Frederick Was Great

Something that I talked with my group in class today but was not really discussed with the whole class was adaptation some leaders made during the 18th Century.  The enlightenment was changing the way people thought.  Self-worth was being preached.  People were starting to realize that they could and should be able to obtain happiness in this life.  The leaders who were smart, started to adapt to their new surroundings.  In a way, giving a little more in order to secure control over their state.

A good example is Frederick the Great of Prussia.  He built canals, built roads, and drained swamps for crops.  He supported the intellectuals and the artists.  He was close friends with Voltaire and supported Bach in his court.

He was a very shrewd ruler who was quick to do what was necessary, whether it was go to war or control the price of grain.  He was a great leader but not very humble, self proclaimed the "first servant of the state."  Nonetheless he still did run an autocratic state.

Frederick, and other leader's like him, experienced much more enjoyable ending to their reign as opposed to France, where Louis XVI and his wife were executed during the French Revolution.

As a result of the shift in thinking induced by the Enlightenment all the monarchies, for all practical purposes, came to an end.  Nevertheless I do respect the rulers who were able to adapt in order to survive a little longer.

Adaptation was an important part of the 2008 election.  The Obama campaign changed it's strategies from just the normal campaign tactics to employ the advantages of modern technology. They used blog posts, twitter, facebook for fundraising and campaigning, and in doing so were able to connect with younger voters. Their opposition on the other hand seemed to old (McCain) and stupid (Palin) to even use a computer. This gave them a huge advantage.  

The adaptation of the Obama Campaign to the new digital civilization was key to their victory in the 2008 election.  It will be interesting to see if they can pull it off again.