Clausewitz was born 1 June 1780 and joined the large military family at the age of twelve, as a non-commissioned flagship of the Prince Ferdinand regiment of Potsdam.
After the baptism of fire, during the siege of Mainz, at the age of only fourteen he became an officer.
A few years later, in the 1801, he arrives at the Military School of Berlin, where he distinguishes himself in military studies ... the rest of life, however, can be found in any encyclopedia, but I prefer to pass to his work!
What is war?
This is the first question that von Clausewitz tries to answer.
For him, war is an act of force whose purpose is to force the adversary to submit to our will.
Concise definition and without too many words, don't you think? But what could be expected from a man living in that historical context?
War can count on the help of inventions of the arts and sciences, while it is accompanied by insignificant restrictions, which hardly deserve to be mentioned, which are given the rightful name of the people, but which have no capacity to essentially weaken their power.
Two centuries have passed since then, was von Clausewitz right?
An interesting work from a historical and human point of view, which cannot be missed in a scholar's personal library.
Whether the war likes it or not, it is necessary to acknowledge that it is a reality and knowing and understanding the concepts behind the words "strategy", "logistics" or "tactics" is increasingly important, not only for professional soldiers .
Alessandro Rugolo
