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On War: A Modern Military Classic |
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On War: A Modern Military Classic
Although Carl von Clausewitz participated in many military campaigns, he was primarily a military theorist interested in the examination of war. On War is the West's premier work on the philosophy of war. Other soldiers before him had written treatises on various military subjects, but none undertook a great philosophical examination of war on the scale of Clausewitz's. On War is considered to be the first modern book of military strategy. This is due mainly to Clausewitz' integration of political, social, and economic issues as some of the most important factors in deciding the outcomes of a war. It is one of the most important treatises on strategy ever written, and continues to be required reading at many military academies.
On War: A Modern Military Classic Accessories
On War: A Modern Military Classic Reviews
"a certain grasp of military affairs is vital for those in charge of general policy."
- Karl von Clausewitz
If you have read Sun Tzu you need to read this.
~Semper Fi
The best part about this book is the fact that Clausewitz doesn't present it as the "end all" for those who engage in war. Instead, he insists that war can never be contained within the classifications of art or science, as it is an entirely unpredictable and, because it is engaged in by humans, incapable of being pursued to perfection. His accounts of how talented leaders who disregard rules, misinformation from all sides and the various other unforeseeable factors in waging wars is simply brilliant. Although we live in a world of guerilla warfare without many front lines or recognizable enemy armies, this book will always be relevant for its comprehensive understand of the human factors that contribute to the one thing that civilizations have always engaged in, and will likely continue to in the future - war.
I don't mind amazon being enterprising, but it constitutes a form of fraud ("bait and switch") to redirect those attempting to find a Kindle version of the Princeton University Press, Peter Paret and Michael Howard edition of On War to this edition. Please stop this practice: the books are not remotely the same.
This book is a good edition of the military treatise, "On War." As von Clausewitz himself noted, his treatise was written to not to advance a new military system, but to establish the basic concepts of war, and, according to von Clausewitz, its most important activity battle. His purpose was to supply the raw material for developing military theories and systems.
To establish these concepts von Clausewitz draws on his on military experience and historical examples. In doing so he proves he is indeed a keen observer and very careful thinker. Although these days he is more quoted than actually read, his treatise contains many insights that are as relevant to 21st Century warfare as they were to the Napoleonic era from which they were derived.
For example, von Clausewitz presents a short but excellent discussion of battlefield intelligence (which he correctly refers to as `information'). He clearly understands that intelligence does not represent absolute truth or accuracy, but only approximations and probabilities. And then there is his famous concept of "Friction", which he uses as rubric for all those unexpected and often incalculable factors which can delay, disrupt, or even destroy even the most carefully crafted military operation. One wishes that he had devoted more than a shot section to this remarkable concept.
Now von Clausewitz has a somewhat narrow view of both war and battle. He conceptualizes war as a matter of clashes of conventional forces on the battlefield and does not really consider its broader manifestations in the form of economic or asymmetric warfare. His strategic thought is limited to B.H. Liddell Hart termed "military strategy" or battlefield strategy as opposed to Grand Strategy involving national policies. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but the reader ought to be aware that this is a closely focused treatise.
Perhaps the greatest error that von Clausewitz made in producing this work was creating so many quotable aphorisms in his text. This has led to wholesale quoting out of context of his work which often has resulted in profound misunderstandings of what he is really saying by folks who have read the quotes, but not his actual writings. This is a shame because von Clausewitz is really a worthwhile read who has a lot of still relevant concepts on war and battle.
This is a great book if your a military buff. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the science of war. It was well written and very interesting. Buy this book!!
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