Clausewitz
Prussian military philosopher
Carl von Clausewitz was a Prussian military theorist whose treatise *On War* (1832) remains foundational to Western strategic thought.
His famous dictum that war is "the continuation of politics by other means" established war as a rational instrument of state policy rather than mere violence.
Clausewitz also introduced the concept of "fog of war"—the uncertainty pervading military operations—and emphasized friction, the countless small difficulties that make simple tasks arduous in combat.
His ideas influence military academies, strategic planners, and political theorists: Every staff officer reads Clausewitz.
Uncertainty in combat situations
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- center of gravityEquilibrium point of mass
- trinityUnified set of three
- geniusPerson of rare brilliance
determination · boldness · perseverance · attack · counterattack · strategic reserve · concentration
Expert in planning campaigns
- philosopherStudent of fundamental questions
- fog of warUncertainty in combat situations
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- center of gravityEquilibrium point of mass
dialectical · Napoleonic Wars · posthumous · unfinished work · 19th century
German military mastermind
- Sun TzuAncient Chinese strategist
- MachiavelliPolitical realism's founding theorist
- ThucydidesGreek historiographer, fifth-century BCE
- grand strategyLong-term national military planning
military doctrine · war colleges · realpolitik · nuclear strategy · counterinsurgency · geopolitics · international relations · national security
Organized effort toward goal
- battleArmed military engagement
- combatArmed hostile engagement
- engagementCommitment to wed or attend
- offenseViolation or umbrage
defense · maneuver · attrition · annihilation · siege · logistics · cavalry · infantry
Former German kingdom
- Napoleonic WarsBonaparte's military campaigns
- WaterlooCrushing, decisive defeat
- Frederick the GreatEnlightened Prussian king
- PotsdamBrandenburg state capital
Brandenburg · Iron Cross · military reform · Berlin · German unification
fog of war
Uncertainty in combat situations
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- center of gravityEquilibrium point of mass
- trinityUnified set of three
genius · determination · boldness · perseverance · attack · counterattack · strategic reserve · concentration
strategist
Expert in planning campaigns
- philosopherStudent of fundamental questions
- fog of warUncertainty in combat situations
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
center of gravity · dialectical · Napoleonic Wars · posthumous · unfinished work · 19th century
Moltke
German military mastermind
- Sun TzuAncient Chinese strategist
- MachiavelliPolitical realism's founding theorist
- ThucydidesGreek historiographer, fifth-century BCE
grand strategy · military doctrine · war colleges · realpolitik · nuclear strategy · counterinsurgency · geopolitics · international relations · national security · military education
campaign
Organized effort toward goal
- battleArmed military engagement
- combatArmed hostile engagement
- engagementCommitment to wed or attend
offense · defense · maneuver · attrition · annihilation · siege · logistics · cavalry · infantry · artillery
Prussia
Former German kingdom
- Napoleonic WarsBonaparte's military campaigns
- WaterlooCrushing, decisive defeat
- Frederick the GreatEnlightened Prussian king
Potsdam · Brandenburg · Iron Cross · military reform · Berlin · German unification
- strategystrategy, grand strategy, tactics, tactic, tactical
- strategistsmilitary strategist, political strategist, business strategist, mastermind, tactician
- Military ExpertsSun Tzu, strategist, defense analyst, military historian
- military leadersGeorge Washington, Napoleon, generals, general, commander
- Prussian Figuresgenerals, kings, ministers, nobles, officers
- Prussian NobilityBismarck, Moltke, Hindenburg, Francois, Keith
ClausewitzMahatma Gandhi
pacifism · Tolstoy · nonviolence · Leo Tolstoy · Martin Luther King Jr.
ClausewitzNapoleon Bonaparte
French military dictator
Alexander the Great · field commander · Napoleon · Hannibal · Frederick the Great