Absolutism+in+Prussia+and+Austria

**Guided Reading: 559-561 Austria & Prussia**
 * A.P. Modern European History**


 * 1) What was the attitude of western Europe toward eastern Europe in this time period?
 * 2) How and why had serfdom “all but disappeared” in eastern Europe by 1300?
 * 3) How was serfdom re-imposed and reinvigorated in the east? **What economic and political factors account for this?**
 * 4) How were towns also hurt in this system?

**Guided Reading: 565-572 The Rise of Austria and Prussia**
 * 1) Why did the period of the Thirty Years’ War help eastern European rulers build absolute monarchy? How did they go about it?
 * 2) This is the first time you’ve read about **Prussia**. Where was Prussia and what contemporary nation did it become?
 * 3) Describe the diversity within the Austrian Hapsburg empire. How was political power structured in the empire?
 * 4) What goal did the Hapsburgs focus on during and after the Thirty Years’ War? What happened in Bohemia?
 * 5) How were Hapsburg efforts at building absolutism in Hungary challenged?
 * 6) What was the Pragmatic Sanction and why did Charles VI devote considerable time to building support for it? Who succeeded him in 1740?
 * 7) Which family line held the position of Elector of Brandenburg? Why was Brandenburg initially considered a weak area?
 * 8) How did Brandenburg come to control Prussia?
 * 9) How did the Thirty Years’ War pave the way for the Hohenzollerns to build absolutism?
 * 10) Who dominated the Prussian estates?
 * 11) How did Frederick the Great Elector establish his authority over the estates/nobles?
 * 12) How did the Great Electors son, earn the title King Frederick I?
 * 13) Describe Frederick William I’s approach to military matters.
 * 14) How did he deal with the nobility?