George Washington and Frederick the Great: Parallel Lives

How Frederick the Great and George Washington embody the competition between liberal democracy and authoritarianism

Both Frederick the Great and George Washington saw themselves as model rulers exemplifying different modes of enlightened governance. Frederick, absolute ruler of Prussia, styled himself as the embodiment of “enlightenment from above”; Washington, as the first president of the United States, held himself accountable to Congress, with the power of the presidency subject to check...