&#91FOUNTAIN&#93Logic of war then and now

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&#91FOUNTAIN&#93Logic of war then and now

War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy by other means, according to Karl von Clausewitz. His thoughts on war were made public after his death in 1832, when his wife, Marie von Clausewitz, published a book that compiled his writings.
A renowned philosopher of war and a talented strategist, Clausewitz is regarded as the father of modern military science. His concepts are studied today.
Clausewitz’s studies on war were rooted in his experience during the Napoleonic Wars. Born in Burg, Germany, Clausewitz joined the army at the age of 12. He fought as a Prussian soldier against Napoleon I during the European wars before 1812. In 1812 and 1814, he fought as a Russian soldier.
He became a member of the Russian military because Prussia formed an alliance with Napoleon. Clausewitz participated in battles involving the French Revolution and became extremely disappointed when Prussia formed an alliance with France. He traveled to Russia, the last European empire to resist Napoleon, to join the war against the Napoleon’s military.
His work, “Vom Kriege,” is praised for establishing the foundation of modern war theory. The work is an analysis of his war experience.
Clausewitz gained attention in Europe, particularly from the Russian communists after the revolution there, not just because he had an extraordinary understanding of the true nature of war. His theory on battles between Napoleon and Russia were seen as widely applicable.
Vladimir Lenin and Friedrich Engels paid special attention to his concept that politics dominates military action and the military. Otto von Bismarck used Clausewitz’s theory of the arms race as the foundation for his 1862 speech before Prussia’s parliament in which he made public the beginning of his “blood and iron” policy. Some scholars have found the root of Adolf Hilter’s ideology in the war philosophy of Clausewitz. In 1951, the U.S. Military Academy published “Clausewitz, Jomini, Schlief-fen,” to explain how Clausewitz’s philosophy formed the base for Bismarck’s and Hilter’s theories.
Despite anti-war protests, the United States began a war on Iraq, saying diplomacy could not remove the Iraqi threat. Bismarck in 1862 said the great questions of the day would not be settled by resolutions and the votes of majorities, but by blood and iron.


by Kim Seok-hwan

The writer is an editorial writer of the JoongAng Ilbo.
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