General Carl Von Clausewitz

Carl von Clausewitz, a commander of Prussia, wrote On War in the 19th century. Military commanders and war historians have long studied it because it is one of the most important books on military strategy. War is described there by Clausewitz as "an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will." He contends that as war is just politics in another form, it must take into account the same political factors as all other forms of statecraft. In addition, Clausewitz addresses the nature of violence, how chance and uncertainty play a part in battle, and the significance of leadership and morale. He claims that there is no one recipe for victory in war and that it is a complicated and unpredictable event. The work On War is difficult and intricate, yet it is also satisfying. Clausewitz's theories on the nature of war are still relevant today, and military experts and academics all around the globe continue to study his writings.

Clausewitz had many aphorisms, of which the most famous is, "War is not merely a political act, but also a political instrument, a continuation of political relations, a carrying out of the same by other means," a working definition of war which has won wide acceptance.

First published by Routledge & Kegan Paul 1968.Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) was a Prussian General and military writer. His writings are contained in nine volumes, published posthumously, but his fame rests most upon these three volumes, forming his treatise On War. It reveals war, stripped of all accessories, as the exercise of force for the attainment of a political object, unrestrained by any law save that of expediency, this gives the key to the interpretation of German political aims, past, present and future.