Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

On War

by Carl von Clausewitz, Michael Eliot Howard (Editor), Peter Paret (Editor)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 3,306 ratings · 118 reviews

Carl von Clausewitz's On War has been called, "not simply the greatest, but the only truly great book on war." It is an extraordinary attempt to construct an all-embracing theory of how war works. Its coherence and ambition are unmatched by other military literature. On War is full of sharp observation, biting irony, and memorable phrases, the most famous being, "War is a...more

Paperback, 752 pages

Published June 1st 1989 by Princeton University Press (first published 1832)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Most Influential Books in History

78th out of 659 books — 1,835 voters

Politics

28th out of 180 books — 109 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 09, 2012 Michael Burnam-fink rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: war, history, 2012

"War is simply the continuation of politics by other means."

Far too many people quote Clausewitz without read him, but after reading this edition of On War, there is no excuse not to read Clausewitz, and perhaps understand him.

I will speak first to the translation: This is how it should be done. Howard, Paret, and Brodie produce an accurate and highly readable text, with invaluable supplementary essays on the historical impact of Clausewitz and his key points. Accept no other translations.

Secon...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 24, 2010 Silvana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: military-espionage, nonfiction, own, classics

The most difficult book I've ever completed. Took me a month just to read it, and sadly not 100% able to understand the whole thing. This one needs a re-read someday. Some parts are just so indigestible and make me want to pull my hair due to frustration.

Having said that, why I gave this book four stars? Well, first it is a challenging read. Secondly, the contents are unbelievable. Yes, some explanations may be outdated, but the gist is still relevant. If one could get pass through the Book I-II...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 29, 2008 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book stands as an important and modern classic about the nature of war. Clausewitz applies rigorous analysis to almost all the factors that influence war, not least of which are social and political aspects. Indeed, for him, war is part of man's social existence, and politics the womb in which war develops. This is encapsulated in his famous comment: "War is merely the continuation of policy by other means."

There are a number of intriguing and developed insights within this book: how defens...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 27, 2013 Helmut Barro rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Literatur oder Handbuch?

Der Inhalt dieses Werks und seine Bedeutung für die Militärgeschichte wurden nun schon ausführlich von diversen Rezensenten besprochen. Doch wie sieht es mit der literarischen Qualität des Texts aus? Ist er auch geeignet für Leute, denen in ersten Linie an Gedanken, deren Ausformulierung und Lesbarkeit liegt?

Diesbezüglich bin ich etwas zwiegespalten. Von Clausewitz' Prosa ist blumig und ausgeschmückt; der Text liest sich daher angenehm und flüssig, wenn auch stellenweise...more

like · see review

Jan 14, 2012 Ivana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Without doubt the best book about war ever written!
Even after all this time (how long has it been since it was written? centuries!) it is not dated. Really, it is not dated.

Carl Von Clausewitz is the first theorist of war (and he remains the best). Moreover, he is the first to write and understand war fully. There are other great books on this subject such as those written by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu but this is a theory, a great theory of war. Just like Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the author creat...more

like · see review

Oct 05, 2009 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: part-read

Ranked one of the great contributions in the literature of war, Clausewitz's book, "On War", presents a wide-ranging and very intellectual discussion of the subject of war. There is room for debate about precisely what the book is about. But Clausewitz is emphatic about what it is not: it is not a book on doctrine; it does not presume to give definitive tactical lessons; it does not pretend to give a formula on strategy-making. These are not Clausewitz's purpose. Rather it is theory that he says...more Ranked one of the great contributions in the literature of war, Clausewitz's book, "On War", presents a wide-ranging and very intellectual discussion of the subject of war. There is room for debate about precisely what the book is about. But Clausewitz is emphatic about what it is not: it is not a book on doctrine; it does not presume to give definitive tactical lessons; it does not pretend to give a formula on strategy-making. These are not Clausewitz's purpose. Rather it is theory that he says he is after. To use a formulation of Clausewitz: war is his subject, but theory is his object. This in a breath is the spirit of his book.

There is a lot to say about "On War". Some in praise, some in criticism, but all interesting. Because the space of this entry need not wander on needlessly in length or purpose, the discussion here must be abridged. Therefore I will confine myself to mention of three main themes. First is Clausewitz's discussion of politics and warfare. Second is his use of historical figures, particularly Napoleon and Frederick II. And third, the self conscious aspect of Clausewitz's theory.

