Liberalism as a Military Technology

To exclude individuals on the basis of sex, color, class, or creed now means to hobble the strength of the state.

Jun 09, 2026

"In this piece for Liberal Currents, (also available at liberalcurrents.com), I detail how the Prussian Reformers saw liberalism—in the sense of a more inclusive society—as a critical element in military power and at the core of Napoleon's success. I argue that this phenomena is true generally, at that practices of exclusion deprive a state of the talent and moral energy needed to wage war successfully. "

- Kiran Pfitzner

“Diversity is not our strength.” So saith Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. At first blush, the statement may seem plausible in a military context—uniformity is expected of the armed forces. But a glance at history reveals why modern militaries must embrace diversity to be successful. To do this, we must cast our gaze back surprisingly far—to the French Revolution and the wars that followed it—where we may find the innovations in violence it produced and imitations it compelled.

From the standpoint of the twenty-first century, the dense formations and bright uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars seem quaint compared to the industrial slaughter of Verdun and Stalingrad. Yet, the wars that followed the French Revolution were an outburst of elemental violence not seen in Europe since the Thirty Years’ War, confronting the states of Europe with a deadly and existential challenge. As such, we can better know the factors that influence a state’s military capabilities through an analysis of how this radical escalation in war’s force was possible. The most enduring investigation of war’s metamorphosis is Carl von Clausewitz’s On War, but Clausewitz did not engage with these developments merely as an intellectual matter, which gives his writings a particular significance in understanding the changes that followed the Revolution. …

Continue reading this article by Kiran Pfitzner, “Liberalism as a Military Technology,” here: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/liberalism-as-a-military-technology/