Seventeenth century was one of the most important centuries in European history. The major historical development that shaped European culture was the empowerment of many countries and formation of new governments. In the time of seventeenth century, states that were once powerful fell in rank, namely Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the Ottoman Empire. This led to the rise of the new great powers such as Austria-Hungary, England, France, Prussia, and Russia. Factors to their rise were their geography, financial system, military strategy, and a new form of bureaucracy. Laws ensured the people’s security, whereas religion did not interfere. Furthermore a new form of government was introduced, where there was more than just an exclusive group at power. With these changes a new system of modern bureaucracy began to rise.
The Treaty of Utrecht benefited most of central Europe by establishing a balance of power and restoring peace. Russia benefited of Sweden’s decline, and large bureaucratic machinery collected a lot of taxes. Ivan builds up a very efficient system of intelligence, which preserved his own power and increased state revenues. Likewise, Prussia prospered from its modern legal system, its strong state apparatus, where bureaucrats were state servants with some duties and many privileges. Prussia was also known for its disciplined army with advanced weapons. Austria-Hungary was also able to maintain its status as a great power for a long time.
The bureaucracy remained efficient due to the separation of power that existed between the prince and the people. In this case, the elements of finance, geography, and military strategy were not as critical to the rise of this organization. France kept an effective and rational bureaucracy that consisted of royal officials who acted as state authorities along with the king. The collection of revenue was direct and strictly enforced by the bureaucracy. While France was a well-known Great Power, it also...