Hew Strachan Livres

"On War" by Carl von Clausewitz was first published in Germany after the Napoleonic Wars. Its description of 'absolute war' and its insistence on the centrality of battle to war have been blamed for the level of destruction involved in both the First and Second World Wars. This book challenges the popular misconceptions that surround "On War".

The complexities of military strategy are explored through Carl von Clausewitz's "On War," a foundational yet contradictory text that has shaped military thought for generations. Despite its challenging language and posthumous publication, its impact on modern warfare is undeniable. Hew Strachan, a leading military historian, provides clarity by unpacking Clausewitz's intentions and the book's relevance today. This insightful analysis serves as an essential guide for readers seeking to understand the enduring significance of Clausewitz's work in military history.

Exploring such theatres as the Balkans, Africa and the Ottoman Empire, this works assesses Britain's participation in the light of what became a struggle for the defence of liberalism and shows how the war shaped the "short" 20th century that followed it

A comprehensive, illustrated history of World War I, its causes, impact on global politics and economy, military and political strategies, and the legacy it left behind.

Clausewitz's On War has, at least until very recently, been regarded as the most important work of theory on its subject. But since the end of the Cold War in 1990, and even more since the 9/11 attacks on the United states in 2001, an increasing number of commentators have argued that On War has lost its analytical edge as a tool for understanding war. They have argued that Clausewitz was concerned solely with inter-state war and with properly defined armies, and that the sorts of conflicts which he discussed are therefore part of a historical pattern which dominated Europe between 1648, the end of the Thirty Years War, and 1990 itself. Some have gone further, and suggested that Clausewitz's best known aphorism, that war is a continuation of policy by other means, is not only irrelevant today but also inapplicable historically. Clausewitz in the Twenty-First Century reconsiders the principal themes in Clausewitz's writings from a contemporary perspective, and finds in themmuch more inspiration and insight than these generalisations allow. Embracing the perspectives of history, philosophy and political science, the book reconsiders both the text and its current implications. Traditional interpretations of On War are put into fresh light; neglected passages are re-examined; and new insights are derived from the conjunction between Clausewitz's text and today's challenges.

»Der Krieg ist eine bloße Fortsetzung der Politik mit anderen Mitteln.« Der preußische General und Militärtheoretiker Carl von Clausewitz nahm an den Napoleonischen Kriegen teil. Seine Theorien über Strategie und Taktik beeinflussten die Entwicklung des Kriegswesens sehr stark. Sie werden bis heute an allen wichtigen Militärakademien gelehrt. Clausewitz zeigt generelle Prinzipien der Kriegsführung auf, die sich aus dem Studium der Geschichte und aus dem logischen Denken ergeben.