AM I ABSOLUTE PROJECT – AP EURO

MR. MALONE– FALL 2020

Starting in the seventeenth century, several monarchs attained such unprecedented power
and authority that historians have used the term “absolutism” to describe these political
systems. Other historians have argued that the term is misleading, that neither the
ambitions of the monarchs nor the results constituted political absolutism.

In this activity, you will research a specific ruler and attempt to determine whether for them
absolutism was a reality or a myth. You will be researching specifics in order to play the role
of an absolute ruler in a wax museum where visitors will ask questions and determine your
level of absoluteness. Your goal is to be as proud of your accomplishments as you can be,
without lying to the people. When each interview is over, each visitor will drop a vote in a
ballot box ranking how absolute your leader is on a scale from 1 (least absolute) to 10 (most
absolute). The goal is to determine who is most absolute and who is least absolute.

Individual tasks:
1) Research a specific absolute leader
2) Turn in your notes sheet(s) for credit
3) Dress as your leader (pending approval from Admin)
4) Act in character as your leader on wax museum – Role #1
5) Be an informed visitor to the wax museum and complete votes and ranking charts –
Role #2
6) Debrief with the class about ordering the absolute monarchs.

Rubric
4 points – Notes Sheet that you can consult when playing the role of your absolute monarch…
should be able to answer all the questions below
6 points – 1-2 page essay that ranks your monarch (1-10) and historical reasoning for your
ranking…focus on the categories provided in question 16 in your analysis
2 points – 2 works cited, in addition to the textbook
4 points – Historical Accuracy during the interview (answered questions correctly and
thoroughly)
4 points – turned in completed ranking sheets at the end of the visitor day

Rulers to Choose From

Louis XIV of France
Catherine the Great
Frederick II (the Great) of Prussia
Peter the Great
Maria Theresa of Austria
Philip II of Spain
Joseph II of Austria
You MUST be able to answer the following questions before you begin…

1) Name and country of ruler.

a. Frederick the II the Great of Prussia

2) Birth and death date.

a. Born January 24, 1712 in Berlin, Prussia. Died August 17, 1786 in Postdam, Germany.

3) Years of Reign.
a. 1740 - 1786

4) How did your ruler come to power?

a. His father, Frederick William I, died on May 31, 1740, and Frederick II immediately

took to the throne.

5) Did this ruler claim divine right?

a. No, he inherited the kingdom from his father.

6) Did this ruler give any concessions to the people (in other words, was he/she fair at all)?

a. Yes, he eliminated torture except in treason and murder cases. He granted limited

freedom of speech and press as well as complete religious toleration.

7) Did this ruler take any rights away from the people?

a. He came close to having a hierarchy based on hereditary.

8) Did this ruler face any problems?

a. Although he was very successful in general, one time in which he struggled was during

the Seven Years War. France, Sweden, Russia, and other smaller German states fought

against him and he was soon very close to losing, but strategic victories in November

and December helped him to regain his position, though it was still precarious

b. Although not during his time of rule, him and his father had a very strained

relationship, often with his father being abusive

9) Were there any wars fought due to your ruler?

 a. Yes, the War of Austrian Succession, The Seven Years’ war.

10) What were positive (likeable) qualities about this person?

a. He provided his people with many freedoms which they did not have before, even

though some were limited.

11) What were some accomplishments that this ruler had?

a. He took over the Austrian province of Silesia during the succession of Habsburg. He

united Prussia and at the time of his death, Prussia was seen as a great european

power.

12) What were some negative qualities about the person?

a. He almost eliminated the ability for commoners to rise to higher government

positions and reserved them for nobles.

13) How can you make the negative qualities sound good?

a. This ensured that the people who were taking over the high power gov jobs were

well-educated people who were familiar with the processes of gov.

14) Did this ruler benefit the nation?

a. Yes, as aforementioned, he helped prussia to be recognized as a great european

power.

15) What fun things were happening in the empire at that time? Look up music, sports, art,
religion, etc. to include in the response.
a. Alaska was discovered, the first encyclopedia was published, Ben Frankling invents
lightening, USPS established, Boston tea party, boston massacre, declaration of
independence, revolutionary war.

16) Make certain that you focus on all of the following (in other words, know if your leader
controlled the:
 Economy
 Government
 Culture
 Religion
 Military
 Legal Structure
  Social Structure

Summary of Monarch

Name of Monarch: Frederick II the Great

Country: Prussia

Head of Why? (How do you know?)

Government He was the single monarch and was able to
cause great expansion. He removed the
common people from government and placed
nobles in charge.

Church He provided religious toleration which was

complete. I did not practice any religion.
Protestant became the favored religion and
therefore, I did not select any

Military He led an army of over 200,000 people which

his father left him and conquered a part of
Austria. Doubled the size of the military. Won
the 30 years war.

Social Structure Yes, he stopped the ability for commoners to

join the ranks of higher government offices and
essentially made it so that the government was
completely hereditary.

Cultural Changes Introduced the potato and turnips to the

country. Although he strongly disliked German
culture, he felt that it could be bettered by
codifying the German language, and worked
towards the emergence of talented Germans
authors and artists
Economy During the Seven years war he had to devalue
his coin and many debased coins were
produced. By the end of 1772 the economy had
mostly recovered. Established a giro discount
and credit bank.
Miscellaneous Titled himself as the king of prussia instead of
king in Prussia

Partition of Poland