ABSTRACT
The Staff College was beginning to surmount some of its protracted 'growing pains' when the Franco-German War underlined the need for such an institution to many more senior officers who had remained unconvinced by Britain's own experience in the Crimea by 1870. Most important, Staff College graduates were given incentives and encouragement to demonstrate their value both in peacetime and on campaigns, with the result that by 1890 the Army was coming to appreciate the distinction represented by the letters 'p.s.c'. Cardwell faced the difficult task of improving the efficiency of the Army while simultaneously reducing expenditure. Three broad problems confronted him. First, he had to continue the process of departmental reconstruction begun during the Crimean War. Second, though initially he had not determined on abolition, he had to check the growing scandals connected with the purchase system. And, third, recurrent recruiting crises suggested that radical changes were necessary in military organization and the soldier's terms of service.
