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Carl von Clausewitz

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Carl von Clausewitz

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German-Prussian general and military theorist

AI overview

Carl von Clausewitz was a German-Prussian general and military theorist whose ideas about warfare and strategy have shaped how military leaders and governments think about conflict. His writings, most famously "On War," remain influential today because they offered foundational concepts for understanding why wars happen and how they should be conducted.

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Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Gender
male
Place of birth
Burg
Place of death
Wrocław
Languages spoken
German
Notable work
On War
Military branch
infantry
Military rank
colonel
Image
Clausewitz.jpg
Show 16 more facts
on focus list of Wikimedia project
Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
Commons category
Carl von Clausewitz
date of birth
1780-06-01
date of death
1831-11-16
cause of death
cholera
manner of death
natural causes
Commons gallery
Carl von Clausewitz
name in native language
Carl Philipp Gottlieb von Clausewitz
topic's main category
Category:Carl von Clausewitz
place of burial
Saxony-Anhalt
writing language
German
start of work period
1792-00-00
end of work period
1831-00-00
birth name
Carl Philipp Gottlieb Clauswitz
Sources (8)

via Wikidata · CC0

Works in European collections

36 objects attributed to Carl von Clausewitz, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 9, Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Gustav Adolph, Turenne, Luxembourg and other historical materials on strategy

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 9, Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Gustav Adolph, Turenne, Luxembourg and other historical materials on strategy

From war: left work. 3

From war: left work. 3

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 5, 5 5 The Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland; 1

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 5, 5 5 The Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland; 1

Third Theil

Third Theil

From war: left work. 1

From war: left work. 1

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 10, Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Sobieski, Münich, Friedrich the Great and Duke Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Braunschweig and other historical materials on strategy

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 10, Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Sobieski, Münich, Friedrich the Great and Duke Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Braunschweig and other historical materials on strategy

From war: left work. 2

From war: left work. 2

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 7, 7 7 The Campaign of 1812 in Russia, the Campaign of 1813 to the Armistice and the Campaign of 1814 in France

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 7, 7 7 The Campaign of 1812 in Russia, the Campaign of 1813 to the Armistice and the Campaign of 1814 in France

Left behind works by General Carl von Clausewitz about war and warfare. 6, Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland. 2nd Th.

Left behind works by General Carl von Clausewitz about war and warfare. 6, Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland. 2nd Th.

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 6, 6 6 The Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland; 2

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 6, 6 6 The Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland; 2

˜ The campaign from 1813 to the ceasefire

˜ The campaign from 1813 to the ceasefire

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 6., 6. The Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland; 2. Theil

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 6., 6. The Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland; 2. Theil

˜ The campaign from 1813 to the ceasefire

˜ The campaign from 1813 to the ceasefire

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 3, From Wars; 3. Theil

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 3, From Wars; 3. Theil

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 9., Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Gustav Adolph, Turenne, Luxembourg and other historical materials on strategy

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 9., Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Gustav Adolph, Turenne, Luxembourg and other historical materials on strategy

˜ The campaign from 1813 to the ceasefire

˜ The campaign from 1813 to the ceasefire

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 1, From Wars; 1 Theil

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 1, From Wars; 1 Theil

Left behind works by General Carl von Clausewitz about war and warfare. 7, Campaign of 1812 in Russia, the Campaign from 1813 to the Armistice and the Campaign of 1814 in France

Left behind works by General Carl von Clausewitz about war and warfare. 7, Campaign of 1812 in Russia, the Campaign from 1813 to the Armistice and the Campaign of 1814 in France

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 5., 5. The Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland; 1. Theil

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 5., 5. The Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland; 1. Theil

Left behind works by General Carl von Clausewitz about war and warfare. 9, Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Gustav Adolph, Turenne, Luxembourg and other historical materials on strategy

Left behind works by General Carl von Clausewitz about war and warfare. 9, Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Gustav Adolph, Turenne, Luxembourg and other historical materials on strategy

Left behind works by General Carl von Clausewitz about war and warfare. 10, Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Sobiesky, Münich, Friedrich the Great and Duke Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Braunschweig and other historical materials on strategy

Left behind works by General Carl von Clausewitz about war and warfare. 10, Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Sobiesky, Münich, Friedrich the Great and Duke Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Braunschweig and other historical materials on strategy

Left behind works by General Carl von Clausewitz about war and warfare. 5, Campaigns from 1799 in Italy and Switzerland. 1st Th.

