For King and Kaiser!

The Making of the Prussian Army Officer, 1860-1914

Steven E. Clemente

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 1992
• Print ISBN: 9780313280047
• eBook ISBN: 9780313066467
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

Steven Clemente describes how conservative traditions and artistocratic values were preserved in the selection and training of German army officers prior to World War I despite changing times and the influx of many middle-class recruits into the army. He demonstrates how right thinking and service to the King and the Kaiser were the basis for Prussian officer education in the period from 1860 to 1914. The history provides considerable detail about German secondary school education, the selection of officers, the curriculum, and life in the cadet and war schools, the life of a subaltern, and the education of the Prussian War Academy. The book concludes with an analysis of the attitudes and loyalties of the officers that entered World War I. Students of European history and military affairs will find this study one that raises a number of provocative questions about German performance in World War I and in subsequent years.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. Tradition
• 2. German Secondary Education and Officer Selection
• 3. Civilian to Ensign: Screening, Selection, and Training
• 4. A Facade of Education: The Structure and Curriculum of the Cadet Corps
• 5. Paradigms of Character: Life in the Cadet Schools
• 6. Acceptance into the Fold: War School and Life as a Subaltern
• 7. The Crown of Prussian Officer Education: The War Academy
• 8. New Faces—Old Fealty: Conclusion
• Appendixes
• Select Bibliography
• Index