Prussia was a state that no longer exists; Germany is the country that partly grew out of it. Prussia was the largest and most powerful of the German states, and it drove the unification that created the German Empire in 1871. It survived as a component state until it was formally abolished in 1947, and its former territory is now split between Germany, Poland and Russia.
The core difference
One is historical, the other current. Prussia was a kingdom and later a state within Germany. Germany is the modern country, which Prussia was instrumental in creating but is not a synonym for.
How Prussia became Germany
Before 1871 there was no single German nation-state — the German-speaking lands were dozens of separate kingdoms, duchies and free cities. Prussia was the largest and militarily strongest of them, and under Otto von Bismarck it led the process of unification that produced the German Empire in 1871, with the Prussian king as emperor. Prussia then existed inside Germany as its dominant constituent state, which is why the two names blur.
The end of Prussia
Prussia persisted through the empire and the Weimar Republic, lost much of its meaning under Nazi centralisation, and was formally abolished by the Allied Control Council in 1947, on the grounds that it had been a bearer of militarism. Its territory was divided: some to modern Germany, a large part to Poland, and the area around Königsberg — now Kaliningrad — to Russia.
Why the name still appears
- Geography. East Prussia, West Prussia and Prussian Saxony are historical regions, not current administrative ones.
- Culture. "Prussian" is still used as shorthand for discipline, order and military tradition, a stereotype far older than the state's abolition.
- Blue. Prussian blue is a pigment named after the state, first made in Berlin.
What Prussia was not
Prussia was never all of Germany, and not all Germans were Prussians — Bavaria, Saxony, Baden and others had their own long histories and identities, which is part of why German federalism is as strong as it is today.
Frequently asked questions
Is Prussia the same as Germany?
No. Prussia was the largest German state and led the unification that created Germany in 1871, but it was one part of it, and it was abolished in 1947.
Where was Prussia?
Its territory is now split between modern Germany, Poland and the Russian region of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg.
When did Prussia stop existing?
It was formally abolished by the Allied Control Council in 1947, though it had lost real autonomy earlier under Nazi centralisation.