History & Society

Friedrich von Bernhardi

German soldier and military writer
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Born:
1849, Estonia, Russian Empire
Died:
1930 (aged 81)
Role In:
Franco-German War
World War I

Friedrich von Bernhardi (born 1849, Estonia, Russian Empire—died 1930) German soldier and military writer. He fought in the Franco-Prussian War and became commander of the Seventh Army corps in 1909. In 1911 he published Germany and the Next War, arguing that Germany had a right and responsibility to wage war to gain the power it deserved. The Allies later considered his book a contributing cause of World War I, in which Bernhardi served as a corps commander.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Heather Campbell.