On War

‘On War’ by the Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831) is a classic of war and military strategy published in 1832. Some of the key concepts discussed in the book include: the methods of critical analysis, the uses and abuses of historical studies, the nature of the balance-of-power mechanism, the relationship between political objectives and military objectives in war, the asymmetrical relationship between attack and defence, strategic and operational 'centers of gravity', the 'culminating point of the offensive, and the 'culminating point of victory'. Von Clausewitz used historical examples to demonstrate the book’s concepts. Frederick the Great of Prussia and Napoleon Bonaparte are the central historical figures.