The Period of Ruin (1800).—The condition of Germany—Courts and cities of the Empire—People and armies of the Empire—The emigrants—Effect of the revolution on the Germans—The Prussian State—Its rapid increase—Von Held—Bureaucracy—The army—The Generals—The downfall—Narrative of the Years 1806-1807, by Christoph Wilhelm Heinrich Sethe—His life
CHAPTER XI.
Rise of the Nation (1807-1815).—Sorrowful condition of the people in the year 1807—The first signs of rising strength—Hatred of the French Emperor—Arming of Prussia—Character and importance of the movement of 1813—Napoleon's flight—Expedition of the French to Russia in 1812, and return in 1813—The Cossacks—The people rise—General enthusiasm—The volunteer Jägers and patriotic gifts—The Landwehr and the Landsturm—The first combat—Impression of the war on the citizens—The enemy in the city—The course of the war—The celebration of victory
CHAPTER XII.
Illness and Recovery (1815-1848).—The time of reaction—Hopelessness of the German question—Discontent and exhaustion of the Prussians—Weakness of the educated classes in the north of Germany—The development of practical activity—The South Germans and their village tales—Description of a Village School by Karl Mathy
CONCLUSION.—The Hohenzollerns and the German citizens