Carl von Clausewitz facts for kids

Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz (born June 1, 1780 – died November 16, 1831) was a Prussian general and a very important thinker about war. He believed that war wasn't just about fighting; it also involved people's feelings (what he called "moral" or psychological aspects) and politics. His most famous book, On War (Vom Kriege in German), even though he didn't finish it before he died, is still a key book on how to think about military strategy.

Clausewitz was a "realist," meaning he looked at things as they truly were, especially in politics. He also used ideas from the Enlightenment, a time when people focused on reason and logic.

His way of thinking is sometimes called "Hegelian" because he looked at different ideas and how they connected, like a debate. He believed that unexpected things happen in war, often because information is unclear or wrong (he called this the "fog of war"). Commanders need to make quick decisions in these situations. He also thought that history was important to understand war, not just theories. Unlike some other thinkers, he felt war couldn't be simply measured or drawn on maps.

One of his most famous sayings is: "War is the continuation of policy with other means." This means that war is just another way for countries to try and achieve their political goals.

Name

Clausewitz's first names are sometimes written as "Karl" or "Carl Philipp Gottlieb." He himself used "Carl" with a "C" to connect with older European traditions. His tombstone says "Carl Philipp Gottfried."

Life and Military Career

Clausewitz was born on July 1, 1780, in Burg bei Magdeburg, which was part of Prussia. He was the youngest of four sons. His family believed they were noble, and Carl agreed. His grandfather was a theology professor, and his father was a former army lieutenant who worked for the government.

Clausewitz joined the Prussian army when he was just twelve years old as a lance corporal. He eventually became a major general.

He fought in the French Revolutionary Wars from 1793 to 1794, including the siege of Mainz, when the Prussian army went into France. He also fought in the Napoleonic Wars from 1806 to 1815. In 1801, at age 21, he joined the Kriegsakademie (a military academy) in Berlin. There, he impressed General Gerhard von Scharnhorst, who later became the first chief-of-staff of the reformed Prussian Army. Clausewitz helped Scharnhorst reform the army between 1807 and 1814.

During the Jena Campaign in 1806, Clausewitz was captured by Napoleon's forces at the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt. He was 26 years old. He was held prisoner in France until 1808. After returning to Prussia, he continued to help reform the army and the state.

Marie von Clausewitz (née, Countess von Brühl)

On December 10, 1810, he married Marie von Brühl, a well-known countess he had met in 1803. They were part of the highest social groups in Berlin. Marie was very educated and had good political connections. She helped her husband's career and thinking. After he died, she also edited and published his collected writings.

Clausewitz did not agree with Prussia's alliance with Napoleon. So, he left the Prussian army and joined the Imperial Russian Army from 1812 to 1813. He fought in the Russian campaign, including the Battle of Borodino in 1812. He helped make the Convention of Tauroggen in 1812, which led to Prussia, Russia, and the United Kingdom joining forces to defeat Napoleon.

In 1815, Clausewitz rejoined the Prussian army as a colonel. He became chief-of-staff for the III Corps. He fought at the Battle of Ligny and the Battle of Wavre during the Waterloo campaign in 1815. Napoleon defeated the Prussians at Ligny, but they retreated in an organized way. This allowed the Prussians to arrive later at the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815) and help defeat Napoleon. Clausewitz's unit fought bravely at Wavre, stopping French reinforcements from reaching Napoleon at Waterloo.

After the war, Clausewitz became the director of the Kriegsakademie until 1830. He returned to active army duty that year. When revolutions and a crisis in Poland seemed to lead to another big European war, Clausewitz was made chief of staff of Prussia's only mobilized army. This army was sent to the Polish border. Its commander died of cholera in August 1831. Clausewitz then took charge of efforts to stop the spread of the cholera outbreak. Sadly, Clausewitz himself died of cholera shortly after, on November 17, 1831.

His wife published his most important work, On War, in 1832. He had started writing it in 1816 but never finished it. She also published most of his other works by 1835. She passed away in January 1836.

Theory of War

Clausewitz was a soldier who fought in many wars, but he is most famous for his ideas about war. He carefully studied war using examples from Frederick the Great and Napoleon. He wrote a detailed, philosophical book about all parts of war, called On War. It was unfinished when he died, and it contains ideas he developed over time, which can sometimes seem to contradict each other.

Clausewitz's work is still studied today because it remains important. While other military thinkers from his time are less known, Clausewitz's ideas continue to influence how people think about strategy. One historian said that Clausewitz created a "philosophy" of war, which doesn't get outdated by new weapons.

Clausewitz tried to define war in several ways. One definition he gave was: "War is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will." Another famous one is: "War is merely the continuation of policy with other means."

He also described war as a "fascinating trinity" with three main parts:

• Strong feelings like violence, hatred, and anger (like a blind natural force).
• Chance and probability, where unexpected things happen and creative thinking is needed.
• War being a tool of policy, guided by reason.

This "trinity" is often simplified to "violent emotion, chance, and rational calculation."

