Overview:

Clausewitz's "On War" reveals the essence of war to people with convincing logic and vivid discussion.

He believes that war belongs to the field of social life. It is by no means an independent behavior, but subordinate to politics. Not only that, politics is also the mother body that breeds war. The outline of war has been vaguely formed in politics, just like the attributes of living things have been formed in the embryo.

Clausewitz put forward a wise saying on the issue of the political relationship of war, that is, "War is nothing but the continuation of politics through another means." War is not only a political act, but also a real political tool, so war must obey political needs.

In "On War", Clausewitz brought the human factor to a prominent position. He pointed out: "Military activities definitely not only involve material factors, they always also involve human factors. To maintain vital spiritual power, it is impossible to separate the two. "

The so-called spiritual power refers to human ability and inner strength, including courage and perseverance, reason and activity. The talent of the commander, the military ethics of the army, the national spirit, etc. He believes that spiritual power is one of the most important issues in war. It runs through the entire field of war and plays a decisive role under certain conditions (such as when the material losses of both sides are equal).

Clausewitz reminded combat commanders: "Inflicting losses on the enemy's spiritual power is also a means of destroying the enemy's material power and thereby obtaining benefits." Clausewitz also emphasized that the people's direct The role of participating in the war.