Staatsgedanke und Staatspraxis des aufgeklärten Absolutismus: Jahresfeier am 19. Mai 1971

In 1740, two monarchs acceeded to the throne: in Prussia it was King Frederic II, surnamed the Great (1740-1786) and in Austria the Empress Maria Theresia (1740-1780). This signified for both states the breakthrough of the state theory founded on rationalism and naturallaw which, in the final analysis, can be traced back in Germany to Samuel Baron von Pufen- dorf (1632-1694). It superseded the older baroque concept of the state based on religious and patriarchal aspects. In Prussia, Frederi...