However, for clausewitz, polarity does not lie in attack or defense, but in the object both seek to achieve. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading clausewitz. His ideas remain widely taught in military schools, and are, more than ever, essential to the modern strategist. Analyzing clausewitzs theory on war a really cool blog. His most notable work, vom kriege on war, was unfinished at his death. A thesis submitted for the degree of phd at the university. Clausewitz, a prussian officer who fought against the french during the napoleonic wars, sought to understand and analyze the phenomenon of war so that future leaders could conduct and win conflicts more effectively. Since we are always open to attack, except when we ourselves are attacking, we must at every instant be on the defensive and thus should place our forces as much under cover as possible. The cog is defined by the entire system or structure. He served as a staff officer, and as a prominent military educator. While technologies, strategies, and even participants in wars change with the times, the underlying nature of war, where one state attempts to enforce its will upon another in order to accomplish its political goals, does not. Less commonly appreciated is the nature of the approach he adopted which enabled him to arrive at his central. It is not merely a precursor to on war, but a rich collection of tactical concepts. Graham 1808 1883 a classic work on military strategy by a veteran of the napoleonic wars.
A thesis submitted for the degree of phd at the university of. Nov 11, 2015 on war is the most significant attempt in western history to understand war, both in its internal dynamics and as an instrument of policy. All of them elucidate clausewitzs contention that while the character of war inevitably varies with the age, its nature remains the same. Based on a detailed reading of clausewitz book on war, this paper proposes that clausewitz reflections on strategy unfold along two parallel arguments. Clausewitz and contemporary war ambivium institute. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Clausewitzs conception of war is strikingly unique.
Following this france and russia would go to war and clausewitz would not stand idle by while prussia allowed. Clausewitz, unfinished note, presumably written in 1830, in clausewitz, on war, p. On war is the most noteworthy endeavor in western history to get war, both in its inner elements and as an instrument of approach. He served in the campaigns of 179394 on the rhine, after which he seems to have devoted some time to the study of the scientific branches of his profession. In this book, thomas waldman explores clausewitzs central theoretical device for. Written two centuries ago by a prussian military thinker, this is the most frequently cited, the most controversial, and in many ways, the most modern book on warfare. On the higher levels, when planning a war and making decisions affecting the direction the war will take, clausewitz states policy is the guiding intelligence and war only the instrument, and not vice versa clausewitz, 706. Clausewitz was addressing the concept of war as pertaining to a nation state or a political entity. It has been translated into english several times as on war. Written sometime between 18161832 after the napoleonic wars. Not to bring all our troops into combat immediately. The relevance of clausewitzs theory of war to contemporary. The casualty figures and tactics of the middle to late civil war have proven clausewitzs theory that the defense was the stronger form of war.
Clausewitz was meant to revise his book but died before finishing the task. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. This volume of on war includes topics of the nature, theory, and strategy of war and combat. This highlighted another theory of clausewitz that shows his ideas better characterized the civil war.
What is the interest for one at a time is not for the other at the same time. War, however, is not the action of a living force upon a lifeless mass total nonresistance would be no war at all but always the collision of two living forces, the ultimate aim of waging war, as formulated here, must be taken as applying to both sides. Feb 26, 2006 enter your search terms separated by spaces, then press. Christopher bassford rightly states that the trinity is the concept that ties all of clausewitzs many ideas. By these assertions he meant that war was a tool used by the state to both further act on it positions in international politics and to force the opponent to bend and. War is merely a wrestling match on an extensive scale, an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfil our will. These books give the theory and goals of war that can be applied to conquering meeting rooms and empires. Clausewitz and strategy in the civil war essay 1068.
Echevarria ii us army war college the views discussed in this presentation are solely the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the us government. Clausewitz and his treatise on war and its relevance to the. Since the works first appearance in 1832, it has been perused all through the world and has animated generations of warriors, statesmen, and learned people. Based on a detailed reading of clausewitz book on war, this paper proposes that clausewitz. It was a thrilling book after having read the fifteen decisive battles of the world by sir edward shepherd creasy. Not simply the greatest but the only truly great book on war, declared historian bernard brodie of principles of war. Now that we have demonstrated what clausewitz believed, we address the notion of connecting the two seemingly competing entities of politics and armed conflict. Introduction 10 books of on war condensed into five paragraphs.
