ABSTRACT
All armies have general staffs today. ey became accepted after 1871 when the smaller, poorer state of Prussia defeated larger, richer France. Widely viewed as the most significant factor in this unexpected result was the general staff. e Prussian army had one. e French army did not. e world saw the Prussian staff as “a dark force, something more than human, weaving the threads of national destiny according to a terrible pattern of its own”1-an image of mystery and power that still shades it and explains its attraction. Nations all over the world wanted such triumphs. ey emulated the Prussian system-creating staffs if they had none, elaborating their embryonic ones if they did, establishing colleges to train officers for staffs, intensifying acceptance of staff work. e general staff became universal.
