Clausewitz: A Very Short Introduction

by Michael Howard

Overview

Karl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) is considered by many to have been one of the greatest writers on war. His study On War was described by the American strategic thinker Bernard Brodie as "not simply the greatest, but the only great book about war." It is hard to disagree. Even though he wrote his only major work at a time when the range of firearms was fifty yards, much of what he had to say remains relevant today. Michael Howard explains Clausewitz's ideas in terms both of his experiences as a professional soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, and of the intellectual background of his time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192802576
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/16/2002
Series:	Very Short Introductions , #61
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 4.52(h) x 0.24(d)

About the Author

Sir Michael Howard has held the Chair of War Studies at King's College London, the Chichele Chair of History of War and the Regius Chair of Modern History at Oxford, and the Robert A. Lovett Chair of Military and Naval History at Yale. His works include The Franco-Prussian War, The Causes of Wars, War and the Liberal Conscience, The Lessons of History, and War in European History. Together with Professor Peter Paret he edited and translated Clausewitz, On War.

Table of Contents

Introduction1. Clausewitz in his time2. Theory and practice in war3. Ends and means in war4. Limited and absolute war5. The legacy of ClausewitzFurther ReadingIndex

Editorial Reviews

Review from previous edition 'as a synthesis of Clausewitz scholarship this study can hardly be faulted'"—English Historical Review

"a delightful introduction to the paradoxes and insights of this passionate rationalist."—London Review of Books

From the Publisher