![]() ![]() Every step of the way, the author is interested in exploring the moral issues of war. Now, this leads us to one of the first of moral quandaries. For the most part, we’re still talking about two armies, with columns of soldiers, squaring off against each other on a battlefield. It uses physical force to achieve its ends. These days we have culture wars and information wars, but in the context of the early nineteenth century, the war we’re talking about is by its very nature violent. How is this goal achieved? In one word: violence. ![]() More often than not, this means that the goal is to disarm the opponent. The goal for both sides is to reach a point where the other is incapable of fighting any further. He also compares it to a wrestling match, in that we have two forces, each attempting to bend the other to its will. The first question is: What is war? The author boils it down to its most basic elements and says that war is essentially a duel that is carried out on a large scale. So, let’s follow Clausewitz’s lead by looking at four chapters that grab some of the main points from each section. The first deals with establishing an agreed-upon definition for war, the second gets into theory and criticism, while the third and fourth sections touch upon strategy and tactics. Carl von Clausewitz’s On War is divided into four sections. how boldness can be both an advantage and disadvantage in war.īefore we dive into the heady subject of nineteenth-century warfare, let’s take a quick moment to break down the text.why critics often take the wrong approach when studying past battles and.how tactics and strategy can be distinctly different.We’ll sift through this classic tome together and look at some of the most important and most relevant conclusions the author came to. But that’s why your friends at Blinkist are here. It’s a challenging work, made all the more so by the fact that it was unfinished when the author died. As a result, his book is in some ways like an ongoing conversation, attempting to look at all sides and weigh all the opposing arguments. The veteran Prussian general had plenty of experience during the Napoleonic Wars and took a very intellectually rigorous approach to the subject. Even though it was written nearly two centuries ago, Carl von Clausewitz’s book continues to offer useful insights into the all too human endeavor of war. The British philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, “War does not determine who is right – only who is left.” A lot of us continue to wonder why, in this day and age, nations are still attacking other nations and lives continue to be lost in armed combat. History, Politics, Humanities, International Relations, Military History, Military Sciences Introduction: Gain a deeper understanding behind the historical purposes of war. Victory is achieved through more than just physical losses. There are many strategies to consider, but success still requires soldiers of great character. Tactics are the science of war, while strategy is more of an art. War is about disarming your opponent through force, and it requires great presence of mind. Introduction: What’s in it for me? Gain a deeper understanding behind the historical purposes of war. In its serious and thoughtful consideration of why and how states engage in warfare, it continues to be an influential piece of writing centuries later. On War (1832) is widely considered to be a landmark book on the subject of war.
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