The role of politics looms large in Clausewitz's theory of war. It is no coincidence Clausewitz and his book are known by the slogan "that war is nothing but the continuation of policy by other means." Though Clausewitz does not limit his theory of war to politics, his theory has become synonymous with the phrase. But Clausewitz is deliberate about identifying other influences on war. He proposes military genius, friction, and other intangible, psychic factors. Still for Clausewitz it is clear that politics has an influence on war that is predominant. Clausewitz goes out of his way in the preface to give the influence of politics specific highlight. That mention is followed right after by his dramatic first chapter, which exclusively discusses the importance of politics in war, and supplies its proof with an elaborate dialectical argument contrasting real and absolute war. This order of presentation should not be dismissed. The positioning of politics at a location foremost in the arrangement in his book has a special significance. By his own theory of war, Clausewitz advocates identifying the point of decision, and directing the main energy of the force against it. The same is apparent in his attention to argument. For Clausewitz, the influence of politics is the decisive point in his theory. Therefore he supplies it with his own main effort. The influence of moral qualities, military genius, danger, are important, but for Clausewitz they are really secondary actions. It is for this reason book 1 chapter 1 reads entirely different from every other chapter of the book. It has been combed and carefully organized in a way unmatched by any other chapter—this Clausewitz admits himself. It is also for this reason that he devotes all of book 8 to exploring the consequences of politics in his theory of war. Such disproportionate labor on the influence of politics, it is clear that Clausewitz’s intent is to impress the significance of this theme.

If politics represents the major insight of the book, his use of historical personages, particularly Napoleon and Frederick, is an important second. Clausewitz does not make it an explicit point of his theory. Nevertheless the same opinions appear too often and too consistently to be dismissed as trivia meant for illustration. For Clausewitz, Napoleon and Frederick represent something more than relevant examples. Far more. The two famous generals typify exactly the qualities of failure and success in warfare that his theory means to explain. Put more dramatically: they are the very inspiration for the theory itself. Napoleon is given as example of the archetypal general who is seemingly the great military genius, but in fact is not. Though he may possess characteristics that bring great success in battle, despite his brilliance, his politics and his war strategy are not in harmony. Therefore, for all Napoleon's apparent success, as a true strategist and statesmen he must be judged a failure. On the other hand, conventional opinion has it that Frederick should not enjoy equal rank with Napoleon, Alexander, Caesar, or other military royalty, though he be regarded as great general nonetheless. But by Clausewitz's reckoning, Frederick is truly the superior of Napoleon; for though he did not conquer near all of Europe in the manner of Napoleon, he achieved a harmony between his politics and his war strategy that Napoleon never did. Judged in this way, though he fought for bare existence in the Seven Years War, Frederick can claim a legacy greater than that of Napoleon. This anyway is one of the important sub narratives in Clausewitz's book. On most occasions Clausewitz prefers to question Napoleon's command, asking whether he truly deserved credit for his victories. While in the case of Frederick there is absolutely no instance where Clausewitz does not cover him with flatteries. The difference in treatment is extreme. So different in fact, one could speculate darkly whether Napoleon and Frederick are meant to serve theory, or whether the theory is meant to serve the men. Though it would be unfair to dismiss Clausewitz with such cynical speculation; there is an important strain of historical revisionism in "On War", which if true, degrades the theory as a disguise for rationalizing Prussian superiority.

There is one other feature of "On War" that stands out among others. Nevertheless, in many ways it is so pervasive in Clausewitz's writing, it is hard to perceive. This is the unusual manner Clausewitz uses to develop his study of war. His method and style are quite unorthodox. As a goal for his book, Clausewitz intends to make theory. But this is an end quite different then most other treatises on the subject. The tradition in military writing is to offer prescriptions, provide formulas, outline doctrine, and in general prepare lessons that have application for war. But for Clausewitz the project is far more intellectual. He says that he wants to give a theory of war. One that is holistic, that identifies key concepts, refines them with precision, illuminates war's principles, and give an order and coherence to the theory of war in the abstract. This is a project completely different in kind. And one gets the sense Clausewitz fancies himself a sort of heretic, and has his ambition set to provide a rethink of the way war is conceived. If so, it would explain his extended treatment of the weaknesses of earlier theories of war. He ridicules those that relied on numeric equations or depended solely on the geometry of the battlefield to provide a guide to war. These theories may have fulfilled a heuristic purpose he says, but so far as theory is judged they were inadequate. This interpretation of Clausewitz would also explain his censure of other academic styles for the study of war. Those writers that descend into petty technicalities, put their knowledge on parade, prefer to catalogue examples rather than give a single thorough description, or otherwise recall ancient history to beguile the reader with romantic accounts—all these Clausewitz says corrupt the analysis rather than advance it. In its place, Clausewitz proposes a style of deliberation all his own. Because war is not quite science, nor is it quite art, special accommodation is required. War may be a phenomenon unlike any other, nevertheless it is not beyond the power of theory. By this point Clausewitz has wandered far into the philosophical. Digressions of this kind, enormous repetition of substance, heavy reliance on abstract argument, intense use of the deliberative style of narrative, and a tendency to give conclusions in sweeping terms—all these distinguish Clausewitz's style for composing “On War”. It gives the entire book an intellectual, sage-like quality; though it also tends to obscure his meaning. It is in this context that Clausewitz proceeds to develop his theory of war.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 08, 2013 Morte Imperator rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A miilitary masterpiece, On War goes on so many different dimensions of war. It contains so many things that are so shockingly still relevant to modern warfare. For example, Clausewitz warns against a war with Russia for the territoy would be too large...........

