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On Clausewitz

A Study of Military and Political Ideas

  • Book
  • © 2004

Overview

Authors:
  1. Hugh Smith

    1. School of Humanities and Social Science, University College, University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy, Australia

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Table of contents (23 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
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  2. Clausewitz’s Life and Personality

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. Soldier

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 3-13

    3. Scholar

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 14-21

  3. War in the Napoleonic Era

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 23-23
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    2. On Warfare

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 25-37

    3. On Armies

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 38-50

  4. On War

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 51-51
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    2. The Intellectual Provenance of On War

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 53-62

    3. On War

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 63-70

  5. The Levels of War

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 71-71
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    2. War as Fighting

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 73-84

    3. War as Contest

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 85-97

    4. War as an Instrument of Policy

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 98-110

    5. Pure War and Real War

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 111-124

  6. Strategy

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 125-125
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    2. The Nature of Strategy

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 127-139

    3. The Conduct of the Campaign

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 140-155

    4. Command

      • Hugh Smith
      Pages 156-168

  7. Theory and Practice

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 169-169
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Keywords

About this book

Clausewitz is often quoted but more often misunderstood. On Clausewitz presents his central ideas about war and politics - such as war as an instrument of policy, the concept of Absolute War, friction and the fog of war - in a clear and systematic fashion. It also presents the man, his life and the military and intellectual environment in which he produced his great work On War . A final section considers Clausewitz's relevance to the rapidly changing nature of war today.

Reviews

' On Clausewitz is a thorough survey of all of Clausewitz's most important insights, drawn not only from On War but also from his voluminous writings on military history and international politics. Smith is particularly good at outlining the intellectual influences on Clausewitz...Far from being the bloody-minded apostle of total war portrayed by detractors, Smith's Clausewitz is a complex and fully rounded thinker.' Ian Garrick Mason, Times Literary Supplement

Authors and Affiliations

  • School of Humanities and Social Science, University College, University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy, Australia

    Hugh Smith

About the author

HUGH SMITH is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Australian National University. He has taught officer cadets in Australia for over three decades and was the Founding Director of the Australian Defence Studies Centre. His publications cover many aspects of military affairs, from nuclear strategy to conscientious objection.

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