winning the Thirty Years’ War
B. extending Prussian power through military might
C. imposing Catholicism on the German states
D. destroying the power of the Junkers

30. Quiz: Peter the Great Modernizes Russia
Why did Peter the Great strengthen serfdom in Russia?
A. to follow the example of Western Europe
B. to punish people who opposed him
C. to help pay for his reforms
D. to win the support of the boyars

31. Quiz: Expanding Russia’s Borders
Which is an example of Peter the Great’s legacy?
A. He established Russia’s first warm-water port.
B. He expanded Russian territory.
C. He created a more democratic monarchy.
D. He put an end to all serfdom.

32. Quiz: Catherine the Great
How did Catherine succeed where Peter the Great had failed?
A. She strengthened the institute of serfdom.
B. She expanded Russia's borders.
C. She won a warm-water port for Russia.
D. She introduced policies to westernize Russia.

33. Quiz: Five Great European Powers
What were the two main rivalries after 1750?
A. England and France; Austria and Prussia
B. England and Austria; France and Prussia
C. England and Prussia; France and Austria
D. England and Russia; France and Austria