Carl von Clausewitz
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
- Categories: Philosophy, Military History
- Subcategories: Authors, Writers, Philosophers, Generals, Military Officers, Soldiers, Wars, Battles, Napoleonic Wars
- Curriculum: 19th Century European History, German History, Eastern European History
Article abstract: Clausewitz played an important role in Prussian military and political history during the Napoleonic Wars. He is best known, however, as the leading philosopher of war. His most famous work, On War, has been characterized as “not simply the greatest, but the only great book about war.”
Early Life
Carl von Clausewitz was born into a Prussian family that, despite its pretensions to nobility, was in fact of middle-class origins. The elder Clausewitz had obtained a commission in the army of Frederick the Great but was forcibly retired...
[The entire page is 2126 words long]
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