The German Crucible: How The Imperial Systems Of The Holy Roman Empire Fostered A Culture Of Economic, Political, And Military Innovation During The Eighteenth Century

This thesis is an analysis of the evolution of the Holy Roman Imperial systems for governing Germany throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth century as well as the reaction, to those evolving systems, by Bavaria, Prussia, and Austria. The text explores how competition between states within the Empire, over the course of the early modern era, led to political innovation, and how adaptations made by the Holy Roman Emperors influenced the nature of these innovations.