100 YEARS BEFORE HITLER's Third Reich would carry out their failed Operation Barbarossa to conquer Russia!

Note I only read the Penguin Paperback edition which was translated by Anatole Rapaport. Its true it takes out several books but as...more

like · see review

Aug 20, 2012 Nate Huston rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lots of good stuff to think about. Lots of extraneous stuff that seems quaint in a time of airpower, let alone cyber power. Here's an observation from one of my classmates - We seem to spend a lot of time debating what Clausewitz MEANT and less time talking about whether it's of any value. It would be a good deal more valuable to use our time to disect the applicability of one or another interpretation of a given edict rather than arguing about the meaning of the word duality...or whatever.

Still...more

like · see review

Nov 22, 2011 Mike Edwards rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy, war

Almost 200 years later, this masterpiece is still misunderstood and ignored.

Clausewitz argues that the purpose of war is to disarm your opponent and thereby force him to give you want you want. Based on this premise, he concludes that wars are essentially unwinnable on the battlefield: it is virtually impossible to completely disarm your opponent through might alone. Instead, your opponent at some point has to decide to give you want you want--and getting your opponent to come to that decision m...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 31, 2012 Justin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have never really understood the west's fascination with Carl von Clausewitz. His writing style is dull and repetitive, while the vast majority of his "brilliant" theories could be summed up in a couple of sentences. In fact, they already have been summed up in a couple of sentences by the Seven Chinese Military Classics and Sun Pin.

I will give von Clausewitz some credit with his ideas about "friction" in war. His views on the "fog of war" and how war relates with politics are also quite usefu...more

like · see review

Oct 22, 2012 Al rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, political-theory, strategy

Five stars for the translation which is simply the best on the market, and includes a superb commentary by Bernard Brodie. This is my fourth time reading this in the context of a class (Naval War College) and it is not any easier to navigate or understand, however, it is never a waste of time.

Clausewitz himself gives the best summary of this work on p. 89: "First, therefore, it is clear that war should never be thought of as something autonomous, but always as an instrument of policy; otherwise...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 30, 2011 Gregory Mcdonald rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Considered by many to be the most influential work on the subject of war in the history of Western civilization; Clausewitz's "On War"(or Vom Kriege in the original German) is essential to understanding European and American thinking on the subject of war from the time of Napoleon until the conclusion of World War II.

Today the general thinking seems to be that technology,mostly in the form of weapons of mass destruction,has made Clausewitz's central theme,usually summed up as "War is the continu...more

like · see review

Dec 02, 2012 Jadepen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, europe, geopolitics, non-fiction, warfare

Utterly amazing. Most readers will remark upon Clausewitz's statements that "war is a continuation of politics by other means," but to fixate upon this is to miss the broader point. Clausewitz speaks of war as it is, both theoretically and in actuality. In particular, I think that the Western world should take note of his warnings on the nature of warfare: it can be treated as 'civilized,' but only when all sides choose to do so.

