On War

by Clausewitz, Carl von (Author); Graham, J. J. (Translator); Rapoport, Anatol (Editor/introduction)

• ISBN13: 9780140444278
• ISBN10: 0140444270
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1982-06-01
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

War...is an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfil our will' 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 though. In line with Napoleon's military actions, Clausewitz illustrated the need to annihilate the enemy and to 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 well-being of the nation. Combining military theory and practice, On War has had a profound influence on subsequent thin king on warfare. This edition contains a detailed introduction examining Von Clausewitz's skill and reputation as a writer, philosopher and political thinker, as well as a bibliography, notes and a glossary.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Pelican Edition	p. 9
Introduction	p. 11
On War
Introduction	p. 83
Introduction of the Author	p. 91
Brief Memoir of General Clausewitz by The Translator	p. 93
On the Nature of War
What is War?	p. 101
End and Means in War	p. 122
The Genius for War	p. 138
Of Danger in War	p. 158
Of Bodily Exertion in War	p. 160
Information in War	p. 162
Friction in War	p. 164
Concluding Remarks	p. 167
On the Theory of War
Branches of the Art of War	p. 171
On the Theory of War	p. 180
Art or Science of War	p. 201
Methodicism	p. 204
Criticism	p. 210
On Examples	p. 231
Of Strategy in General
Strategy	p. 241
Elements of Strategy	p. 249
Moral Forces	p. 251
The Chief Moral Powers	p. 253
Military Virtue of an Army	p. 254
Boldness	p. 258
Perseverance	p. 263
Superiority of Numbers	p. 264
The Surprise	p. 269
Stratagem	p. 274
Assembly of Forces in Space	p. 276
Assembly of Forces in Time	p. 277
Strategic Reserve	p. 284
Economy of Forces	p. 287
Geometrical Element	p. 288
On the Suspension of the Act in War	p. 290
On the Character of Modern War	p. 295
Tension and Rest	p. 296
The Combat
Introductory	p. 301
Character of the Modern Battle	p. 301
The Combat in General	p. 303
The Combat in General (continuation)	p. 307
On the Signification of the Combat	p. 316
Duration of the Combat	p. 318
Decision of the Combat	p. 320
Mutual Understanding as to a Battle	p. 327
The Battle	p. 330
Effects of Victory	p. 336
The Use of the Battle	p. 342
Strategic Means of Utilizing Victory	p. 348
Retreat After a Lost Battle	p. 359
Sketches for Book Eight Plan of War
Introduction	p. 365
Absolute and Real War	p. 367
Interdependence of the Parts in War	p. 371
Of the Magnitude of the Object of the War, and the Efforts to be Made	p. 374
Ends in War More Precisely Defined - Overthrow of the Enemy	p. 388
Ends in War More Precisely Defined (continued) - Limited Object	p. 397
Influence of the Political Object on the Military Object	p. 399
War as an Instrument of Policy	p. 401
Concluding Remarks	p. 411
Notes	p. 415
References	p. 433
Glossary	p. 439
Index	p. 453
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