Prussia in the nineteenth century was a state and society perpetually on the verge of crisis. It was victorious in the Napoleonic Wars but could not undo the consequences of the upheaval of the preceding three decades. Instead, what followed was a state constantly concerned about the return of revolutionary fervour or renewed attempts at uprooting the social order and its institutions. Religious beliefs and new political ideologies were seen to challenge the authority of the state and its key actors. Conversely, as Prussian society transformed socially, economically, culturally, and technologically, more groups sought access to the political process and asserted themselves in an expanding political sphere. How, then, did Prussian authorities respond to anything they saw as a threat to their positions and powers?
During a two-day event, four books will be presented which provide substantial new answers to this question by looking at two different examples from nineteenth-century Prussia. On 14 October, Christopher Clark (University of Cambridge) will present his new book, which looks at how local authorities responded to a social and religious scandal in 1830s Königsberg. The following day, Susanne Bauer (Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities), Jan Markert (Trier University) and Frederik Frank Sterkenburgh (Utrecht University) will present their books on how the Hohenzollern monarchy sought to establish itself as the imperial dynasty in the decades following the 1848 revolution and the challenges posed by nationalism and liberalism. Taken together, these four books not only provide distinct new insights in how nineteenth-century Prussian and German history unfolded, but force us to reflect on how authorities respond in the modern era to challenges to their powers in an age marked by a new transformation of the public sphere through the ascent of social media, a decline of notions of facts and truths, and heightening social and economic inequality.
Program
14 October 2025 7:00 PM, Senaatszaal, Academiegebouw, book launch – Christopher Clark, Beatrice de Graaf (Utrecht University, moderation), and Frederik Frank Sterkenburgh (Utrecht University, respondent)
15 October 2025 9:30 AM, Zalen van Zeven, book launch – Susanne Bauer (Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of the Sciences and Humanities), Jan Markert (Trier University), Frederik Frank Sterkenburgh (Utrecht University), James Kennedy (Utrecht University, moderation), Christopher Clark (University of Cambridge, respondent), and Beatrice de Graaf (Utrecht University, respondent).
The Security History Network 