On War

Carl Von Clausewitz

Description

On War (1832) is a treatise on the philosophical aspects of warfare by Prussian general, scholar, and strategist Carl von Clausewitz. Published posthumously by the author’s wife—who edited his manuscript and wrote the book’s introduction—On War is one of history’s most important works on warfare and military strategy, and continues to be studied to this day.

With a background in art, culture, and history, and with extensive experience as a combat veteran, Clausewitz sought to understand the military success of such figures as Napoleon and Frederick the Great. What interested Clausewitz the most was how these leaders effectively mobilized entire nations to launch military campaigns larger and more violent than any in European history. Although he initially began with the theory that war was one aspect of a population’s struggle for survival, he eventually came to believe that war was a method of imposing the will of one state on another. By privileging politics and philosophy in his study of warfare, Clausewitz changed the way military figures, politicians, and scholars thought of and perpetrated the process of war. Most crucially, Clausewitz suggests that war serves no purpose in and of itself, but rather acts as an instrument of a political party or group. In addition, Clausewitz believed that strong moral and political motivations—especially in the case of defense—greatly increased the chance of victory. On War was read and interpreted by Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Dwight Eisenhower, and has, for over a century and a half, continued to shape the concept and conduct of war.

With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Carl von Clausewitz’s On War is a classic of history, philosophy, and military theory reimagined for modern readers.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Prussia
• Military
• Strategy
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Mint Editions
• Date de parution: 08 décembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 9
• EAN13: 9781513274201
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

On War
Carl von Clausewitz
 
On War was first published in 1832.
This edition published by Mint Editions 2020.
ISBN 9781513269207 | E-ISBN 9781513274201
Published by Mint Editions®

minteditionbooks.com
Publishing Director: Jennifer Newens
Design & Production: Rachel Lopez Metzger
Translated by: Colonel J.J. Graham
Typesetting: Westchester Publishing Services
 
