Book Description
On War by Carl von Clausewitz is a seminal work in military theory and strategy, published posthumously in the 19th century. As a key text in the genre of political philosophy and military literature, it explores the nature of war and its relationship to politics, solidifying Clausewitz’s reputation as a foundational thinker in military studies.
In On War, Clausewitz analyzes the complex interplay between war and politics, arguing that war is merely a continuation of political discourse by other means. He emphasizes the “fog of war,” the unpredictability inherent in conflict, and introduces the concept of the “culminating point of victory.” The book doesn’t focus on specific characters but rather presents the military and political leaders as embodiments of broader strategic principles. Central themes include the friction of war, the importance of morale, and the necessity of adapting strategies to changing conditions. This work remains influential for military strategists and political leaders today.
Excerpt from On War by Carl von Clausewitz
We 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 worth mentioning, termed usages of International Law, accompany it without essentially impairing its power. Violence, that is to say, physical force (for there is no moral force without the conception of States and Law), is therefore the means; the compulsory submission of the enemy to our will is the ultimate object. In order to attain this object fully, the enemy must be disarmed, and disarmament becomes therefore the immediate object of hostilities in theory. It takes the place of the final object, and puts it aside as something we can eliminate from our calculations.
