Graham translation of clausewitzs vom kriege 1832 published in london in 1873. On war is full of sharp observation, biting irony, and memorable phrases, the most famous. A book published last year clausewitz on strategy, john wiley attempts to distil the wisdom and logic of on war and to rescue its author. Graham 1808 1883 a classic work on military strategy by a veteran of the napoleonic wars. Students at the army war college study clausewitz and other famous strategists as part of. Russian army 1812 prussian general and military writer, was born at burg, near magdeburg, on the 1st of june 1780. Graham translation published by nicholas trubner in london in 1873. He is most famous for his military treatise vom kriege complete text available here, translated into english as on war complete text available here.
It has been translated into english several times as on war. Clausewitz was a realist in many different senses and. Burg, magdeburg, prussia, germany location of death. He was a prussian war strategist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century. Jan 21, 2012 however, grahams edition only contains the first four books of the work. If the mind is to emerge unscathed from this relentless struggle with the unforeseen, two qualities are indispensable. However, grahams edition only contains the first four books of the work. These books give the theory and goals of war that can be applied to conquering meeting rooms and empires. Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity. He is most famous for his military treatise vom kriege, translated into english as on war. Later, he wrote about war and the military he wrote the book on war, in which he said that war is the continuation of politics by. Feb 26, 2006 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Selfreliance is the best defence against the pressures of the moment.
In reality, this book is an overturn in the war theory. Clausewitz enlisted in the prussian army in 1792, and in 179395 he took part and was commissioned in the campaigns of the first. Its coherence and ambition are unmatched by other military literature. His most notable work, vom kriege on war, was unfinished at his death.
It has been posted to the clausewitz homepage by clausewitz. He joined the russian army to fight against the french invasion of russia. On war has become one of the most respected classics on military strategy. Parkinsons biography of clausewitz provides detailed examinations of the napoleonic battles in which he participated and which shaped his theories of warfare. Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior. War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds.
It is commonly believed that clausewitzs treatise had a greater impact on military leaders of the late xix and xx centuries than any other book. The smaller the penalty you demand from your opponent, the less you can expect him to try and deny it to you. Although famous as a man of letters and ideas, he was also a soldier, involved in three dozen battles during the napoleonic wars. His magnus opus on war is used by military historians, strategists, and politicians to this day. He coined the famous or infamous depending on how you see it war is the continuation of politics by another means. It is a difficult and dense book that few dare to explore entirely, but many of its ideas have become widely known, principally that famous aphorism.
Princeton university press, 1984, particularly if you are using this book for your scholarly or research work. Clausewitz was an original thinker most influenced by the. I was expecting this book to be a version of the famous on war but was. Clausewitz was a realist in many different senses and, while in some respects a.
Princeton university press, 1984, particularly if you are using this book for your scholarly or research. The book has influenced military thinkers and practitioners as diverse as sir julian corbett, vladimir lenin, mao zedong, harry summers, and colin powell. He gained enduring fame for on war, which provides deep insight into the theory and conduct of war. In addition to living in very different times clausewitz in the 18th and. Kindhearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat the enemy without too much bloodshed, and might imagine this is the true goal of the art of war. Grahams translation of the original work is adequate. He served in the campaigns of 179394 on the rhine, after which he seems to have devoted some time to the study of the scientific branches of his profession. This biography offers detailed information about his life, career, childhood and timeline. In it, clausewitz explained that absolute war is a philosophical abstractiona logical fantasythat is impossible in practice because it is not directed or constrained by. It is derived from the german original, clausewitz s vom kriege berlin. The difficulty lies in clearly and consistently identifying, locating, and naming its many interesting concepts. To deepen the difficulty, clausewitz purposefully used different wording in the books various sections to discuss. A painting of the the battle of moscow, 7th september 1812, from 1822 by louisfrancois lejeune.
1116 137 928 883 686 564 966 333 535 352 1249 1340 1482 594 1093 846 1493 1456 954 1312 33 204 1129 87 170 1421 1097 562 490 624 56 205 1334 216 1338 1221 463 504 952 369 1173 1406 920 454 949 693 1358 167