{"product_id":"9781350081574","title":"Prussian Army Soldiers and the Seven Years' War : The Psychology of Honour","description":"\u003cstrong\u003ePrussian Army Soldiers and the Seven Years' War\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Katrin Möbius, Sascha Möbius\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe army of Frederick the Great of Prussia is generally known as an efficient fighting machine based on brutal and strict drill procedures that led to broken but fearless soldiers as well as glorious battle victories. In analysing the mentalities of the men who established Prussia's great power status, \u003ci\u003ePrussian Army Soldiers and the Seven Years' War\u003c\/i\u003e fundamentally challenges this interpretation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing on a vast array of primary sources (including the writing of regimental chaplain Küster, who could probably be called the first modern military psychologist) and presenting the first English translation of 12 letters of common Prussian soldiers from the Seven Years' War, this book shows that the soldiers were feeling individuals. They were loving husbands, vulnerable little brothers, deeply religious preachers, and sometimes even bold adventurers. All these individuals, however, were united by one idea which made them fight efficiently: honour. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003ePrussian Army Soldiers and the Seven Years' War\u003c\/i\u003e, the different elements of the Prussian soldiers' concept of such honour are expertly analysed. The result is a nuanced, sophisticated, and much-needed psychological history of Frederick the Great's army.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"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.\" - \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eJournal for Eighteenth-Century Studies\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"[A] valuable work for those studying the social history of eighteenth-century.\" - \u003ci\u003eBritish Journal for Military History\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003ePrussian Army Soldiers\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\"- \u003ci\u003eH-War\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In sum, the book is a very interesting and convincing invitation to further develop a more interdisciplinary comprehension of history.\" - \u003ci\u003eH-Soz-Kult  \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003ePrussian Army Soldiers\u003c\/i\u003e will be an important work … [It] will quickly find a place on the reading lists of graduate students and potentially advanced undergraduates as well.” -\u003ci\u003e Journal of the Seven Years’ War Association\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003ePrussian Army Soldiers\u003c\/i\u003e 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.” - \u003ci\u003eMichigan War Studies Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“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.”  - \u003ci\u003eJournal of Military History  \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“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.” —\u003ci\u003eMatthew McCormack, Professor of History, University of Northampton, UK\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“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.” —\u003ci\u003eIlya Berkovich, author of 'Motivation in War: The Experience of Common Soldiers in Old-Regime Europe' (2017)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“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!”” —\u003ci\u003eDennis Showalter, Professor of History, Colorado College, USA\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781350081574\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40690220564686,"sku":"9781350081574","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_6196a44c-14e0-4320-96c4-df9d0c93e02e.jpg?v=1640406912","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781350081574","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}