Carl Von Clausewitz A Prussian And Henri Jomini A Swiss

The two military theorists of importance that emerged from their experiences in the French Revolution and with Napoleon were Carl von Clausewitz a Prussian and Henri Jomini a Swiss. These two men were eventually the source of military-theoretical traditions that later had an impact on the world’s military thinking. While many observers may find some differences in their traditional thinking of war they are rather minor and only lessen the thought that Clausewitz and Jomini were true opposites, but rather more were individuals who seen the same things about war just with a different outlook and opinion. The common thread they both had was their war experiences in the Napoleonic Wars was from different sides, though this did not alter their

This first-hand experience formed the mindset that later developed Clausewitz into a military reformer which allowed him to work closely with other even greater Prussian military reformers such as von Scharnhorst. Clausewitz was writing from the perspective of a weak country that had been habitually victimized by its stronger neighbors is the best starting point for understanding On War. In fact, Clausewitz’s argument to the Prussian government on behalf of the need to create a militia grew from his concern over Prussia’s vulnerability.( Klinger, Janeen Page 79) His later experiences with the Russian Army and later Prussian campaigns against Napoleon allowed him to grow professionally into a great staff officer, though his reputation as an idealist would eventually not allow him the ability to command. The building blocks for the creation of his book On War came from the French Revolution and his intellectual exam of military ideas and their theory’s on the battlefield. The book continues to draw the attention of both soldiers and theorists of war, although soldiers often find the ideas of Clausewitz too philosophical to appear practical while analysts usually find his thoughts too empirical to seem elegant. Members of both groups sense that there is too much truth in what he

Clausewitz stunned by the effects that Napoleon had on the battlefield in Europe developed this book to help change how war is fought on the battlefield. The book focuses on state conflicts and the issues of war pertaining to combat formations, leadership and troop development all of which lay the foundation for the definitions and technical terms for war theories. Clausewitz was not a proponent of total war and more the voice of moderation amongst Prussian leadership. ( Klinger, Janeen Page 82) He is able to contrast the physical elements and moral issues that affect war such as human traits of moral, virtue and character. Clausewitz wishes to focus more on the moral aspect versus the physical. He describes war as an event that pits two sides against each other in an effort to compel the other to submit, this warfare is an act of force. '' Because each opponent has the same intent ,war is inherently an "interaction "it is not the action of a living force upon a lifeless mass (total nonresistance would be no war at all) but always the collision of two living forces."For Clausewitz, the interactive nature of war produces a system driven by psychological forces and characterized by positive feedback, leading" in theory "to limitless extremes of mutual exertion and efforts to get the better of one another. (Beyerchen, Alan Page 67) In