Carl Philip Gottfried (or Gottlieb) von Clausewitz (June 1, 1780 in Magdeburg - November 16, 1831 in Breslau) was a Prussian military officer and theorist.
He comes from a family of Silesian origin (Oberschlesien) of the middle class which nevertheless claims noble origins. His father received an officer's commission during the Seven Years' War but was dismissed from his post at the end of the conflict, due to his modest background. This nobility was only recognized in 1827.
He began as a cadet (Fahnenjunker) and cadet (Offizieranwarter) in 1792 in the 34th Infantry Regiment in Potsdam. He participated in the campaigns of the first coalition in France during the revolutionary wars (1792-1794. He received his baptism of fire at the siege of Mainz (1793). In 1795, he joined the garrison of Neuruppin where he was promoted to lieutenant. garrison life to satisfy his intellectual curiosity and improve his knowledge in many fields.He was admitted to the military academy in Berlin in October 1801. The establishment was directed by Scharnhorst who became his mentor and protector. among the best of his promotion in 1804. He was appointed aide-de-camp to Prince Augustus of Prussia. He took part in the campaigns of 1806. He was captured by the French after the battle of Auerstaedt on October 14, 1806 and passed two years in captivity, in France and Switzerland.
He was released in 1808. He became Scharnhorst's assistant in 1809 for the reorganization of the Prussian army. In 1810, he was promoted to major, appointed professor at the military academy and became responsible for the military training of the Crown Prince of Prussia, the future William I. He married Marie Countess von Brühl.
In 1812, refusing military collaboration with the French, he left Prussia and joined the Imperial Russian Army. He leaves to the Crown Prince a book "The Principles of War". He participated in the Russian campaign and managed to turn the Prussian generals, in particular General Yorck's army corps, against the French. He then became a Russian liaison officer with Blücher's staff and then chief of staff of the German-Russian legion. In 1814, he rejoined the Prussian army with the rank of colonel. He participated in the Waterloo campaign as Chief of Staff of General Thielmann's 3rd Prussian Army Corps.
In 1816-1818, he was a member of General Gneisenau's staff in Koblenz. In 1818, he was promoted to major-general and was appointed director of administration at the military academy in Berlin, a position he held until 1830. Dismissed from teaching, he used these years to devote himself studying and writing his work. In 1830, he was appointed chief of staff of the Gneisenau army raised to monitor and contain the Polish revolution.
He died on November 16, 1831 in Breslau as a result of cholera contracted on the battlefield.
Between 1832 and 1837, his wife Marie had his work published.
A universal reference in strategic matters
Clausewitz's writings are a major basis for modern strategic theory. His ideas always give rise to sometimes contradictory interpretations and heated discussions.
At first, Clausewitz's work was not originally intended for publication. His major treatise On War (Vom Kriege) is above all a compilation of scattered writings. However, this imperfection does not prevent his work from being one of the most realistic and complete in terms of strategy.
Secondly, the concepts it addresses go far beyond the simple military field and influence a large number of human sciences, in particular political science or economics.
Thirdly, his theories are essentially descriptive. He does not seek to impose solutions that he would have discovered in all his campaigns, but he gives the reader extremely powerful conceptual and dialectical instruments to grasp all the complexity of the strategy and to manage uncertainty. This is what has allowed his work to cross two centuries and still be relevant.
The controversies that surround his work reside mainly in the interpretation of the notions he develops and in the importance that each of the readers has given to this or that concept to support his own theories. This is why so many people as diverse as the Duke of Wellington, Moltke (the elder), B.H. Liddell Hart, J.F.C. Fuller, Lenin, Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, Patton, Dwight Eisenhower, Henry Kissinger, Raymond Aron, etc. considered it an essential intellectual reference.
Important concepts among many others
* The very definition of war
* The center of gravity
* The Decisive Points
* Lines of Operation
* Fog of War
* Friction
* Contingency, an essential characteristic of war
* The relative relevance of the lessons of history
* The inseparable link between war and politics
* The introduction of probabilities in strategic reasoning
* The relative advantages of defense over offense
* Gradations from war to total war
* The Nature of Military Engineering
Quotes
* War is the unlimited use of brute force.
* War is merely an extension of politics by other means.
* War is an act of violence whose objective is to compel the adversary to carry out our will.
* War is never an isolated act.
* War with its results is never something absolute
* The purpose of the act of war is to disarm the adversary.
* In a matter as dangerous as war, the worst mistakes are those caused by our goodness.
* War never breaks out quite suddenly, its spread is not the work of a moment.
* War is the domain of danger, so courage is the first virtue of the warrior.
* The conqueror always loves peace; he willingly enters our country quietly. This quote greatly pleased Lenin, who annotated his work as follows:grandiose, aha!
- War is a camelion