Prussian Military Reforms Essay - 2273 Words

Innovation and Evolution: Prussian Military Reforms of the 19th Century The concept of war as a static and unchanging occurrence is an outdated and dangerous miscalculation. More accurately, war is a fluidic, evolving and shifting phenomenon constantly reinventing itself, rendering stagnant, inflexible principles potentially disastrous. Consequently, as students of war and future players in this transforming theatre, the study of eras of significant development is an extremely relevant pursuit. Recognizing the need for adaptation and the creation of doctrine is now a prerequisite for any effective modern commander. War is unpredictable in nature and particularly so in current theatres of operation, in which change is rapid†¦show more content†¦These developments influenced most of the powerful nations of Europe and were soon repeated in similar forms around the world. Furthermore, many of the Prussian enhancements in army doctrine are the foundation of the command structures of many modern militaries today. Although his armies enjoyed unprecedented successes and expanded the French Empire from Spain to the steppes of Russia, the Napoleonic way of war was fraught with deficiencies. Due to the Napoleons genius and mastery of this period of military manoeuvres, he was able to forestall the affects of the inherent limitations of his system until the war of the Sixth Coalition (1813) and eventually the fateful battle of Waterloo (1815). One the most significant, intrinsic flaws in Napoleons system was related to issues of command. During the beginnings of Napoleons career, he commanded armies of sizes up to 60 000 troops. In Italy in 1796, he commanded a force of just 38 000. With the increasing sizes of forces in the later empire, due to concepts such as levee en masse and recruitment legislation of 1792, the inability of a single commander to control such vast forces was becoming apparent. The sheer immensity of the forces now mustered was unprecedented. In 1812 the Grande Armee, consisted of a staggering 611 000 soldiers. Much to the hindrance of the later empire, few, if any officers in the Grande Armee, besides Napoleon himself, could command forcesShow MoreRelatedThe Unification of Germany1421 Words   |  6 Pagestwentieth century as simply, The German Empire, united under the rule of the German Emperor, or Kaiser. There are many factors which led to the unification of the German states; liberalism, nationalism, Otto Von Bismarck, fear of ‘another Napoleon, the Prussian King William I, and the three wars Prussia fought. One of the key factors which led to the Unification was nationalism. Nationalism is the idea that certain things such as race, culture, religion, language or territory set them apart from thoseRead MoreThe Great Strategists Of The 19th Century1035 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Chief of General staff of the Prussian Army for three decades (1857 – 1887) and is considered the creator of modern methods of warfare. Moltke’s conceptual, organizational, and doctrinal changes in the Prussian Army created a military machine, which none of the European military powers could compete with. Victories over Denmark in 1864, Austria in1866 and France in 1871 led to the unification of Germany and were examples of the capabilities of this military thinker. Moltke s pragmatic thinkingRead MoreEnlightment for Fredrick the Great of Prussia and Joseph II of Austria783 Words   |  4 Pagessingle code of laws for all of his subjects and not advancing them by not abolishing serfdom for fear of upsetting the â€Å"Junkers†, or Prussian nobility; Joseph II advanced the ideas of the Enlightenment eagerly by completely abolishing serfdom paying no heed to what it could cause socially and politically and he didn’t advance these ideas in the end because his many reforms caused alienation of the church and nobility and radical changes in social hierarchy. Frederick the Great of Prussia advanced theRead MoreOtto von Bismarcks Influence on the Unification of Germany Essay examples1502 Words   |  7 Pages The Unification of Germany in 1871 into a politically and an administratively integrated nation state, is highly regarded as a direct result from a Prussian statesman named Otto von Bismarck and his political strategies. Bismarck used his skill as an excellent orator, his great ability to read and manipulate others, as well as his capability to plan ahead while being able to adapt to situations simultaneously as they arose, is what helped him come into power and eventually unify the German statesRead More Coal and Iron and the Unification of Germany in 1871 Essay1499 Words   |  6 Pagessuch natural resources created an economic take off in Prussia in the 1850s. As a result, Germany became Europe’s largest producer of key industrial commodities, such as coal and iron. New mines and iron works were also opened in Prussian territory, such as the Ruhr Valley. Looking at statistics we can see that in 1846, Germany produced only 3.2m tons of coal, whereas in 1871, nearly 30m tons of coal were produced. The significance of this is that the economic expansionRead MoreEssay on Enlightened Despots558 Words   |  3 Pagesimpatient with all that stood in the way of their reforms. 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The King considered abdication because his request was denied;Read MoreKey Factors of German Unification 1871 Essay862 Words   |  4 PagesBismarck, Prussian President at the time, favoured Nationalism, however he vehemently opposed Liberalism. Bismarck’s political preferences are significant to German unification as they played important roles in how he came to power and the decisions he made during his term. Otto Von Bismarck was appointed President of Prussia in 1862 by Kaiser Wilhelm I. He was called in to Parliament because the Prussian Chamber of Deputies, consisting mostly of liberals, was opposing the King’s army reform bill andRead MoreLessons To Be Learned From the Study of Warfare Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesNew and innovative ideas have proven to be instrumental in lifelong learning but there is a great deal to be learned from the study of military history. Today’s military encourages and requires a new way of doing business. Commanders at all levels offer civilian employees incentives for creative ideas to solving problems and encourage service members to â€Å"think outside of the box†; business as usual is not the ‘group think’ anymore. But as spoken in the words of General Douglas MacArthur, â€Å"†¦ButRead MoreRise of Prussia Essay example1061 Words   |  5 PagesQuestion: Analyze the military, political, and social factors that account for the rise of Prussia between 1640 and 1786. Bree Stanbrough Due: March 3, 2011 Period 4 The rise of Prussia from 1640 to 1715 was mainly due to the great leadership of Frederick William ‘the Elector’, Frederick William I and Frederick the Great of Prussia. Many military, social, and political factors led to the rise of Prussia also. The major factor that helped Prussia become a great power was the growth