"Au pays des sombres forêts et des lacs cristallins": le district de Königsberg en Prusse-Orientale : aspects d'histoire économique, sociale et politique (1850-1914)

ENThe district of Königsberg is an atypical territory in the heart of Prussia. Although its economic and social structures are still largely traditional, with a strong power held by the great noble or bourgeois landowners and the clergy, economic innovations can be seen, notably at agricultural level. These remain nonetheless almost exclusively in the hands of the large landed property, when the small and middle peasantry remain in often manifest destitution. At social level, peasants are largely under the control of local lords. Over time, however, they succeed in becoming an important pawn in the local political life, becoming the objective allies of the conservative great landowners in exchange for marginal but real benefits which allow them to slightly increase their living standards. The ethnic minorities and the socialists also play an important role in East Prussia. Finally, the role played by the province's capital, Königsberg, is very important at all levels.