Carl Von Clausewitz is a Prussian soldier who wrote about warfare and strategies that he achieved while in combat. He was very influential. One of his very known works would be his article, “On War”. In this article he argues mainly in his first chapter, what is war and also what does the meaning of war pertain to. I will summarize two sections of his article that relate to his argument as well as analyzing his argument. Do I believe his argument on what war is is valid? Are his strategies on warfare achievable? In chapter 1, section 2: Definition, Clausewitz writes about the definition of war. He says that we must not look upon the word war itself, but confine to its essence, the duel. He relates two wrestlers within a duel. This duel between two wrestlers is a war to see who is stronger and more successful. He explains that war is an act …show more content…
So, what is war? According to Clausewitz, war is nothing but a duel on a larger scale and a duel or war’s immediate action is to overthrow an enemy. I agree with Clausewitz’ definition on war and that we should see the significance within war. The significance is truly overthrowing your enemy. Whoever is fighting against another must be incapable of further resistance within another. Upon our own will, the object we must impose on is the enemy. The physical force is the plan of action to overthrow the enemy. In the fourth section, Clausewitz impose on two aims. First one being to disarm your enemy. I agree with him because this will put the enemy to an unfair disadvantage. Without weapons, there will not be any severe harm. All the enemy has to do is to resist further action. The second aim or object when in duel would be to overthrow. Try your hardest to overthrow your enemy when they have already been disarmed. What will they loose that you will loose? Possibly strength or weakness. The object of fighting is to stop
War is normally defined as a state of open, often prolonged, armed conflict between two or more groups, usually nations, states or other parties. Wars are usually begun through the clash of interests between the different groups such as territory or resources. Before a war can officially begin the groups involved usually have a formal declaration of war to make the citizens aware that there is a war.
Carl Von Clausewitz and Helmuth Moltke the Elder were both practitioners and theorists of the war art in the 19th century. Their military thoughts on war’s character and its dynamics have influenced the later militaries in the conduct of war. Particularly, the Clausewitzian concept of the “culminating point of victory” and the Moltke’s principle of “Auftragstaktik”, or mission type tactics by a decentralized command were implemented and culminated in the battlefield of World War II. Moreover, today, the US Army has adopted both concepts in its latest refined “AirLand Battle” doctrine recognizing their importance in the operational art of modern warfare.
War-- a horrific way of justifying our actions and the innocent lives that have been lost, but on the other hand has resolved some of the greatest conflicts in history. Not every issue ever raised in this world is resolved through negotiation and discussion, rather sometimes war becomes a necessity for countries to settle disputes. War is a part of how a society strengthens itself politically, socially, and economically however, ultimately it becomes a country’s abusive use of power.
War: a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state. War is not just a fight between two organized groups, it is a living hell where people decide if they are going to live or die. The horrors of war are manifested with great detail and imagery in All Quiet on the Western Front, “The Hollow Men”, and In the Field.
War is a horrible thing that comes out of hatred in people’s hearts and produces tragedy around it. War comes and goes but in its path are people who have to suffer through the hardships it brings. Two of the most notable aspects of war is that war is a fight for power and that produces loss of family.
By dictionary definition, war is a state of armed conflict between societies generally characterized by extreme aggression, destruction, and mortality, using regular or irregular military forces. For centuries, war has been used to resolve conflict, but it also has been used to create chaos. In the 70's for example, there was a big revolution against the Vietnam war. As a result of this "double standard" many individuals have multiple opinions about war and its purposes. In the two pieces "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen and "Who's for the Game?" by Jesse Pope, each poet emulates war in various points of views to produces different effects on their readers.
War: a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state. War is inevitable. Especially in the cases in which one country has a desire to break free from another country and/or its influences. This, at least, was the basic reason as to why the Vietnam war and the Revolutionary war started. As a matter of fact, these two wars are strangely similar. The Revolutionary war and the Vietnam war are alike because, they had similar war strategies, they had similar characteristics, and most importantly, they had the same reasons for going to war. Moreover, these two wars are strangely alike.
On War is not just a manuscript on of how to understand war; it also provides insight into what Clausewitz thought about the dynamics of human thinking. Similar to what Claxton outlined in Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind, Clausewitz believed that, “knowledge must be absorbed into the mind that it almost ceases to exist in a separate, objective way.” (Clausewitz, p147). In other words, Clausewitz believed knowledge
War can be defined as “an active struggle between competing entities. It’s truly hard to tell who is right or wrong during a war. Both sides are fighting for what they believe in and what is true to their heart. In the end there is always two things promised – destruction and death. These two objects can explain the result in every facet of war from the physical to emotional.
According to the google dictionary, war is a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state. Does this only mean between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state? Not to Clausewitz. His definition of war is that war is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale. This extensive scale would be the use of force. Then he mentions that its like two wrestlers or even so, gladiators that are physically trying to disarm or overthrow their enemy to fulfill their will. There is no agreement to the battle of two wrestlers. It is about physical force that will seek the more powerful and the less powerful. That is why Fukuyama’s article is also different because war comes second in his eyes. In Clausewitz, he discusses all about war. What the essence of war is, aims to disarm and overthrow your enemy, and as well asking yourself is it even worth the fight. What are you getting at the end if you succeed and what will you loose? I believe that Clausewitz article is similarly a “how to” concept when it comes to being in a
It is here that the critical strategic objective must be found. Combining this perspective with scientific metaphors, he states that in keeping “…the dominant characteristics of both belligerents in mind. Out of these characteristics a certain center of gravity develops, the hub of all power and movement, on which everything depends. That is the point against which all our energies should be directed.” (Clausewitz, p. 595-596) By disrupting this center of gravity, the enemy is thrown off balance and if not allowed to recover, will, according to Clausewitz, eventually succumb.
‘War’ as defined by Webster’s Dictionary is a state of open and declared, hostile armed conflict between states or nations. Voltaire—the human personification of the Enlightenment period—says the following: “Famine, plague, and war are the three most famous ingredients of this wretched world…All animals are perpetually at war with each other…Air, earth and water are arenas of destruction. Defining war has been a political issue for centuries, and it poses a philosophical problem. Most philosophers will agree on war being a clash of arms, or a state of mutual tension between nations or states, distinguishing it from open rebellions, riots, and personal violence.
Because of its potential consequences, war should be the last resort of policy. Clausewitz advised us that war is an extension of politics. It is always difficult to declare war and its outcome can never be foreseen. From the
Furthermore,war is a state of conflict between different groups that potentially end with death. The action of fighting is used for many untold reasons, none of which are worth fighting for. However, if people could learn how to use their words more effectively, less fighting would take place. War is like a loop it never stops, it continues to go round and round
War is a conflict carried out by force of arms, between nations, states or between parties within a nation which can be on land, sea or in the air, always caused by something. It’s a clash of interests which results in violent armed struggles and can affect