Clausewitz brought deep philosophical thinking into military studies. He used his own experiences, writings about Napoleon, and historical research. He saw all wars as a series of decisions, actions, and reactions in uncertain and dangerous situations. He also saw war as a social and political event. He stressed that government policy is the most important thing in war.

The word "strategy" was new in Europe at the time. Clausewitz defined it narrowly as "the use of engagements for the object of war." He saw war as a political, social, and military event that could involve everyone in a country. He believed military force is a tool that countries use to achieve their goals, in a struggle where each side tries to make the other do what they want.

Clausewitz thought that defending is often stronger than attacking. This doesn't mean the defender always wins, but it shows that constant attackers might fail. He was interested in how regular armies could work with citizen soldiers or local fighters, especially for defense. During the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, he emphasized that countries needed to involve their whole populations in war, as this energy could be very powerful.

He knew that information was valuable, but he was also very doubtful about how accurate military information often is. He said, "Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain." This is part of the "fog of war" – the confusion and uncertainty in battle. He believed that military genius was about making good decisions despite this confusion. A "military genius" isn't just smart, but has a mix of intelligence, experience, personality, and courage for war.

Principal Ideas

Some of the main ideas in On War include:

• Looking at military problems from different angles.
• The connection between a country's political goals and its military goals in war.
• The idea that defending is often stronger than attacking.
• The concept of "military genius," which includes personality and character, not just intelligence.
• The "fascinating trinity" of war (violent emotion, chance, and rational calculation).
• Differences between "absolute war" (an ideal, perfect war), "ideal war," and "real war."
• In "real war," there are two main types: wars with limited goals and wars to completely defeat the enemy.
• War is mainly a social activity, not just an art or a science.
• "Strategy" is more like an art, but it's limited by looking at political benefits versus military costs.
• "Tactics" (how battles are fought) are more like a science.
• The importance of "moral forces" (like courage and spirit) compared to physical things.
• The "military virtues" of professional armies.
• The strong effects of having more soldiers and power.
• The fact that war is always unpredictable.
• The ""fog" of war" – the great uncertainty and confusion in war.
• "Friction" – the difference between how units or systems are supposed to perform and how they actually perform in real war.
• "Centers of gravity" – the main source of an enemy's power.
• The "culminating point of the offensive" – the point where an attack can no longer continue successfully.
• The "culminating point of victory" – the point where a victory can no longer be improved.

Influence

Clausewitz died before finishing Vom Kriege, but his ideas have greatly influenced military thinking, especially in Germany. Later German generals, like Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, were clearly inspired by him. Moltke's famous saying that "No operational plan extends with high certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy force" shows Clausewitz's ideas about chance, friction, and uncertainty in war.

Clausewitz's influence also reached Britain. After Britain's struggles in the Boer War (1899–1902), his broader ideas became more important. Naval historian Julian Corbett was deeply influenced by Clausewitz, especially his ideas about "limited objectives" and the strength of defense.

Before 1945, Clausewitz had little direct influence on American military thought, except through British writers. However, Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Patton read his works. He also influenced important communist leaders like Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Mao Zedong. Lenin called him "one of the great military writers," which made his influence on the Red Army huge.

Henry Kissinger said that Lenin's view was that politics is a continuation of war by other means, which is the opposite of Clausewitz's idea.

Mao Zedong directly studied On War in 1938. So, many of Mao's writings show Clausewitz's influence. Ideas like "friction" (that things go wrong in war) and "fog of war" (confusion in battle) are now common terms, even in business and sports. The term "center of gravity" in a military sense also comes from Clausewitz.

Late 20th and Early 21st Century

In the 1950s, the United States' strategy of deterrence (discouraging attacks) was inspired by President Dwight D. Eisenhower's reading of Clausewitz. Eisenhower saw Clausewitz's idea of a theoretical "absolute war" as a way to show how terrible a nuclear war would be. He believed that showing the world how awful a nuclear "absolute war" could be would stop the Soviet Union or China from starting a war.

After 1970, some thinkers said that nuclear weapons made Clausewitz's ideas old-fashioned. They argued that if two nuclear powers fought, both would be destroyed. So, they use diplomacy or smaller wars instead.

However, Clausewitz didn't only focus on wars between countries with big armies. The time of the French Revolution and Napoleon had many revolutions and violence by groups that weren't official armies. Clausewitz wrote about "Small War" and studied rebellions. In On War, he included a famous chapter on "The People in Arms," discussing how a whole population could fight.

Some critics, like Israeli military historian Martin van Creveld, argued that Clausewitz's "Trinity" (people, army, government) was outdated because states were no longer the only important players in war. However, other scholars have pointed out that Creveld misunderstood Clausewitz's original "Trinity" concept.

Despite these debates, Clausewitz's Vom Kriege is still a required reading in military academies and universities around the world.

See also

• August Otto Rühle von Lilienstern – Another Prussian officer whose ideas were similar to Clausewitz's.

Images for kids

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  Clausewitz as a young man