Friedrich Adam Julius von Bernhardi (22 November 1849 – 11 July 1930) was a

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

and

military historian Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians no ...

. He was a best-selling author prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. A militarist, he is perhaps best known for his bellicose book ''Deutschland und der Nächste Krieg'' (''Germany and the Next War''), printed in 1911. Describing war as a "divine business", he proposed that Germany should pursue an aggressive stance and ignore

treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...

Biography

Bernhardi was born in St. Petersburg,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

. His family emigrated to Schöpstal,

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...

in 1851. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), Bernhardi was a cavalry lieutenant in the 14th

Hussars A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely a ...

of the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

, and at the end of that conflict had the honor of being the first German to ride through the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...

when the Germans entered

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. From 1891 to 1894, he was German military attaché at

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

and was subsequently head of the military history department of the Grand General Staff in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. He was appointed general in command of the VII Army Corps at

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

in 1907, but retired two years later and busied himself as a military writer. Widespread attention was excited by the memoirs of his father, the diplomat and historian Theodor von Bernhardi, which he published, and still more by his book ''Germany and the Next War''. In ''Germany and the Next War'', Bernhardi stated that war "is a biological necessity," and that it was in accordance with "the natural law, upon which all the laws of Nature rest, the law of the struggle for existence." Bernhardi served during

as a general. He fought with success first in the Eastern Front on the Stochod river, where he stormed the bridgehead of Tsarecze, and afterwards on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

, in particular at

Armentières Armentières (; vls, Armentiers) is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. The motto of the town is ''Pauvre mais fière'' (Poor but proud). Geogra ...

. He was awarded the

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

on 20 August 1916, for his participation in the German defense against the Brusilov Offensive.

Partial bibliography

*''Videant Consules: Ne Quid Respublica Detrimenti Capiat'' (1890) (Let the consuls see to it that no harm comes to the republic) (published anonymously) *''Unsere Kavallerie im Nächsten Kriege.'' (1899) (Cavalry in Future Wars) *'' Deutschland und der Nächste Krieg.'' (

1911 A notable ongoing event was the race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * ...

) (Germany and the Next War) *''Vom heutigen Kriege.'' (1912) (On War of Today) *''Vom Kriege der Zukunft, nach den Erfahrungen des Weltkrieges.'' (1920) (On War of the Future, in light of the lessons of the World War)

Awards and decorations

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

, First Class with oak leaves * Order of the Crown, First Class (Prussia) *

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

of 1870, 2nd class * Service Cross (Prussia) * Commander Second Class of the Order of the Zähringer Lion (Baden) * Grand Cross of the Albert Order (Saxony) * Lippe House Order, 1st class * Gold Cross of the

Order of the Redeemer The Order of the Redeemer ( el, Τάγμα του Σωτήρος, translit=Tágma tou Sotíros), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the ...

(Greece) * Officer's Cross of the

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the ...

(Savoy) * Commander of the

Order of Franz Joseph The Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph (german: Kaiserlich-Österreichischer Franz-Joseph-Orden) was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 2 December 1849, on the first anniversary of his accession to the imperial throne. Classes ...

(Austria-Hungary) * Grand Officer of the

Order of the Crown (Romania) The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

* Grand Cross of Military Merit (Spain) *

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in f ...

, 3rd class (Ottoman Empire) *

of 1914, 1st Class *

with oak leaves ** Pour le Mérite on 20 August 1916 ** Oak Leaves on 15 May 1918

References

*Campion, Loren Keith. "Behind the modern Drang nach Osten: Baltic émigrés and russophobia in nineteenth-century Germany." Dissertation, Indiana University, 1965. *Tuchman, Barbara W., ''

The Guns of August ''The Guns of August'' (1962) (published in the UK as ''August 1914'') is a volume of history by Barbara W. Tuchman. It is centered on the first month of World War I. After introductory chapters, Tuchman describes in great detail the opening even ...

'', New York: Macmillan 1962.

External links

* Pöhlmann, Markus
Bernhardi, Friedrich von
in

* * * * https://archive.org/details/greatbritainnext0000doyl {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernhardi, Friedrich Von 1849 births 1930 deaths People from the Province of Silesia German untitled nobility German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War German Army generals of World War I German military writers Generals of Cavalry (Prussia) Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) German military historians Commanders of the Order of Franz Joseph Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Grand Crosses of Military Merit Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 3rd class Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Baltic nobility German male non-fiction writers