Karl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), a German military theorist, was born in a small noble family. He joined the infantry regiment as a non-commissioned officer at the age of twelve. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1793, he participated in the siege of Mainz. And was promoted to second lieutenant. In 1801, Clausewitz was sent to the Berlin Military Academy for further studies, and was appreciated by the principal Scharnhorst for his excellent grades. After graduation, he served as an aide to Prince Auguste. Apart from official duties, he devoted himself to the study of military affairs, philosophy, history and literature. In 1806, Clausewitz participated in the Battle of Olstadt with the prince, and was later captured. After his release, he advocated reforming the Prussian military system. He entered the General Staff and was promoted to a major. He also served as an instructor at the Berlin Military Academy. The crown prince (later William IV) taught military lessons and married Mary, the daughter of the Earl of Bruhl, in the same year.
In 1812, King William III of Prussia and Napoleon formed an alliance. Clausewitz opposed the alliance, so he resigned from the Prussian military post and went to Russia to participate in the anti-Napoleon war and served in the Russian staff. Actively sum up the experience of fighting against Napoleon in the life of the army, and began the research work of war theory. In 1818, Clausewitz served as the principal of the Berlin Military Academy and was promoted to general. At this time, he began writing "On War". After leaving the Berlin Military Academy, Clausewitz served in different departments of the Prussian Army and served as the Director of the Supervision Department of the Second Artillery Corps. Clausewitz died of cholera in 1831. After his death, his wife compiled and published his book and a large number of manuscripts-"The Legacy of General Carl von Clausewitz", divided into ten volumes.
"On War" is the first, second, and third volume of it. Clausewitz summarized his personal experience in the Franco-Prussian War and the Franco-Russian War, studied more than 130 typical battle cases, and wrote this rich work.
"On War" discusses all aspects of war. No matter how different the war is, its purpose is the same. Knowing the purpose of the war, you can understand the nature of the war. Therefore, Clausewitz defines war as follows: "War is nothing more than national politics through another The continuation of a means", "war is a violent act that forces the enemy to obey our will."
The most notable feature of war is the use of violence. "Violence equips itself with the results of technology and science to deal with violence. The restrictions on violence subject to international law are insignificant. These restrictions exist at the same time as violence, but they do not actually weaken the power of violence. Violence is material violence (because Except for the concept of state and law, there is no mental violence); it aims at imposing one's will on the enemy. In order to achieve this goal with certainty, the enemy must be powerless to resist, so conceptually speaking, the enemy The inability to resist is the real goal of the act of war.” Clausewitz did not discuss war morally. He abandoned moral warmth and moral hypocrisy, and defined war from an ontological perspective, thus nakedly exposing it. The war and its nature.
In addition to revealing the essence of war, "On War" also meticulously studied all the factors in war. Some of its main views and incisive analysis can still provide a huge reference for today's war theory and war practice research. In this sense, "On War" can be said to be a classic work written for contemporary people.