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On War By Carl von Clausewitz ( Oxford University Press, USA )
Release Date: 2007-03-19
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Product Description
Writing at the time of Napoleon's greatest campaigns, Prussian soldier and writer Carl von Clausewitz created this landmark treatise on the art of warfare, which presented war as part of a coherent system of political thought. In line with Napoleon's own military actions, he illustrated the need to annihilate the enemy and make a strong display of one's power in an 'absolute war' without compromise. But he was also careful to distinguish between war and politics, arguing that war could only be justified when debate was no longer adequate, and that if undertaken, its aim should ultimately be to improve the wellbeing of the nation.
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On Life ( milesmiles )
Carl von Clausewitz's ON WAR is one of the most important books ever written, but it would be a great mistake to dismiss it merely as simply a treatise military philosophy. In this long-winded but brilliant work, Clausewitz (perhaps without meaning it) lays down the fundamental principles by which success is achieved in any field in life.
Clausewitz was a Prussian staff officer who saw his first combat at the age of twelve, fighting against Napoleon - a task which was to occupy much of his life. ON WAR was an attempt to codify the basic principles of warfare as he saw them, using the campaigns of Frederick the Great as well as the lessons of the Napoleonic Wars as his inspiration. Some of his basic assertions were:
- War is just politics pursed by violent means.
- Politics and warfare are therefore two sides of the same coin; if the underlying political purpose of a war is flawed, the war will be unsuccessful.
- However, once war is engaged, political consideration are subordinate to military aims. Don't let politicians try to dictate how you fight!
- Strategy is the overall plan you are following in a war; tactics are how you fight the battles. If your strategy is flawed, no amount of tactical brilliance will save you. You can win lots of battles and still lose the war.
- Everything you do once war is engaged must serve a single, clearly understood objective. Every action taken should be a step in that direction.
- Only a nut-job starts a war without having a concrete idea of how to finish it; don't bite off more than you can chew, and always have a "Plan B."
- In war, everything is very simple, but there is a huge difference between "simple" and "easy."
- Iron will power can overcome any obstacle, but it often wears out the vehicle in which it travels - be it a man or an army. You can win a battle by sheer force of will, but you may very well destroy your army doing it...and no battle is worth that.
- The proper way to win battles is to identify the weak point in the enemy's line and concentrate all your forces there. That's it, period final. Concentrate and win.
- The way to win wars is to destroy the enemy's army, full stop. That is, to destroy his means of resisting you, not to waste time capturing territory, cities, supply dumps, etc. Cut the head off, not the fingers and the toes. Then stomp the head.
- In war, the mistakes that come from kindness are the very worst. The most compassionate war is the one that ends quickly, and the best way of ending it quickly is by employing such overwhelming violence that the enemy is horrified into surrender.
Had military leaders from Wilhelm II to Adolf Hitler to Lyndon Banes Johnson to George W. Bush consistently applied these principles to their military policy, they would have avoided a lot of grief. But it is as metaphor that I think Clausewitz's book is most useful. Rewritten to apply to business, sports, relationships, and life generally, Clausewitz's maxims would make a great self-help book. Consider the value of 1) Always understanding what you are getting into before you start it and why you are getting into it, as well as what you want out of it. 2) Understanding that all human interaction is political, i.e., you can't ignore politics so you must learn how to use them to serve your ends. 3) That your motives can be as important as your objectives. 4) That you should the most of your energy by concentrating it. 5) Making sure all your individual movements lead you toward your goal, not away from it or sideways. Follow these principles and almost guarantee you'll soon forget how to fail.
So, while it won't hurt to skim some of the more outdated or tedious passages if you're not interested in the mechanics of 19th century warfare, ON WAR remains a first-class primer, not merely on the art of war, but on the art of living.
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 This one is much better
I have the On War published by IAP, in November 2008 and it costs just US$9.99. I like it. I don't know why it is not listed when we search it.
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 Slog ( caddisfly@worldnet.att.net )
On War is a great book and had Civil War Generals followed its advice, the war would have probably been over much sooner and not have lasted so long.
If you like military history, this is a must read.
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The Definitive Von Clausewitz
I purchased the Everyman's Library edition of Von Clausewitz's On War for my husband, who is a military officer. He was deeply dissatisfied with the Penguin edition, which is awful in every respect, and so I went in search of an unabridged publication. The Everyman's library version is affordable at around twenty dollars, and expertly translated by the Princeton scholars Howard and Paret (who have a much more expensive but otherwise identical Princeton press edition published). It includes the entire unfinished work, including the books that focus on specifics of military tactics left out of the Penguin edition.
My only complaint about this excellent edition, which incidentally features a very helpful "how to read this book" section, is that it is somewhat cheaply bound and may not hold up to prolonged and intense study over the years. It would be nice to have an attractively bound copy for display in a library or office, as well. I fear we may begin to lose pages if we are not careful, but at twenty dollars, the book is replaceable. Steer clear of penguin, and go straight to Howard and Paret. You won't be sorry.
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Strategy ? - This book is required reading.
This classic is required reading for any scholar or other person interested in strategic thinking, military command and decision making, leadership of large scale or complex endeavors.
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