List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Drill on the Job: About a Soldiers' Brain
3. Between ‘Emasculating Fear’ and ‘Heat’: Emotions and Psychology
in Combat
4. The Components of Prussian Honour: What Made the Men Fight?
5. Summary
6. Appendix I
7. Appendix II
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
The first comprehensive study of the feelings, beliefs and mindset of Fredrick the Great’s soldiers during the Seven Years' War.
Katrin Möbius is a historian, specialising in linguistic,
life-world and psycho-historic aspects of power structures from the
late Middle Ages to the 20th century. She has published articles on
18th and 19th-century military history in English, Spanish, and
German journals.
Sascha Möbius is a historian, specialising in the history of
organised violence, political repression and power structures from
the late Middle Ages to the 20th century. Amongst his publications
are numerous books and articles on military history of the 18th and
19th centuries in English, Spanish and German.
Rather than being of interest only to military historians, this
book is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand the social and
cultural backgrounds of Prussian soldiers in the eighteenth
century, as well as their psychological emotions in battle ... the
Möbiuses' book is thoroughly well researched and provides an
anglophone audience with access to a great wealth of Prussian
primary source material.
*Journal for Eighteenth-Century-Studies*
[A] valuable work for those studying the social history of
eighteenth-century Europe.
*British Journal for Military History*
Prussian Army Soldiers is an invaluable contribution to new
military history. The authors succeed in doing what is almost
impossible: providing an intimate glimpse into the mindset and
emotional experiences of eighteenth-century Prussian enlisted
soldiers ... This fascinating study provides a glimpse into the
psyche of Prussian soldiers and is essential reading for those
studying military history, especially during the era of Frederick
the Great.
*H-War*
In sum, the book is a very interesting and convincing invitation to
further develop a more interdisciplinary comprehension of
history.
*H-Soz-Kult*
Katrin and Sascha Mobius have greatly expanded our collected
understanding of the motivations and lived experiences of Prussian
enlisted men in the era of Frederick the Great … This study will
delight specialists in the field of eighteenth-century military
history, as well as appealing to historians generally interested in
German history and the development of the Prussian state.
*Journal of Military History*
Prussian Army Soldiers will be an important work … [It] will
quickly find a place on the reading lists of graduate students and
potentially advanced undergraduates as well.
*Journal of the Seven Years’ War Association*
Prussian Army Soldiers is a salutary effort to give a voice to
common soldiers in the armies of ancien régime Europe. It will
engage and instruct serious general readers and advanced
undergraduates and inspire specialists in military history to
continue on its distinctive path of source-based research.
*Michigan War Studies Review*
Its sophisticated treatment of the sources in light of the latest
research renders a great service to the historiography. A bonus for
teachers at Anglophone universities are the twelve translated
soldiers’ letters in the appendix, which really bring to life the
mentality of ordinary Prussian soldiers. It is therefore to be
hoped that the book finds a wide readership.
*Central European History*
[T]he work remains a significant contribution to understanding the
mental worlds of pre-Revolutionary soldiers.
*German History*
This is an important work on the psychology of combat. It will be
essential reading for military historians of the 18th century, and
it also speaks to many current concerns of social and cultural
historians, such as masculinity, nationalism and the emotions.
*Matthew McCormack, Professor of History, University of
Northampton, UK*
This book is long overdue. Thanks to Katrin and Sascha Möbius, the
Prussian common soldier – one of the most vilified creatures of
early modern European history – is finally able to speak for
himself again.
*Ilya Berkovich, author of 'Motivation in War: The Experience of
Common Soldiers in Old-Regime Europe' (2017)*
The soldiers of Frederick the Great have been commonly described as
nerveless automata shaped by brutality. This book by Katrin and
Sascha Moebius combines painstaking research and perceptive insight
to make a persuasive counter argument that religious faith and a
sense of honor fundamentally informed both individual and
collective behavior under the complex stresses of early modern
battle. Relevant as well was readiness to accept high-level risk as
a matter of routine. Male lives in general tended to be short,
dangerous, and random. And old hands still tell recruits, “if you
can’t take a joke you shouldn’t have joined!”
*Dennis Showalter, Professor of History, Colorado College, USA*
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