This book provides a reappraisal of Germany’s military between the mid-nineteenth century and the end of the First World War. At its core is the following question: how 'German' was the imperial German army? This army, which emerged from the Wars of Unification in 1871, has commonly been seen as the 'school of the nation'. After all – so this argument goes – tens of thousands of young men passed through its ranks each year, with conscripts undergoing an intense program of patriotic education and returning to civilian life as fervent German nationalists and ardent supporters of the German emperor, or Kaiser. This book reexamines this assumption. It does not deny that devotion to the Fatherland and loyalty to the Kaiser were widespread among German soldiers in the decades following unification. It nevertheless shows that the imperial German army was far less homogenous and far more faction-ridden than has hitherto been acknowledged.
Author(s): Gavin Wiens
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 321
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Author
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction
References
Chapter 2: Genesis
Dealing with Defeat
Between Alliance and Unification
The Crucible of War
Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: Military Federalism
An Army of Contingents
Guardians and Go-Betweens
Celebrating Kaiser and King
Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: The Need for Compromise
The Unlikely Conqueror of South Germany
A North German Bridgehead in the South?
A Tougher Nut to Crack
Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Warrior Princes
Passing the Martial Baton
Encouraging Particularism
Double Standard
Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: The Danger Within
A Divided Contingent
Out of Reach but Not Out of Sight
A Gathering Point for Particularism
Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Fighting Together but Apart
Familiar Tropes
New Problems
Thinking About the Future
Conclusion
References
Chapter 8: Conclusion
References
Index
