Clausewitzs on war and sun tzus art of war in one volume. A biography oxford professor and author hew strachan talks about his book, clausewitzs on war. Read by timothy ferguson with linda ferguson in section 2. This book is a classic and a must for every one interested in military history and history in general. Clausewitz described war as two kinds 1 ideal war or total war, in its purest form it is unchecked violence and self serving, in other words war for the sake of war, 2 limited war, which is the pursuit of an objective and once accomplished the war must cease. Download as many audiobooks, ebooks, language audio courses, and language eworkbooks as you want during the free trial and its all yours to keep even if you cancel during the free trial. Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional. Perhaps best known among his numerous pronouncements is that war is a continuation of politics by other means.
By comparing this theoretical version of war with reality, clausewitz aims to identify how and why these two types of war di. In his book vom kriege on war the expression is explained. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Countless duels go to make up war, but a picture of it as a whole can be formed by imagining a pair of wrestlers. Written sometime between 18161832 after the napoleonic wars. Published posthumously between 1832 and 1835 by clausewitzs wife, on war delivers a.
Introduction 10 books of on war condensed into five paragraphs. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to your computer, smartphone or tablet. Defense is a stronger form of fighting than attack. Christopher bassford rightly states that the trinity is the concept that ties all. Free of technical jargon, and suitable for modern readers. His theories and observations in this work have been heeded by military strategists for nearly two. On war is the most significant attempt in western history to understand war, both in its internal dynamics and as an instrument of policy. Since the works first appearance in 1832, it has been read throughout the world, and has stimulated generations of. The translation of clausewitzs on war is the 1943 version done by german literary scholar o. On war also widely known by its german name vom kriege is considered to be clausewitz s magnum opus, despite the fact it remained unfinished at the time of his death. War is merely a wrestling match on an extensive scale, an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfil our will.
Moscow, and waterloo are placed at the center of understanding surrounding clausewitzs on war and its inherent problems, like the. He studied the human and social factors that affect outcomes, as well as the. On war also widely known by its german name vom kriege is considered to be clausewitz s magnum opus, despite the fact it remained unfinished at the time of his death published posthumously between 1832 and 1835 by clausewitz s wife, on war delivers a deep insight into various concepts and schools of thought connected to war. Get 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for onemonth free trial. He did not want to write primarily about how to wage war, although on war contains some unoriginal books or chapters dealing with many of these subjects as well books, see below. Clausewitz, a prussian officer who fought against the french during the napoleonic wars, sought to understand and analyze the phenomenon of war so that future leaders could conduct and win conflicts more effectively. His response was to write a comprehensive text covering every aspect of warfare. Since the works first appearance in 1832, it has been read throughout the world, and has stimulated generations of soldiers, statesmen, and. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. In reality, this book is an overturn in the war theory. On war is perhaps the greatest book ever written about war. Translation of vom kriege prepared under the auspices of the center of international studies, princeton university.
The service works on any major device including computers, smartphones, music players, ereaders, and tablets. Matthijs jolles at the university of chicago during world war iinot todays standard translation, but certainly the most accurate. Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. Translation of vom kriege prepared under the auspices of the. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Wallach as most would suspect when studying clausewitz is looking to establish relations between the military and politics.
A classic work on military strategy by a veteran of the napoleonic wars. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when youre commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more. On war is one of the most important books ever written on the subject of war. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read on war. In clausewitzs view the idea of total war was an impossibility, although in. A thesis submitted for the degree of phd at the university. It is commonly believed that clausewitz s treatise had a greater impact on military leaders of the late xix and xx centuries than any other book. It has been translated into english several times as on war. Clausewitz, unfinished note, presumably written in 1830, in clausewitz, on war, p. This audiobook is based on a 1909 english translation.
However, for clausewitz, polarity does not lie in attack or defense, but in the object both seek to achieve. I shall not begin by expounding a pedantic, literary definition of war, but go straight to the heart of the matter, to the duel war is nothing but a duel on a larger scale. What is the interest for one at a time is not for the other at the same time. Less commonly appreciated is the nature of the approach he adopted which enabled him to. A prussian soldier and writer, clausewitz is said to have distilled napoleon into theory. Gatzke stressed clausewitzs unlimited war of annihilation, his absolute war, without mentioning the other possibilities covered by the theory in on war.
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