Clausewitz on war book 1

The language is confusing and the relevance not always clear. Clausewitz, alan beyerchen nonilnearity, and the unpredictability of war ialthough our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating. Since the works first appearance in 1832, it has been read throughout the world, and has stimulated generations of soldiers, statesmen, and. Chapter summary for carl clausewitzs on war, book 1 chapter 1 summary. Chicago boyz blog archive clausewitz, on war, book 1 my.

Clausewitz was born on june 1, 1780 in the kingdom of prussia to a lower middleclass family. Clausewitz described war as two kinds 1 ideal war or total war, in its purest form it is unchecked violence and self serving, in other words war for the sake of war, 2 limited war, which is the pursuit of an objective and once accomplished the war must cease. Knowing how to start ones own contribution to this very worthwhile discussion is difficult. Jan 21, 2012 clausewitz described war as two kinds 1 ideal war or total war, in its purest form it is unchecked violence and self serving, in other words war for the sake of war, 2 limited war, which is the pursuit of an objective and once accomplished the war must cease. We propose to consider first the single elements of our.

Feb 26, 2006 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Graham translation of clausewitzs vom kriege 1832 published in london in 1873. By comparing this theoretical version of war with reality, clausewitz aims to identify how and why these two types of war di. This is the book that regards the most in areas of military philosophy i. He coined the famous or infamous depending on how you see it war is the continuation of politics by another means. It is an extraordinary attempt to construct an allembracing theory of how war works. The book will divulge into the complex form of war, and be breaking it into many parts. Despite the frequent invocations of his name in recent years, especially. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your.

Stoker does a commendable job of interweaving and referring to the evolution of clausewitzs key ideas on war, including friction 48, 101, center of gravity 100, and defense, including the idea of political defense 97. His ideas remain widely taught in military schools, and are, more than ever, essential to the modern strategist. On the nature of war posted on september 6, 2011 by caidid aside from any posts i may put up during the editing i will likely do as the whole project draws to a close, this is the final post of book one. In 1991, martin van revelds on future war aka the transformation of war was published, eliciting critical responses on a variety of levels. On war, book 1 by clausewitz my interpretation and summary. On war has become one of the most respected classics on military strategy. It is, however, clausewitzs great intellectual triumph, on war, that permeates the book, as well it should. Jan 23, 2012 all of this together can make on war a difficult read. His magnus opus on war is used by military historians, strategists, and politicians to this day. It is one of the most important treatises on politicalmilitary analysis and strategy ever written, and remains both controversial and influential on.

War is merely a wrestling match on an extensive scale, an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfil our will. Clausewitz, a prussian general who fought against napoleon, quite literally wrote the book on war. Matthijs jolles at the university of chicago during world war iinot todays standard translation, but certainly the most accurate. One could write a book about this first chapter and in fact people have. I have just finished reading on war s book 1 by clausewitz. War is an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will book 1, part 2, p. The elements in this chapter are presented in numbered sections, as follows. Xi whereas clausewitz submits that war is a natural part of human life, he begins to digress from reality in book 1 into a state of fantasy, which considers the existence of absolute, or ideal, warfare. This book is one of the key writings utilized in professional military education today. Tactically, defense is the stronger form of war with a weakeror negativeobject. Princeton university press books are printed on acidfree paper and meet the. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Consider that i am a clausewitzian strategic theorist, this being a simple label of identification, not intended to be any sort of indication of special. Therefore i have decided to dissect book one there are six books in total in this post.

Chicago boyz blog archive clausewitz, on war, book 1. Clausewitz enlisted in the prussian army in 1792, and in 179395 he took part and was commissioned in the campaigns of the first. Stated precisely, the defensive form of warfare is intrinsically stronger than the offense 353. It deals with the different components of war from its nature to its philosophy and to its actual practice such as strategy and tactics. While book 2 is not considered complete, yet it is so important to understanding clausewitzs study of war, that it cannot be disregarded. Clausewitz defines the single elements of his subject and thus to advance from the simple to the complex while outlining the shape of the whole that is, war. The first, the supreme, the most farreaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establishthe kind of war on which they are embarking book 1 ch 1. In clausewitzs view the idea of total war was an impossibility, although in. Read the soft copy of this book anytime, anywhere and download it for free. Graham 1808 1883 a classic work on military strategy by a veteran of the napoleonic wars. Clausewitzs on war and sun tzus art of war in one volume.

Matthijs jolles at the university of chicago during world war iinot todays standard translation. Attack is the weaker form of war with a positive object. Its coherence and ambition are unmatched by other military literature. What clausewitz declares in book 1, he discounts in book 8. Clausewitzs tentative attitudes on military theory and on education were confirmed and guided further by scharnhorst, who also deepened clausewitzs awareness. Clausewitz reiterates that while there are many ways to achieve political aims, the only means is combat. Graham translation of clausewitz s vom kriege 1832 published in london in 1873. Clausewitzs book on war aims to formulate a coherent and comprehensive theory of war. On war, book 1 by clausewitz my interpretation and. We propose to consider first the single elements of our subject.

Beginning that discussion with book 1 chapter 1 of clausewitzs on war adds to a very difficult situation indeed. Purpose and means in war on military genius on danger in war on physical effort in war intelligence in war friction in war concluding observations on book one book two. For a book that has truly changed the world, on war is extremely difficult for the general reader to approach, to reconcile with itself, and to place in context. On war edition 1 available in paperback, nook book. This is the supreme law that governs the conduct of warfare and ensures that the destruction of enemy forces is always likely to be the most commonly witnessed object. This is the supreme law that governs the conduct of warfare and ensures that the destruction of enemy forces is always likely to be the most commonly witnessed object pursued in war. Published in 1832, a year after his death, on war is regarded by military experts even today as the definitive study of warfare. He is generally well known for his military treatise vom kriege, converted into english as on war. Clausewitz defines the single elements of his subject and thus to advance from the simple to the complex while outlining the shape of the whole that is, war war is defined as an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfil our will. It has been translated into english several times as on war. On war, book 1 by clausewitz my interpretation and summary i have just finished reading on wars book 1 by clausewitz. Nov 14, 20 while book 2 is not considered complete, yet it is so important to understanding clausewitzs study of war, that it cannot be disregarded.

Clausewitz identifies the overriding necessity of determining the ends the objective clearly from the outset in stridently emphatic terms. The translation of clausewitzs on war is the 1943 version done by german literary scholar o. He was a professional soldier but his legacy is that of a military strategist and theorist. Consider the more modern versions and other relevant books shown below. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading on war volume 1. It has influenced generations of generals and politicians, has been blamed for the unprecedented death tolls in the first and second world wars, and is still required reading at military academies to this day. This work has been confounded, misquoted, and defamed by researchers and practitioners the same. It was a very difficult book to read and i think ive made some errors in interpretation plus grammar and spelling.

The suffering experienced on a methodology that clausewitz gave to children is as significant today as when they were written. J download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. For the eighth bookon the plan of a war, that is, of the organisation of a whole war in generalseveral chapters are designed, but they are not at all to be regarded as real materials, they are merely a track, roughly cleared, as it were, through the mass, in order by that means to ascertain the points of most importance. On war is the most significant attempt in western history to understand war, both in its internal dynamics and as an instrument of policy. The 197684 howardparet version is the standard translation today.