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Read Ebook: Germany and the Next War by Bernhardi Friedrich Von
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PREFACE INTRODUCTION
Power of the peace idea--Causes of the love of peace in Germany-- German consciousness of strength--Lack of definite political aims --Perilous situation of Germany and the conditions of successful self-assertion--Need to test the authority of the peace idea, and to explain the tasks and aims of Germany in the light of history
Pacific ideals and arbitration--The biological necessity of war--The duty of self-assertion--The right of conquest--The struggle for employment--War a moral obligation--Beneficent results of war --War from the Christian and from the materialist standpoints-- Arbitration and international law--Destructiveness and immorality of peace aspirations--Real and Utopian humanity--Dangerous results of peace aspirations in Germany--The duty of the State
Bismarck and the justification of war--The duty to fight--The teaching of history--War only justifiable on adequate grounds--The foundations of political morality--Political and individual morality --The grounds for making war--The decision to make war--The responsibility of the statesman
Grounds of the intellectual supremacy of Germany--Germany's role as spiritual and intellectual leader--Conquest of religious and social obstacles--Inadequacy of our present political position-- To secure what we have won our first duty--Necessity of increasing our political power--Necessity of colonial expansion-- Menace to our aspirations from hostile Powers
Points of view for judging of the political situation--The States of the Triple Alliance--The political interests of France and Russia-- The Russo-French Alliance--The policy of Great Britain-- America and the rising World Powers of the Far East--The importance of Turkey--Spain and the minor States of Europe--Perilous position of Germany--World power or downfall--Increase of political power: how to obtain it--German colonial policy--The principle of the balance of power in Europe--Neutral States--The principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States--Germany and the rules of international politics --The foundations of our internal strength
Its necessity--Its twofold aspect--The educational importance of military efficiency--Different military systems--Change in the nature of military efficiency due to the advance of civilization-- Variety of methods of preparation for war--The armaments of minor States--The armaments of the Great Powers--Harmonious development of all elements of strength--Influence on armaments of different conceptions of the duties of the State--Permanent factors to be kept in sight in relation to military preparedness-- Statecraft in this connection
Our opponents--The French army--The military power of Russia-- The land forces of England--The military power of Germany and Austria; of Italy--The Turkish army--The smaller Balkan States --The Roumanian army--The armies of the lesser States of Central Europe--Greece and Spain--The fleets of the principal naval Powers--The enmity of France--The hostility of England-- Russia's probable behaviour in a war against Germany--The military situation of Germany--Her isolation--What will be at stake in our next war--Preparation for war
England's preparations for a naval war against Germany--Germany's first measures against England--England and the neutrality of the small neighbouring States--The importance of Denmark--Commercial mobilization--The two kinds of blockade: The close blockade and the extended blockade--England's attack on our coasts--Co-operation of the air-fleet in their defence--The decisive battle and its importance--Participation of France and Russia in a German-English war
Not criticism wanted of what is now in existence, but its further development--Fighting power and tactical efficiency--Strength of the peace establishment--Number of officers and N.C.O.'s, especially in the infantry--Relations of the different arms to each other--Distribution of machine guns--Proportion between infantry and artillery--Lessons to be learned from recent wars with regard to this--Superiority at the decisive point--The strength of the artillery and tactical efficiency--Tactical efficiency of modern armies--Tactical efficiency and the marching depth of an army corps--Importance of the internal organization of tactical units--Organization and distribution of field artillery; of heavy field howitzers--Field pioneers and fortress pioneers--Tasks of the cavalry and the air-fleet--Increase of the cavalry and formation of cyclist troops--Tactical organization of the cavalry--Development of the air-fleet--Summary of the necessary requirements--Different ways of carrying them out--Importance of governing points of view for war preparations
The spirit of training--Self-dependence and the employment of masses-- Education in self-dependence--Defects in our training for war on the grand scale--Need of giving a new character to our manoeuvres and to the training of our commanders--Practical training of the artillery-- Training in tactical efficiency--Practice in marching under war conditions--Training of the train officers and column leaders-- Control of the General Staff by the higher commanders--Value of manoeuvres: how to arrange them--Preliminary theoretical training of the higher commanders--Training of the cavalry and the airmen; of the pioneers and commissariat troops--Promotion of intellectual development in the army--Training in the military academy
The position of a World Power implies naval strength--Development of German naval ideals--The task of the German fleet; its strength --Importance of coast defences--Necessity of accelerating our naval armaments--The building of the fleet--The institution of the air-fleet--Preliminary measures for a war on commerce-- Mobilization--General points of view with regard to preparations for the naval war--Lost opportunities in the past
The universal importance of national education--Its value for the army--Hurtful influences at work on it--Duties of the State with regard to national health--Work and sport--The importance of the school--The inadequacy of our national schools--Military education and education in the national schools--Methods of instruction in the latter--Necessity for their reform--Continuation schools--Influence of national education on the Russo-Japanese War--Other means of national education--The propaganda of action
Duties of the State in regard to war preparations--The State and national credit--The financial capacity of Germany--Necessity of new sources of revenue--The imperial right of inheritance--Policy of interests and alliances--Moulding and exploitation of the political situation--The laws of political conduct--Interaction of military and political war preparations--Political preparations for our next war--Governing factors in the conduct of German policy
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