Book contents
- The Culture of Military Organizations
- The Culture of Military Organizations
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Part I Theoretical Frameworks
- Part II Land Forces
- 3 Ulysses S. Grant and the Culture of the Union Army of the Tennessee
- 4 “Playing a Very Bold Game”
- 5 German Army Culture, 1871–1945
- 6 The Culture of the Indian Army, 1900–1947
- 7 An Army Apart
- 8 The Culture of the British Army, 1914–1945
- 9 Imperial Japanese Army Culture, 1918–1945
- 10 Military Culture, Military Efficiency, and the Red Army, 1917–1945
- 11 An Army Like No Other
- 12 The Weight of the Shadow of the Past
- 13 US Army Culture, 1973–2017
- Part III Maritime Forces
- Part IV Air Forces
- Conclusion
- Index
5 - German Army Culture, 1871–1945
from Part II - Land Forces
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2019
- The Culture of Military Organizations
- The Culture of Military Organizations
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Part I Theoretical Frameworks
- Part II Land Forces
- 3 Ulysses S. Grant and the Culture of the Union Army of the Tennessee
- 4 “Playing a Very Bold Game”
- 5 German Army Culture, 1871–1945
- 6 The Culture of the Indian Army, 1900–1947
- 7 An Army Apart
- 8 The Culture of the British Army, 1914–1945
- 9 Imperial Japanese Army Culture, 1918–1945
- 10 Military Culture, Military Efficiency, and the Red Army, 1917–1945
- 11 An Army Like No Other
- 12 The Weight of the Shadow of the Past
- 13 US Army Culture, 1973–2017
- Part III Maritime Forces
- Part IV Air Forces
- Conclusion
- Index
Summary
German military history of 1871 to 1945 is often seen as a direct continuation of Prussian military history. Taking a closer look at the organizational and cultural background of German military forces produces a slightly more nuanced picture and makes it possible to divide the history of the German Army into five phases. Initially, the German Empire effectively had four different forces – the Prussian, Bavarian, Saxon, and Württemberg armies – united only in times of war. During the First World War, these German "armies" increasingly lost their prewar independence, while the war itself had a unifying effect on German society and on its armed forces. Following the defeat of 1918, the army of the newly founded Weimar Republic was developed as a small, elite force exclusively based on Prussian traditions. The 1936 rearmament then turned this force into a mass army, the Wehrmacht, which, while still sticking to Prussian traditions, struggled with various issues caused by rapid expansion. Finally, during the Second World War, the Wehrmacht evolved from a purely German force into one in which significant numbers of foreigners from all over Europe served as volunteers, resulting in an army transcending the boundaries of the nation-state.
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- The Culture of Military Organizations , pp. 100 - 120Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019
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