Clausewitz: A Biography - Softcover

Parkinson

3.64

22 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812860217 ISBN 13: 9780812860214

Publisher: Stein & Day, 1971

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Carl Phillip Gottleib von Clausewitz (1780-1831), Prussian general and military theorist, is most famous for his book On War, a work that has influenced numerous wartime leaders from Lenin to Henry Kissinger. Parkinson's biography of Clausewitz provides detailed examinations of the Napoleonic battles in which he participated and which shaped his theories of warfare. Parkinson describes Clausewitz's first experiences in combat as a twelve-year-old cadet in battles with France along the Rhine. The biography follows Clausewitz during the years of Napoleon's rise, when, disgusted with the Prussian King's refusal to fight, he joined the Russian army and witnessed Napoleon's defeat following the destruction of Moscow and several harrowing months of battle. The book also includes in-depth descriptions of the battles following Napoleon's return, in which Clausewitz put his theories into practice against Napoleon's marshals.

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About the Author:

Roger Parkinson, author of The Peninsular War and Tormented Warrior, lives in England.

Review:

Mr. Parkinson has recounted in extraordinary, lucid detail the politics, the battles, the spectacles, the historical roots of Clausewitz' theories, and the theories themselves. (Christopher Lehmann-Haupt The New York Times)

An excellent and much needed biography of the man whose oft-quoted and frequently misunderstood masterpiece, On War, has long been considered the outstanding military text of modern times. (Publishers Weekly)

A searching critical rendering of Clausewitz' ideas... and a vivid and detailed evocation of the period. (Los Angeles Times)

Military intellectuals and professionals will be delighted. (Military Review)

Scrutinizing Clausewitz's life and ideas in the keenest detail, Clausewitz: A Biography is a classic and highly scholarly study of military theory, as well as a straightforward and very strongly recommended presentation of a great leader's life. (Midwest Book Review)

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