# Baron Karl von Stengel — The Great Illusion character guide

> Baron Karl von Stengel in The Great Illusion by Norman Angell.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** Professor Baron Karl von Stengel, Baron von Stengel

**First appearance:** 0003-the-great-illusion

## Who they are

German legal scholar, whose views on international law are discussed.

## Relationships

### [Theodore Roosevelt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_great_illusion_se/characters/theodore_roosevelt)

_professional_

Both were advocates of national power, with Stengel's German militarism resonating with Roosevelt's imperialist stance.

## In the story

### [The Axioms of Modern Statecraft](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_great_illusion_se/chapters/ii-the-axioms-of-modern-statecraft)

Cited as a 'Liberal' German delegate to the First Hague Conference who lays down that economic power depends on political power.

### [The Psychological Case for War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_great_illusion_se/chapters/i-the-psychological-case-for-war)

German jurist and delegate to the First Hague Peace Conference, whose book 'Weltstadt und Friedensproblem' contains a chapter on the significance of war for the development of humanity.

### [IV: Do the Warlike Nations Inherit the Earth?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_great_illusion_se/chapters/iv-do-the-warlike-nations-inherit-the-earth)

His declaration that 'war is a test of a nation's health' is quoted as a militarist creed that is contradicted by the history of military republics.

### [IV: Methods](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_great_illusion_se/chapters/iv-methods)

Mentioned alongside Mahan as a proponent of theories on the advantages of conquest.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_great_illusion_se/characters/baron_karl_von_stengel
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_great_illusion_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_great_illusion_se/characters