Unit 7 SAQ 7.2 Question 1 AMSCO AP World History - Withrow

"Germany's military culture developed a constellation of mutually reinforcing characteristics that enhanced tactical efficacy. Unleashed in war, however, these characteristics propelled the army to ever greater, and in the end, dysfunctional extremes of violence... These interactive and self generating characteristics... include: • risk-taking; • the dogmatic conviction that annihilation was the sole goal of war; • resulting prescriptions for correct fighting (the offensive, concentration of force, use of reserves, hectic speed) that all greatly increased casualties; •minutely technical planning; •focus on the tactical and operative rather than the strategic; •disregard of logistics and thus growing unrealism; •the conviction (indeed requirement) of one's qualitative superiority over one's enemies; •a romantic ruthlessness and actionism (exaggerated drive for action) on the part of officers in order to bridge the gap between risk and reality; •and finally the acceptance of self-destruction (and thus willingness to destroy everyone else, as well). Some of these qualities were expressed as doctrine, but many more were buried inside organizational routines and the unexamined expectations of the officer corps."