stronger bond of unity under the sovereignty of the monarch, swallowing up the electorate of Brandenburg in the process. Prussia was a member of the Grand Alliance, formed against Louis XIV, and took part in important battles including the battle of Oudenarde and Malplaquet at which the crown prince Frederick William was present.Frederick William I came to power in 1713 and would go down in history as the soldier King. He inherited a standing army of some forty thousand people and would increase it to ninety thousand by the end of his reign. Prussia ranked twelfth in population of European states, but ranked fourth in the number of its army. Out of a revenue of seven million thalers, five million thalers were spent on the army. Once again, the magnitude of the army required the working of whole financial and civil administration of the state, apart from the special military machinery, to provide the necessary resources. The economy was immediately stimulated by the needs of the ever-growing economy, and Prussia operated as a machine. A machine serving the function of furnishing soldiers, officers, and their equipment.King Frederick William I personally supervised the organization, finance, administration, and training of troops from the broadest to the pettiest details. With the aid of a French man, Leopold of Dessau, he perfected a drill book as well as technical improvements. Creating and enforcing brutal and degrading punishments accomplished perfection in maneuvers and drills. Up until 1733 rank and file were obtained by partly voluntary and partly compulsory service. In 1773 a rigorous system of conscription was created requiring districts to fulfill a quota based on population. This system was completed in 1814 when service became obligatory. Under Frederick William certain classes remained exempt from service. The army was mostly drawn from the peasant class and officered by members of the noble class. The class divisions ...
