Why Did Clausewitz Write on War?

Purpose, goal and means. Clausewitz analyzed the conflicts of his time along the line of the categories Purpose, Goal and Means. He reasoned that the Purpose of war is one's will to be enforced, which is determined by politics. The Goal of the conflict is therefore to defeat the opponent in order to exact the Purpose.

What did Carl von Clausewitz say about war?

He came to the conclusion that there were in fact two types of war, total (or absolute) and limited, and that it was, above all, political aims and requirements that imposed themselves on war and dictated its intensity—hence his famous dictum, “War is a continuation of state policy with the admixture of other means.” ...

How did Clausewitz define war?

To Clausewitz, 'War is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale… an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will,' directed by political motives and morality. ( Clausewitz 1940: Book I, Ch.