Left behind works by General Carl von Clausewitz about war and warfare. 5, Campaigns from 1799 in Italy and Switzerland. 1st Th.

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 2, From Wars; 2 Theil

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 2, From Wars; 2 Theil

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 10., Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Sobiesky, Münich, Friedrich the Great and Duke Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Braunschweig and other historical materials on strategy

Left behind works on war and warfare by General Carl von Clausewitz. 10., Strategic illumination of several campaigns by Sobiesky, Münich, Friedrich the Great and Duke Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Braunschweig and other historical materials on strategy

Vom Kriege (Erster Theil)

Vom Kriege (Erster Theil)

Vom Kriege (Zweiter Theil)

Vom Kriege (Zweiter Theil)

Vom Kriege (Dritter Theil)

Vom Kriege (Dritter Theil)

Der Feldzug von 1796 in Italien

Der Feldzug von 1796 in Italien

The Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland (First Theil)

The Campaigns of 1799 in Italy and Switzerland (First Theil)

Die Feldzüge von 1799 in Italien und der Schweiz (Zweiter Theil)

Die Feldzüge von 1799 in Italien und der Schweiz (Zweiter Theil)

Der Feldzug von 1812 in Rußland, der Feldzug von 1813 bis zum Waffenstillstand und der Feldzug von 1814 in Frankreich

Der Feldzug von 1812 in Rußland, der Feldzug von 1813 bis zum Waffenstillstand und der Feldzug von 1814 in Frankreich

Der Feldzug von 1815 in Frankreich

Der Feldzug von 1815 in Frankreich

Strategic lighting of several campaigns, by Gustav Adolph, Turenne, Luxembourg and other historical materials on strategy

Strategic lighting of several campaigns, by Gustav Adolph, Turenne, Luxembourg and other historical materials on strategy

Strategische Beleuchtung mehrerer Feldzüge von Sobiesky, Münich, Friedrich dem Großen und dem Herzog Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Braunschweig und andere historische Materialien zur Strategie

Strategische Beleuchtung mehrerer Feldzüge von Sobiesky, Münich, Friedrich dem Großen und dem Herzog Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Braunschweig und andere historische Materialien zur Strategie

Artwork

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Artwork

Untitled

~37 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Carl Philipp Gottlieb von Clausewitz (/ˈklaʊzəvɪts/ KLOW-zə-vits; German: [ˈkaʁl fɔn ˈklaʊzəvɪts] ; born Carl Philipp Gottlieb Clauswitz; 1 July 1780 – 16 November 1831) was a Prussian army officer and military theorist who stressed the "moral" (in modern terms meaning psychological) and political aspects of waging war. His most notable work, Vom Kriege (On War), though unfinished at his death, is considered a seminal treatise on military strategy and science.

Clausewitz stressed the multiple interactions of diverse factors in war, noting how unexpected developments unfolding under the "fog of war" (i.e., in the face of incomplete, dubious, and often erroneous information and great fear, doubt, and excitement) call for rapid decisions by alert commanders. He saw history as a vital check on erudite abstractions that did not accord with experience. In contrast to the early work of Antoine-Henri Jomini, he argued that war could not be quantified or reduced to mapwork, geometry, and graphs. Clausewitz had many aphorisms, of which one of the most famous is, "War is the continuation of policy with other means."

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Carl von Clausewitz” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (3)