Bismarck - Jekyll and Hyde? Reassessing Civil-Military Relations During the Franco-Prussian War

Abstract

Previous research has highlighted that during the Franco-Prussian War Bismarck kept the ambitions of the military in check. He is seen as a statesman involved in peace-making, while Moltke and the general staff advocated ruthless warfare and struggled to exert influence on the political decision-making process. The article argues that the traditional concept of a separation between civil and military power is misleading when trying to understand civil–military relations in Prussia. Bismarck also tackled military matters and even held the rank of general. During the war, the military and political fields were areas where various parties struggled for power and competed to secure control over the decision-making process.