When Brothers are Enemies: Frederick the Great's Catechism for War

This article argues that the rhetoric of "brotherhood" in military writing of the German eighteenth century offers a nuanced perspective on the intertwined nature of amity and enmity during an era more often associated with calls for "perpetual peace" and a rationalized end of violence. Focusing on a little-known "catechism" for young officers written by Frederick II ("the Great") of Prussia, the essay interrogates the use of Enlightenment rhetoric of brotherhood not only to theorize peace, but also to illuminate questions about the inevitability of war and the possible channeling of hostility to mitigate its destructive force.