Clausewitz Reconsidered
This fascinating book assesses Prussian military thinker Carl von Clausewitz's famous theory on warfare in relation to historical and modern-day conflict—and future trends.

Carl von Clausewitz's On War is arguably the most important single work ever written on the theory of warfare and military strategy. In Clausewitz Reconsidered, two prominent military historians assess his theories, examining their viability at a time when asymmetric warfare and "war" conducted by and against nonstate actors is increasingly common and state control often ephemeral.

The basis of the book's analysis is an examination of war over the last four centuries, since the Thirty Years' War, including the Cold War and subsequent conflicts. What is discovered is that war is far more endemic and brutal today than when Clausewitz tried to explain it. This volume explores that paradox and shows that if anything, we can anticipate further uncontrolled violence. The authors conclude that Clausewitz and On War have assumed a status akin to holy writ, but are obviously dated. The aim of Clausewitz Reconsidered is to bring the master's theories up to date, providing the current generation with a new basis for thought and analysis.
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Clausewitz Reconsidered
This fascinating book assesses Prussian military thinker Carl von Clausewitz's famous theory on warfare in relation to historical and modern-day conflict—and future trends.

Carl von Clausewitz's On War is arguably the most important single work ever written on the theory of warfare and military strategy. In Clausewitz Reconsidered, two prominent military historians assess his theories, examining their viability at a time when asymmetric warfare and "war" conducted by and against nonstate actors is increasingly common and state control often ephemeral.

The basis of the book's analysis is an examination of war over the last four centuries, since the Thirty Years' War, including the Cold War and subsequent conflicts. What is discovered is that war is far more endemic and brutal today than when Clausewitz tried to explain it. This volume explores that paradox and shows that if anything, we can anticipate further uncontrolled violence. The authors conclude that Clausewitz and On War have assumed a status akin to holy writ, but are obviously dated. The aim of Clausewitz Reconsidered is to bring the master's theories up to date, providing the current generation with a new basis for thought and analysis.
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Clausewitz Reconsidered

Clausewitz Reconsidered

Clausewitz Reconsidered

Clausewitz Reconsidered

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Overview

This fascinating book assesses Prussian military thinker Carl von Clausewitz's famous theory on warfare in relation to historical and modern-day conflict—and future trends.

Carl von Clausewitz's On War is arguably the most important single work ever written on the theory of warfare and military strategy. In Clausewitz Reconsidered, two prominent military historians assess his theories, examining their viability at a time when asymmetric warfare and "war" conducted by and against nonstate actors is increasingly common and state control often ephemeral.

The basis of the book's analysis is an examination of war over the last four centuries, since the Thirty Years' War, including the Cold War and subsequent conflicts. What is discovered is that war is far more endemic and brutal today than when Clausewitz tried to explain it. This volume explores that paradox and shows that if anything, we can anticipate further uncontrolled violence. The authors conclude that Clausewitz and On War have assumed a status akin to holy writ, but are obviously dated. The aim of Clausewitz Reconsidered is to bring the master's theories up to date, providing the current generation with a new basis for thought and analysis.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9798216061854
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date: 11/25/2009
Series: Praeger Security International
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 248
Sales rank: 950,699
File size: 1 MB
Age Range: 7 - 17 Years

About the Author

Hedley Willmott is one of the foremost military historians in England, having taught at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, for two decades, as well as at the U.S. National War College, the University of Memphis, Temple University, and The Citadel.

Michael Barrett is a professor of history at The Citadel, Charleston, SC, retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserve, and author of Operation Albion: The German Conquest of the Baltic Islands.
H. P. WILLMOTT is a Lecturer with the Greenwich Maritime Institute at the University of Greenwich. He has written extensively on modern military and naval subjects, including the critically acclaimed, The Great Crusade: A New Complete History of the Second World War.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments ix

Book I On Clausewitz and Vom Kriege 1

Chapter 1 The Clausewitzian Context: The Modern Era 3

Chapter 2 The Clausewitzian Context: War and the Westphalian System 13

Chapter 3 The Clausewitzian Context: War and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 23

Chapter 4 The Clausewitzian Context: An Aside 35

Book II War and Wars since Clausewitz: Total War and Systems 37

Chapter 1 From Total War to Total War: 1815-1918 39

Chapter 2 From Total War to Total War: 1931-1975 51

Chapter 3 When Real Hatreds Were Suspended: The Cold War, 1945-1989 65

Book III War and Wars since Clausewitz: Naval And Air Power 77

Chapter 1 Mahan and Corbett Reconsidered: 1890-2003 79

Chapter 2 Air Power and Two World Wars 93

Chapter 3 Douhet Reconsidered: (1) Inside-Out Warfare and 1991 103

Chapter 4 Douhet Reconsidered: (2) Doctrine and the Kosovo Campaign, 1999 115

Book IV War and Wars since the End of the Cold War 125

Chapter 1 The End of the Cold War 127

Chapter 2 The Developing Countries and the Re-emergence of Other Wars 139

Book V On the Nature and Conduct of War 149

Chapter 1 The Nature of War, the Conduct of War, and Basic Definitions 151

Chapter 2 To the Present Time: The Offensive and Defensive and the Vernichtungsschlacht 163

Chapter 3 The Illusion of Certainty 173

Chapter 4 The Approach of Absolute War 177

Book VI Conclusion 187

Chapter 1 To the Gods Belongs Tomorrow 189

Notes 193

Bibliography 217

Index 229

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