The relevance of clausewitzs theory of war to contemporary conflict resolution 75 is one reason, in lausewitzs view, why moral forces are so important. Clausewitz was a realist in many different senses and, while in. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading principles of war. Because of his grounding in enlightenment values, clausewitz examines war as a rational option in politics and not just a random act of human emotion. Clausewitz and his treatise on war and its relevance to. Clausewitz, a prussian general who fought against napoleon, quite literally wrote the book on war. He further contended that war is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will. Clausewitz was then reassigned to be the tutor for crown prince friedrich wilhelm iv and a professor at the allgemeine military academy.
Michael howard and peter paret princeton university press, 197684. He bequeathed to us, in his unfinished masterpiece yom kriege,i a trove ofprovocative ideas, many of which retain remarkable contemporary value. On war is a work rooted solely in the world of the nation state, says historian martin van creveld, who alleges that clausewitz takes the state almost for granted as he rarely looks at anything previous to the peace of westphalia and medieval warfare is effectively ignored in clausewitz s theory. By his day, war had become a contest of mass armies, with results decided by swift, concentrated action and superior effort. Foch gave lip service to the name of clausewitz whose work he claimed to have read and absorbed, but his own writing is of a totally different character. Grahams translation of the original work is adequate. Nizar abdelkader general rtd, researcher, analyst in strategic matters i.
Clausewitz served on this commission eventually running scharnhorsts office until 1810. Prepared under the auspices of the center of international studies, princeton university. Oct 22, 2001 clausewitz warns that this reversed relationship is unacceptable when he mandates under no circumstances can the art of war be regarded as the preceptor of policy clausewitz, 706. By comparing this theoretical version of war with reality, clausewitz aims to identify how and why these two types of war di. Their combined citations are counted only for the first article. Princeton university press, 1984, particularly if you are using this book for your scholarly or research work. This article argues that clausewitzs writing on war nearly 200 years ago is still relevant for contemporary conflict resolution from at least three aspects. Jun 29, 2014 clausewitz argued that war was the continuation of politics by other means.
On war is one of the most important books ever written on the subject of war. How clausewitz invented modern war the daily beast. The ones marked may be different from the article in the profile. War, politics, and rma the legacy of clausewitz dtic. Clausewitz asserted that the fundamental nature of war was immutable, despite the changing characteristics of war. He was a prussian war strategist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century. Gatzke stressed clausewitz s unlimited war of annihilation, his absolute war, without mentioning the other possibilities covered by the theory in on war. The initial essay dealt with the tactics of combat, and suggested the following general principles. Since the works first appearance in 1832, it has been read throughout the world, and has stimulated generations of soldiers, statesmen, and intellectuals. Planning versus chaos in clausewitz s on war terence m.
Truman apply clausewitzian logic to nuclear weapons during the cold war. Clausewitzs writing was far more pertinent to the problems and issues of world war i than was ferdinand fochs principles of war published in 1903 only 11 years before the war began. On war is the most significant attempt in western history to understand war, both in its internal dynamics and as an instrument of policy. Gatzke stressed clausewitz s unlimited war of annihilation, his absolute. Clausewitz first entered combat as a cadet at the age of. This cited by count includes citations to the following articles in scholar. Clausewitz, conflict resolution, policy, security, strategy, war abstract. You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at.
By his day, war had become a contest of mass armies, with results. As another significant reason for the highest importance of moral elements in war, clausewitz emphasizes that they constitute the spirit that permeates war as a whole, and at an early stage. There was a dramatic shift of strategy in the late civil war. On war by clausewitz are still the most outstanding, modern, and relevant despite the passage. Gatzke stressed clausewitzs unlimited war of annihilation, his absolute. Another important point is that clausewitz did not distinguish between tactical, operational, or strategic cogs. Clausewitz and his treatise on war and its relevance to the 21st century prepared by. Holmes swansea university, uk abstract clausewitz laid great emphasis on the planned construction of war, but this idea has received little attention from his commentators, who generally. I read principles of war when i was seventeen years old before i ever considered attending a military academy or joining the service.