Clausewitz: A Very Short Introduction - Michael Howard

Written by Michael Howard
Read by Corrie James
Format: MP3

Karl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) is considered by many to have been one of the greatest writers on war. His study On War was described by the American strategic thinker Bernard Brodie as “not simply the greatest, but the only great book about war”. It is hard to disagree. Even though he wrote his only major work at a time when the range of firearms was 50 yards, much of what he had to say remains relevant today. Michael Howard explains Clausewitz’s ideas in terms both of his experiences as a professional soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, and of the intellectual background of his time.
Clausewitz: A Very Short Introduction explains Clausewitz’s ideas in terms both of his experiences as a professional soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, and of the intellectual background of his time. Karl von Clausewitz’s study On War was described by the American strategic thinker Bernard Brodie as ‘not simply the greatest, but the only great book about war’. Even though he wrote his only major work at a time when the range of firearms was 50 yards, much of what he had to say remains relevant today. This VSI outlines Clausewitz’s enduring theory of war and how his theory relates to his actual experience in the Napoleonic Wars.

Keywords: civil war, Carl von Clausewitz, Friedrich Engels, Europe, French Revolution, Adolf Hitler, Lenin, Mao Zedong, Karl Marx, Russia, strategy

Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins
Release date: 06-22-21
©1983, 2002 Michael Howard (P)2021 Tantor