On War. The Most Important Principles of War

This fundamental monograph on military art was written almost two centuries ago and has since been translated into many languages of the world and repeatedly reissued. Its author is a Prussian officer, a participant in the Napoleonic Wars, whose personal experience undoubtedly found its reflection in the treatise. However, to grasp the nature and laws of war, Clausewitz studied about 130 campaigns. Considering various aspects of war (strategy and tactics of combat, methods of offense and defense, the relationship between war and politics, etc.), he emphasizes the crucial importance of military genius in the outcome of battles. Clausewitz wrote that «war is an integral part of the struggle of human interests and actions.»