Likewise, Clausewitz warns against 'Cabinet Wars,' where the inter...more

like · see review

Mar 31, 2013 Aaron Crofut rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, war

It's hard to write a review of such a disjointed work. The important points he hits on are indeed extremely important, but wading through 750 pages of repetitive and wordy abstract run on sentences gets old pretty quickly. Two most important points:

1) Why don't nations fight wars of annihilation (remember, this is the early 19th Century, he doesn't know about the World Wars)? Well, why don't school children carry on their fights to the death? Answer: doing so isn't anywhere near worth the cost....more It's hard to write a review of such a disjointed work. The important points he hits on are indeed extremely important, but wading through 750 pages of repetitive and wordy abstract run on sentences gets old pretty quickly. Two most important points:

1) Why don't nations fight wars of annihilation (remember, this is the early 19th Century, he doesn't know about the World Wars)? Well, why don't school children carry on their fights to the death? Answer: doing so isn't anywhere near worth the cost. Wars are fought by different nations over disagreements on policy; while that disagreement may be worth fighting over in their mind, it may not be worth risking national obliteration. The idea is to drive up the cost of war (deaths, wounded, money, political support) for the enemy higher than the worth of the thing being fought over is to them. What that thing is worth will be different for the different parties. While Clausewitz doesn't focus much on this, or at least not clearly, this asymmetric valuation is of extreme importance. The United States inflicted far more damage on our Vietnamese enemies than they did on us, but the value of victory for them approached infinity whereas most in the United States had only so much patience for supporting a corrupt regime in some country most couldn't find on a map. If both sides see victory as worth any cost, we get closer to the "pure theory of war", which is a bad thing.

2) The concept of friction. Pushing flags on a board: easy. Getting the 10,000 men that flag represents to the actual location indicated on the board in the face of enemy opposition, incomplete knowledge of roads and terrain, and feeding them all: not so easy. The more complex the plan, the more opportunities there are for something to go wrong.

I found these ideas, along with most of Clausewitz's theory, were better illustrated in Shelby Foote's The Civil War. Clausewitz himself is at his best when using historical examples to show his ideas in action, rather than pondering about "theory" and it's relation to practice and whether war is a science or art.

(less)

like · see review

Sep 13, 2009 Matt rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reviewing classics can be humbling. Some books have passed through so many generations and have been analyzed so thoroughly that they've reached mythic proportions. Only the arrogant or ignorant would criticize them. On War is just such a book.

First the disclaimer. I have an amateur interest in military history but do not have the depth to fully appreciate mid-19th century military theory. Regardless, I know enough to appreciate Clausewitz's rejection of formulated tactics and movement.

Now for...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 18, 2009 Alan rated it 5 of 5 stars

As a sometime student of History and War Studies I read this book a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

I have the abridged Wordsworth Classics edition, abridged because the original consists of eight books in three volumes, and of course was written in German, so it's not a light read.

On War is certainly one of the great books of military history. It is probably also one of the most dangerous, because his theories can, and have been, taken out of context and misused as justification f...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 03, 2008 Nicholas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: war-theory

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. One of the classic war-theory texts. Written after Napoleon shamed the Prussian states. The basic idea was to keep your self from being driven bananas during war time. Also you need to reduce the friction of your war machine.

I'm pretty sure that this type of warfare is second generation. Positional/materiel warfare

Rereading this, it's really cool to see all the points of 2nd gen war and how it would be regarded as blasphemy today.

Quotes:

"War is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our...more

like · see review

May 06, 2011 Brett Devall rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: military strategy buffs

Shelves: nonfiction

This is still required reading at West Point last I checked, and it's apparent why - On War is an absolutely complete compendium of strategic and tactical concerns for military operations. It focuses mostly on practical dispositions, as opposed to the more proverb-laden Art of War. Even though Clausewitz wrote this book with the Napoleonic army in mind, the thinking behind today's conflicts are easily understood through his language. Even though the weapons and squad-level combat have evolved gr...more

like · see review

Feb 23, 2013 Mark Eickhoff rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is my second time having to read this book--the first was 22 years ago at Squadron Officer School. I think it reads much better the second time through. The material is still very dense in places, but Clausewitz has a definite sense of humor that I didn't notice or appreciate before. That humor is often directed at Jomini and others who believe war can be conducted by formula. I'd love to see an Epic Battles of Rap segment between Clausewitz and Jomini.

like · see review

Feb 16, 2009 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a must read for people who are interested in conflict, security studies, and international affairs in general. The translation is quite good, and the book has a good flow to it. Also, Clausewitz did a great job of organizing the various sections. So, it's fairly easy to just skip the sections that have to do with antiquated battle tactics, and go right to the strategy portions.

like · see review

Sep 29, 2012 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: international-relations

This is such an important book in the fields of peace studies, international relations, military history and military strategy that it is a must read. Clausewitz is highly opinionated and the work is heavily influenced by philosophical style of the era. What makes the book difficult is the contradictions and qualifications in the text--partly due to the fact that the author only got around to revising Book I before dying. An important paper to read on the subject of this book that gets it right...more

like · see review

Apr 06, 2012 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the other book, after "The Art of War", in the popular mind when it comes to military theory. I believe it is far superior as well. It only doesn't receive 5 stars from me because it was never finished and this results in two big setbacks: 1) The book on "The Attack" is mostly notes, with even barer concepts (Clausewitz is excellent in simplifying concepts, but in this book the lack of treatment works against that simplicity) and 2) There are important final chapters in the last book "Pl...more

like · see review

Jun 22, 2011 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars

It took me three years to get through this in it's entirety, a very complicated and dense text that requires constant concentration if one is to understand even a small part of this work.

