On War (Penguin Classics)

On War (Penguin Classics)

by Anatol Rapoport (Introduction), Carl Clausewitz (Author), Anatol Rapoport (Introduction), J. Graham (Translator)

Synopsis

Combining military theory and raw accounts of its practice, Carl von Clausewitz's treatise "On War" has had a profound influence on subsequent thinking on warfare. This "Penguin Classics" edition is edited with an introduction by Anatol Rapoport. 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, pioneering the notion of war as 'politics by other means'. 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. Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) was a Prussian soldier and writer who entered the Prussian Military at the age of twelve with the rank of Lance-Corporal, serving in the Rhine campaign from 1793 to 1794. In 1801 he joined the Berlin Military Academy, where he studied Kant and attracted the attention of General Gerhard von Scharnhorst, whom he later helped to reform the Prussian army. More a philosopher than a soldier, Clausewitz's fame rests on the enduring success of "On War" (Vom Kriege), unfinished at the time of his death and published posthumously by his wife, in 1832. If you enjoyed "On War", you might like Sun-Tzu's "The Art of War", also available in "Penguin Classics".

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 464
Edition: Abridged Ed
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Published: 31 Jul 2003

ISBN 10: 0140444270
ISBN 13: 9780140444278

Author Bio
Prussian general and military theorist Charles Von Clausewitz was born in the Prussian city of Burg in 1780. He was commissioned to take part in the campaigns of the First Coalition against Revolutionary France. He is most famous for his military treatise Vom Kriege, translated into English as On War.