Quoting Carroll P. Kakel’s The Holocaust as Colonial Genocide, pages 29–30:
In the same lands once conquered by the Teutonic Knights, a similar imperial‐colonial project reappeared in the eighteenth century, under the auspices of Frederick II (‘the Great’), King of Prussia (1740–86).14 Immediately after ascending to the throne, the new King of Prussia began a series of conquests and annexations in ‘the East’, seizing the province of Silesia from Austria and fighting during the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) to retain it.
Following the 1772 partition of Poland (between Austria, Prussia, and Russia), Frederick II gained new lands in East Prussia and Polish (or West) Prussia, recovering territory that had been conquered, settled and lost by the Teutonic Knights. Inspired by the American example, Frederick compared the inhabitants of Polish territories acquired between 1772 and 1795 — the ‘slovenly Polish trash’, he called them — to Iroquois American Indians [read: Haudenosaunee] and named three of his settlements in the acquired territories Florida, Philadelphia and Saratoga.15
Drawn to the tasks of agricultural improvement and internal colonization, Frederick carried out great reclamation and colonization projects, seeking to ‘plant’ colonists on reclaimed land in ‘the East’, land located in the marshlands of the north German plain. Under his auspices, recruitment stations advertised Prussia as a ‘promised land’ for hardworking immigrants. As part of what has been called Peuplierungspolitik (population policy), peasant settlers and craftsman were solicited from Germany, as well as from German‐speaking Europe.
Frederick’s agents recruited German farmers with the promise of free land, and Frederick himself looked to replace ‘Polish’ nobles with ‘Prussian’ ones. He also sought to gradually ‘get rid’ of all the Poles, and aimed to expel the 25,000 Jews living in West Prussia at the time.16 In West Prussia, he established 1,500 colonist villages and hamlets, populated by 100,000 settlers from his own kingdom and 250,000 immigrants from other parts of Germany.17
(Emphasis added.)
I am mildly angry, because I was aware of this character ever since I played Sid Meier’s Civilization IV (which was in…2008, maybe?) and somehow I had no clue about any of this.
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Frederick’s agents recruited German farmers with the promise of free land, and Frederick himself looked to replace ‘Polish’ nobles with ‘Prussian’ ones. He also sought to gradually ‘get rid’ of all the Poles, and aimed to expel the 25,000 Jews living in West Prussia at the time.16 In West Prussia, he established 1,500 colonist villages and hamlets, populated by 100,000 settlers from his own kingdom and 250,000 immigrants from other parts of Germany.17
But remember - it’s le ebil Soviet russkies that were trying to erase Poland and polish culture! The NATO approved schoolbook says so and it cannot lie.
He is a loser just for naming a settlement after Florida lol. Frederick was an evil man without a doubt. Though I’ve never played civ 4, I believe that’s the one with Mao in it. When I play those games, I usually play as China. I wish he was the leader in Civilization 6. But I think it would be too controversial today.
Recently fired up Age of Empires 3 and wouldnt you know it, Frederick the Great showed up alone to fuck with my settlement. Then two dozen Inca villagers beat him to death
Yup, Prussia and its consequences have been a disaster for mankind, and while i usually hate this meme, this time i’m saying that in all dead seriousness.