C ONTENTS B OOK 1. O N THE N ATURE OF W AR    1.   W HAT IS W AR ?    2.   E NDS AND M EANS IN W AR    3.   T HE G ENIUS FOR W AR    4.   O F D ANGER IN W AR    5.   O F B ODILY E XERTION IN W AR    6.   I NFORMATION IN W AR    7.   F RICTION IN W AR    8.   C ONCLUDING R EMARKS , B OOK I B OOK 2. O N THE T HEORY OF W AR    1.   B RANCHES OF THE A RT OF W AR    2.   O N THE T HEORY OF W AR    3.   A RT OR S CIENCE OF W AR    4.   M ETHODICISM    5.   C RITICISM    6.   O N E XAMPLES B OOK 3. O F S TRATEGY IN G ENERAL    1.   S TRATEGY    2.   E LEMENTS OF S TRATEGY    3.   M ORAL F ORCES    4.   T HE C HIEF M ORAL P OWERS    5.   M ILITARY V IRTUE OF AN A RMY    6.   B OLDNESS    7.   P ERSEVERANCE    8.   S UPERIORITY OF N UMBERS    9.   T HE S URPRISE 10.   S TRATAGEM 11.   A SSEMBLY OF F ORCES IN S PACE 12.   A SSEMBLY OF F ORCES IN T IME 13.   S TRATEGIC R ESERVE 14.   E CONOMY OF F ORCES 15.   G EOMETRICAL E LEMENT 16.   O N THE S USPENSION OF THE A CT IN W AR 17.   O N THE C HARACTER OF M ODERN W AR 18.   T ENSION AND R EST B OOK 4. T HE C OMBAT    1.   I NTRODUCTORY    2.   C HARACTER OF A M ODERN B ATTLE    3.   T HE C OMBAT IN G ENERAL    4.   T HE C OMBAT IN G ENERAL ( CONTINUED )    5.   O N THE S IGNIFICATION OF THE C OMBAT    6.   D URATION OF C OMBAT    7.   D ECISION OF THE C OMBAT    8.   M UTUAL U NDERSTANDING AS TO A B ATTLE    9.   T HE B ATTLE 10.   E FFECTS OF V ICTORY 11.   T HE U SE OF THE B ATTLE 12.   S TRATEGIC M EANS OF U TILISING V ICTORY 13.   R ETREAT A FTER A L OST B ATTLE 14.   N IGHT F IGHTING B OOK 5. M ILITARY F ORCES    1.   G ENERAL S CHEME    2.   T HEATRE OF W AR , A RMY , C AMPAIGN    3.   R ELATION OF P OWER    4.   R ELATION OF THE T HREE A RMS    5.   O RDER OF B ATTLE OF AN A RMY    6.   G ENERAL D ISPOSITION OF AN A RMY    7.   A DVANCED G UARD AND O UT -P OSTS    8.   M ODE OF A CTION OF A DVANCED C ORPS    9.   C AMPS 10.   M ARCHES 11.   M ARCHES ( CONTINUED ) 12.   M ARCHES ( CONTINUED ) 13.   C ANTONMENTS 14.   S UBSISTENCE 15.   B ASE OF O PERATIONS 16.   L INES OF C OMMUNICATION 17.   O N C OUNTRY AND G ROUND 18.   C OMMAND OF G ROUND B OOK 6. D EFENCE    1.   O FFENCE AND D EFENCE    2.   T HE R ELATIONS OF THE O FFENSIVE AND D EFENSIVE TO E ACH O THER IN T ACTICS    3.   T HE R ELATIONS OF THE O FFENSIVE AND D EFENSIVE TO E ACH O THER IN S TRATEGY    4.   C ONVERGENCE OF A TTACK AND D IVERGENCE OF D EFENCE    5.   C HARACTER OF THE S TRATEGIC D EFENSIVE    6.   E XTENT OF THE M EANS OF D EFENCE    7.   M UTUAL A CTION AND R EACTION OF A TTACK AND D EFENCE    8.   M ETHODS OF R ESISTANCE    9.   D EFENSIVE B ATTLE 10.   F ORTRESSES 11.   F ORTRESSES ( CONTINUED ) 12.   D EFENSIVE P OSITION 13.   S TRONG P OSITIONS AND E NTRENCHED C AMPS 14.   F LANK P OSITIONS 15.   D EFENCE OF M OUNTAINS 16.   D EFENCE OF M OUNTAINS ( CONTINUED ) 17.   D EFENCE OF M OUNTAINS ( CONTINUED ) 18.   D EFENCE OF S TREAMS AND R IVERS 19.   D EFENCE OF S TREAMS AND R IVERS ( CONTINUED ) 20.   D EFENCE OF S WAMPS AND I NUNDATIONS 21.   D EFENCE OF F ORESTS 22.   T HE C ORDON 23.   K EY OF THE C OUNTRY 24.   O PERATING A GAINST A F LANK 25.   R ETREAT INTO THE I NTERIOR OF THE C OUNTRY 26.   A RMING THE N ATION 27.   D EFENCE OF A T HEATRE OF W AR 28.   D EFENCE OF A T HEATRE OF W AR ( CONTINUED ) 29.   D EFENCE OF A T HEATRE OF W AR ( CONTINUED )—S UCCESSIVE R ESISTANCE 30.   D EFENCE OF A T HEATRE OF W AR ( CONTINUED )—W HEN NO D ECISION IS S OUGHT FOR B OOK 7. T HE A TTACK    1.   T HE A TTACK IN R ELATION TO THE D EFENCE    2.   N ATURE OF THE S TRATEGICAL A TTACK    3.   O N THE O BJECTS OF S TRATEGICAL A TTACK    4.   D ECREASING F ORCE OF THE A TTACK    5.   C ULMINATING P OINT OF THE A TTACK    6.   D ESTRUCTION OF THE E NEMY ’ S A RMIES    7.   T HE O FFENSIVE B ATTLE    8.   P ASSAGE OF R IVERS    9.   A TTACK ON D EFENSIVE P OSITIONS 10.   A TTACK ON AN E NTRENCHED C AMP 11.   A TTACK ON A M OUNTAIN R ANGE 12.   A TTACK ON C ORDON L INES 13.   M ANŒUVERING 14.   A TTACK ON M ORASSES , I NUNDATIONS , W OODS 15.   A TTACK ON A T HEATRE OF W AR WITH THE V IEW TO A D ECISION 16.   A TTACK ON A T HEATRE OF W AR WITHOUT THE V IEW TO A G REAT D ECISION 17.   A TTACK ON F ORTRESSES 18.   A TTACK ON C ONVOYS 19.   A TTACK ON THE E NEMY ’ S A RMY IN ITS C ANTONMENTS 20.   D IVERSION 21.   I NVASION 22.   O N THE C ULMINATING P OINT OF V ICTORY B OOK 8 . P LAN OF W AR    1.   I NTRODUCTION    2.   A BSOLUTE AND R EAL W AR    3.   A. I NTERDEPENDENCE OF THE P ARTS IN A W AR    3.   B. O N THE M AGNITUDE OF THE O BJECT OF THE W AR AND THE E FFORTS TO BE M ADE    4.   E NDS IN W AR M ORE P RECISELY D EFINED —O VERTHROW OF THE E NEMY    5.   E NDS IN W AR M ORE P RECISELY D EFINED ( CONTINUED )—L IMITED O BJECT    6.   A. I NFLUENCE OF THE P OLITICAL O BJECT ON THE M ILITARY O BJECT    6.   B. W AR AS AN I NSTRUMENT OF P OLICY    7.   L IMITED O BJECT —O FFENSIVE W AR    8.   L IMITED O BJECT —D EFENCE    9.   P LAN OF W AR WHEN THE D ESTRUCTION OF THE E NEMY IS THE O BJECT
 
BOOK 1
ON THE NATURE OF WAR
 
Chapter 1
W HAT IS W AR ?
1. Introduction
W E PROPOSE TO CONSIDER FIRST the single elements of our subject, then each branch or part, and, last of all, the whole, in all its relations—therefore to advance from the simple to the complex. But it is necessary for us to commence with a glance at the nature of the whole, because it is particularly necessary that in the consideration of any of the parts their relation to the whole should be kept constantly in view.
2. Definition
W E SHALL NOT ENTER INTO any of the abstruse definitions of War used by publicists. We shall keep to the element of the thing itself, to a duel. War is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale. If we would conceive as a unit the countless number of duels which make up a War, we shall do so best by supposing to ourselves two wrestlers. Each strives by physical force to compel the other to submit to his will: each endeavours to throw his adversary, and thus render him incapable of further resistance.
War therefore is an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfil our will.
Violence arms itself with the inventions of Art and Science in order to contend against violence. Self-imposed restrictions, almost imperceptible and hardly wor