The nature of war varied greatly during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Clausewitz’s defines war as “…an act or force to compel our enemy to do our will.” He also describes total war as consisting of one decisive blow using all resources and means to reach the military and political objective. Limited war is largely defined as a war fought with limited means for limited objectives. Economic and social challenges were the most crucial factors in determining if countries waged limited versus total wars during this period. Eighteenth century Prussian armies struggled to resource armies capable of fighting prolonged military engagements. Economic limitations during the eighteenth century greatly restricted Prussia’s ability to provide …show more content…
Prussia’s limited resources combined with mercantilism in the eighteenth century resulted in limited efforts to achieve limited goals. The mercantilism theory suggested there was a finite amount of wealth in the world. Nations sought to expand territory to gain access to precious metals and resources. Frederick the Great believed Prussia should reduce the amount of imports while increasing the amount of exports to keep silver and gold in Prussia’s economy. Frederick the Great sought to improve Prussia’s limited economic resources by using a limited war to seize Silesia. Silesia was an objective that could be obtained without ruining Prussia’s economy or incurring great loss to Prussia’s military. Prussia’s short campaign to take Silesia was a limited war unlike attempting to defeat all of Austria. Silesia expanded Prussia’s economy with the rich coal, iron-ore, lead mining, and manufacturing. It gave Prussia the means to produce weapons for its army and was the location of Prussia’s first blast furnace. By focusing on a single objective, seizure of Silesia, Frederick could reduce the loss of forces and avoid an extended war. A greater objective, all of Austria, would have devastated both Prussia’s economy and military force. Silesia provided greater resources, however, the financial structure of Prussia remained limited. Despite the advantages Silesia provided economically, …show more content…
Frederick the Great recognized the importance of augmented conscripted forces with paid mercenaries. Hired forces allowed Prussia to reduce the number of conscripted service members but increased the need for extensive training. Mercenaries also reduced the number of forces fighting for Prussia while augmenting the conscripted forces. Hired soldiers and conscripted service members both required training to create a tactically attentive force. Frederick drew from the dregs of society to source his military. Soldiers were required to attend two years of training to achieve the level of skill necessary to overcome their lack of discipline and talent. Frederick the Great believed armies were composed of the useless slime of a nation. The mix of young and inexperienced aristocrats with the slime of society resulted in mistrust and resentment between officers and enlisted. This required close control by noncommissioned and commissioned officers. Enlisted Prussian soldiers in the eighteenth century, especially the mercenaries, lacked loyalty and felt no inward attachment to Prussia. Frederick the Great sought to create machine-like battalions from “spiritless raw material”. The extensive training timeline made trained troops difficult to replace. As a result, limited wars were selected to preserve the force while achieving an objective. Frederick the Great scaled down his objectives to ensure he