His ideas are often misinterpreted, even by experts in this field, Van Crevald and Harry Summers being two notable authours who confuse what the Remarkable Trinity is actually about.

like · see review

Mar 30, 2012 Luis Sánchez rated it 4 of 5 stars

La obra maestra de Clausewitz, y la que aun hoy día sigue teniendo una profunda influencia en la educación de militares en todo el orbe. Una obra filosófica que pretende definir la guerra, sus causas y motivaciones políticas, así como su uso sólo como un medio para alcanzar objetivos políticos, dejando de lado la visión de la guerra como un fin en sí mismo.

like · see review

May 14, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

Carl von Clausewitz's On War has been called, "not simply the greatest, but the only truly great book on war." It is an extraordinary attempt to construct an all-embracing theory of how war works. Its coherence and ambition are unmatched by other military literature. On War is full of sharp observation, biting irony, and memorable phrases, the most famous being, "War is a continuation of politics by other means."

About the Author
Except for a brief stint in 1812 when he served in the Russian army,...more

like · see review

Nov 11, 2009 Karlheinz Kobras rated it 4 of 5 stars

A complete analysation of war. About tactics and strategy. (As I read once: "Tactics is how organize your troops to win the battle, strategy is how to organize your battles to win the war")

Technical and psychological aspects are treated. Results taken from this book are used nowadays in management training.

like · see review

Feb 08, 2009 David Teska rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yes, I've actually read this tome albeit required for a course I was taking through the U.S. Naval War College. Pretty obscure and was still incomplete when Clausewitz died. It's still the definitive text on how nation's go to war and how they fight them, the relationship between the state-Army-the people.

like · see review

Jan 01, 2011 Mariel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Put together as a series of books, the first is most important and most elucidating. The remainder of the book is interesting for historical purposes but is largely strategy and tactics most relevant to the time period. A must read for students of warfare and/or strategy, of any kind.

like · see review

Nov 29, 2008 Nathan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Anyone who claims to know anything about military doctrine and strategy should be asked whether or not they have read Clausewitz- if the answer is no, their answer should be discredited. If Don Rumsfeld would have read this book and taken it to heart, he would still be employed.

like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 Chris rated it 2 of 5 stars

Clausewitz did not finish this, and it reads like a steaming line of consciousness. It is brilliant however, extremely difficult to read. Many scholars have build careers out of deciphering this book. If you cross this book with Sun Tzu’s “art of war” you get the essence of the Marine Corps doctrinal pub “warfighting”.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (123)

More editions...

Genres

History

92 users

Non Fiction

89 users

Philosophy

87 users

War > Military

71 users

War

54 users

Classics

42 users

Politics

37 users

Military > Military History

36 users

Reference

10 users

Politics > Political Science

7 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Carl von Clausewitz

Carl Philipp Gottlieb von Clausewitz was a Prussian soldier, military historian and military theorist. He is most famous for his military treatise Vom Kriege, translated into English as On War.

Clausewitz has served in the Rhine campaign (1793–1794), when the Prussian army invaded France during the French revolution and in the Napoleonic Wars from 1806 to 1815.

Clausewitz helped negotiate the Conven...more

More about Carl von Clausewitz...

Books by Carl von Clausewitz

Clausewitz on Strategy: Inspiration and Insight from a Master Strategist

War, Politics, and Power: Selections from on War, and I Believe and Profess

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About On War

1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from On War

“There are cases in which the greatest daring is the greatest wisdom.” — 8 people liked it

“If we read history with an open mind, we cannot fail to conclude that, among all the military virtues, the energetic conduct of war has always contributed most to glory and success.” — 7 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: On War
avg rating	preview: On War Goodreads rating: 3.91 (3306 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/117031.On_War?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348882618l/117031.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/117031.On_War?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]On War by Carl von Clausewitz[/url]

On War

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website