To What Extent Was Fredrick the Second More Despotic Than Enlightened?

I do not totally agree with the view that Fredrick's domestic policy was "more despotic than enlightened." However, thus view does have some truth in it and thus I will discuss the extent to which this statement is true. First of all the terms "despotic" and "enlightened" must be defined in order to discuss towards which of these Fredrick was inclined. Despotism is defined as the enforcing of one's will over others regardless of their interests or feelings. Enlightened in this context is defined as the ruling of one's subjects with regard to their interests and feelings. Thus this essay will discuss the extent to which Fredrick's domestic policy tended towards either being despotic, enlightened or in fact neither.
  The first aspect of domestic policy that I will analyze is that of law. Fredrick codified Prussian law and this codification ensured civil rights and equality under the law for everyone which in effect protected peasants from unfair legal procedures with nobles. It also guaranteed that nobles could not oppress peasants to an extent because the peasants were guaranteed civil rights under the new codification. Religious and intellectual freedom was also ensured. Thus these enlightened reforms of the law system meant that justice was made available to both rich and poor. The codification was also enlightened relative to other states such as Russia at that time. This is because the codification, although confirming the various rights and distinctions enjoyed by the nobles, gave them no new rights. Catherine II's Charter of the Nobility on the other hand gave them new rights and social distinctions. Thus, although the consolidation of noble's rights and distinctions by Fredrick's law reform can be seen as unenlightened in this day and age one must remember that relative to other states in that period in time this was enlightened. Fredrick also acted paradoxically enlightened with his domestic law policy. The example of this is the case of the miller Arnold.... [continues]

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