Latter 19th Century Warfare: Prussia

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Latter 19th Century Warfare Prussia

• 8801, Lesson 7

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Educational Objectives

• Understand
• The significance of the Prussian Armys
  reorganization
• The accomplishments of the General Staff under
  Moltke
• The ramifications of a professionalization
  race.
• Analyze the success, failures and relevance of
  the German Staff model to the U.S.

3
19th Century Europe

• European Reaction to Napoleonic Warfare
• Continuity
• Jomini
• Clausewitz
• Napoleonic warfare
• Maneuver
• Strength at the decisive point
• Prussia
• Dominant Military Power

4
Prussian Success

• Cohesive, training fighting units
• Elite trained officers
• Improvisation
• Thoughtful command

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The European Context

• Dealing with the aftermath of Napoleon
• Not to be repeated
• Reverted to 18th Century model
• Military schools
• Military literature
• Concert of Europe

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The Concert of Europe

• Most peaceful period
• Characteristics
• Economic growth
• Cultural interaction
• Middle class
• Goal
• To suppress revolution
• Avoid general war

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The Wars of 19th Century Europe

• 1815-1848
• Small wars, big riots
• 1849-1869
• Great Powers wars
• 1870-1914
• Peaceful competition

• The wars of 1849-1869
• Crimean War
• Italian Wars
• Wars of German Unification
• Franco-Prussian War

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19th Century Europe

• The isms
• Nationalism
• Darwinism
• Imperialism
• Militarism
• Navalism

• Military influences
• Franco-Prussian War (1870)
• The Spanish-American War (1898)
• The Boer War (1898-1901)
• The RussoJapanese War (1904-05)

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Forces at work

• Technology
• Military professionalism
• Population growth

unparalleled destructive potential
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Between 1815 and 1914

• Communications revolution
• Transformed strategy
• Weapons technology
• Transformed tactics
• Military professionalization
• Tied these together
• Resulting dilemma

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Dilemma

• The tactical problem
• Offensive action, but
• unsupportable casualties.
• Reinforced by wars
• Resolution improved artillery to neutralize
  infantry firepower

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The Prussian Revolutionin Military Organization

• Conscription
• General Staff System
• Military Education

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The Prussian Army

• Created by
• Frederick the Great
• Napoleon
• Scharnhorst Gniesenau

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Prussian Effectiveness

• Organization
• Training system
• Study of war

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Prussian Changes

• Conscription
• Goal
• Organization of the army
• General Staff
• Command System

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The Great German General Staff

• The brains
• Junior partners in command
• Institutionalized combat efficiency
• Same training
• Similar solution
• Auftragstaktik directive control

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Moltke

• Military writer of the 19th Century
• The Fundamental Questions of Military Theorists
• Influence of historical setting?
• Use of historical analysis?
• What are his ideas?
• Build on or react to previous theorists?
• Affect on later theorists and practitioners of
  war?

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Moltke

• Influence of the historical setting

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Moltke

• Use of historical analysis?

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Moltke

• What are his ideas about
• The fundamentals of strategy
• Civil-military relations
• The importance of material and moral factors
• The ability of individuals to affect events
• Relationship between offense and defense
• The importance of chance in war

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Moltke and War
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Approach to Modern war

• Dilemma

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Moltke

• What are his ideas about strategy?

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Moltke

• What are his ideas about civil-military relations?

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Moltke

• What are his ideas about the importance of
  material and moral factors?

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Moltke

• What are his ideas about the ability of
  individuals to affect the course of events?

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Moltke

• What are his ideas about the importance of chance
  in war?

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Moltke

• What are his ideas about the relationship between
  offense and defense?

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Moltke

• How do his ideas build on or react to previous
  theorists?

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Moltke

• Affect on later theorists and practitioners of
  war?

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Moltkes Legacy
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Critique
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The U.S. in the late 19th Century

• Approach to war?
• Roles of
• Regular Army?
• State militia?
• Navy?

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Can Prussian system be duplicated

• In the U.S.?
• Today?
• Considerations
• Functional demands v societal imperatives
• Elites in a democracy?
• Zero defect management mentality
• Anti-military bias

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Issues for Consideration

• Prussian Military Revolution
• Professionalization Race
• Moltke
• Civil-Military Relationships

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Issues for Consideration

• The Prussian Military Revolution
• Meaning?
• Causes?
• What was it?
• How did it work?

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Issues for Consideration

• Professionalization Race
• Institutionalization of the Prussian approach?
• Confined to one state?
• Consequences?

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Issues for Consideration

• How did Moltke apply
• Prussian traditions?
• Clausewitizian theory?
• His own strategic thought?

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Issues for Consideration

• Civil-Military Relationships
• What was the relationship in
• The Prussian Kingdom?
• The German Empire?
• Strengths?
• Weaknesses?
• Compared to U.S. historic civ-mil relations?

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Summary

• Military Revolution
• Schlieffen Plan v TPFDL
• General Staff v maneuver warfare?
• Maneuver warfare v unity of command?
• Points to remember

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Next Week
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Points to remember

• The simple things are always hard.