Carl von Clausewitz
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Carl Philipp Gottlieb von Clausewitz (July 1, 1780 - November 16, 1831) was a
Prussian Major-General and military theorist who was most famous for his book
“Vom Kriege” or “On War”.
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Von Clausewitz’s strategies of war influenced many leaders after his time and still
influence many nations today.
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Von Clausewtiz stated in his general strategy that war has 3 objectives:
o To conquer and destroy the armed power of the enemy.
o To take possession of his material and other sources of strength.
o To gain public opinion.
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His general strategy also dictated to “always direct the principle operation against the
main body of the enemy army or at least against an important portion of his forces”,
and concluded by stating that “public opinion is won through great victories and the
occupation of the enemies capital”.
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Von Clausewitz’s elaborated upon winning public opinion by establishing 4 major
rules towards creating a swift victory:
o The first and most important rule to observe in order to accomplish these
purposes, is to use forces with the utmost energy. Any moderation shown
would leave us short of our aim. Even with everything in our favor, we should
be unwise not to make the greatest effort in order to make the result perfectly
certain. For such effort can never produce negative results. Suppose the
country suffers greatly from this, no lasting disadvantage will arise; for the
greater the effort, the sooner the suffering will cease. The moral impression
created by these actions is of infinite importance. They make everyone
confident of success, which is the best means for suddenly raising the nation’s
morale.
o The second rule is to concentrate our power as much as possible against that
section where the chief blows are to be delivered and to incur disadvantages
elsewhere, so that our chances of success may increase at the decisive point.
This will compensate for all other disadvantages.
o The third rule is never to waste time. Unless important advantages are to be
gained from hesitation, it is necessary to set to work at once. By this speed a
hundred enemy measures are nipped in the bud, and public opinion is won
most rapidly.Surprise plays a much greater role in strategy than in tactics. It is
the most important element of victory. Napoleon, Frederick II, Gustavus
Adolphus, Caesar, Hannibal, and Alexander owe the brightest rays of their
fame to their swiftness.
o Finally, the fourth rule is to follow up our successes with the utmost energy.
Only pursuit of the beaten enemy gives the fruits of victory.
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Von Clausewitz also established 4 main defensive and 2 main offensive rules for a
successful campaign in wartime:
o DEFENSIVE: Adopt a strategic defense mainly when the enemy is superior.
o DEFENSIVE: Disorganize the enemy and force it into a retreat, during which
it will necessarily suffer great losses.
o DEFENSIVE: Fortifications are to keep the enemy occupied. It is best to fight
from behind it, but not stand by idly while it is conquered.
o DEFENSIVE: If the defense wins and peace does not follow immediately, we
can gain further success only through the offensive.
o OFFENSIVE: Constant replacement of troops and arms. The roads of our
lines of operation must be covered constantly with transports of soldiers and
supplies, We must establish military stations along these roads to hasten this
rapid transport.
o OFFENSIVE: The aggressor should foresee a possibility of great disaster, by
organizing strong points along the lines to retreat to incase of a defeat, they
should be fortified.
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In “On War”, Von Clausewitz also discusses the critical analysis, tactics,
unpredictability, fog, friction, and centre of gravity in war.
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Von Clausewitz was highlighted for discussing the differences between “absolute” or
“ideal war” as opposed to “real war”.
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Von Clausewitz clearly influenced leaders and nations after his time and changed the
way we think of war. After his death, his influence was strong in World War I, World
War II, the Cold War and perhaps even today.
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Some argue that Clausewitzian theory is out of date in today’s world of nuclear
proliferation. The United States is currently the world’s only superpower and they
have never used Clausewitzian theory, however many attribute this to their failure in
Vietnam and modern-day Iraq.
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“War is just an extension of politics”.