Clausewitz in English

The Reception of Clausewitz in Britain and America, 1815-1945

By: Christopher Bassford

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Hardcover | 1 January 1994

At a Glance

Hardcover
304 Pages

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22.86 x 15.24 x 2.06

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The ideas of the Prussian military philosopher Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) underlie most modern military thought. This intellectual history of the reception of Carl von Clausewitz's military theories in Britain and the United States thus provides an important and revealing examination of the evolution of military thinking in both countries.
In the first comprehensive study of the literature, Christopher Bassford argues that the impact of Clausewitzian theory - particularly the classic On War, published in 1832 - has been widely misunderstood, and he follows the trail of Clausewitzian influence from early-Victorian Britain to 1945. He examines the attitudes and interpretations of a large array of commentators, ranging from soldiers like the Duke of Wellington, "Wully" Robertson, and Dwight Eisenhower to theorists like Julian Corbett, to journalists and historians like Spenser Wilkinson and Basil Liddell Hart, to a wide range of reformers, special pleaders, and propagandists. By exploring the changing ways in which Clausewitz's ideas have been received by these various groups of commentators, Bassford also offers some penetrating lessons concerning the manner in which ideas are ignored, acclaimed, rejected, distorted, or re-transmitted.
In bringing this literature to light, Clausewitz in English makes a persuasive case for Clausewitzian theory having had a broad impact on the development of British and American military thinking. It will be of interest to a wide range of military and intellectual historians.

Industry Reviews

"In the course of an illuminating discussion, Bassford says a great deal about Anglo-American strategic thought in the modern period....An interesting study that has something to say to many audiences, including those concerned with the state of contemporary military thought or intellectual history."--Foreign Affairs "Bassford succinctly summarizes Clausewitz's theories and charts their journey through the English-speaking world, while also illustrating many aspects of the diffusion of ideas."--CHOICE "Clausewitz in English is an outstanding book on many levels...This is a must-read book for anyone with pretensions to an understanding of Clausewitz and the major movements in modern Western military thought."--Military History "In a book everyone concerned with future U.S. military strategy should read, Bassford, a professor at the Marine Command and Staff College, gives us some important insights."--Strategic Review "Bassford tell a great story of dutiful struggle and pigheadedness, of petty revenge and epiphany, and, ultimately, of how Anglophone armies that read Clausewitz reluctantly beat the hell out of a German-speaking military that willfully read him wrong."--Parameters "[Bassford] understands the complexitites of Clausewitz's approach to war and the difficulties in assessing influence...Bassford has provided an informative introduction to a hitherto neglected area of Clausewitz studies..."--The Albion

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Non-Fiction History Military History Biographies & True Stories Biographies Historical, Political and Military Biographies Warfare & Defence Military & Defence Strategy Military Tactics Literature, Poetry & Plays History & Criticism of Literature General Literary Studies

Classical Literary Studies

Introduction	p. 3
Clausewitz and His Works	p. 9
Clausewitz in English to 1873: Present but Not Accounted For	p. 35
Clausewitz in Great Britain Before 1873	p. 37
Clausewitz in America	p. 50
The English Translation of On War	p. 56
Assessment, 1815-1873	p. 60
To the First Golden Age of Clausewitz Studies in English: 1874-1914	p. 67
Prelude: The Study of Clausewitz Before the South African War	p. 69
In the Wake of the South African War	p. 73
Major British Military Writers	p. 79
German, French, and British Interpretations	p. 87
The Sea Power Theorists	p. 94
Assessment, 1873-1914	p. 104
The Apostle of Total War: 1914-1945	p. 113
Clausewitz During World War I	p. 116
The Clouding of Clausewitz's Reputation	p. 122
J. F. C. Fuller and Basil Liddell Hart	p. 128
Clausewitz's British Proponents	p. 144
The Air Power Theorists	p. 150
Clausewitz and the Americans	p. 152
New German Influences: Delbruck and the German Expatriates	p. 177
Assessment, 1914-1945	p. 191
Conclusions	p. 195
Since 1945	p. 197
Some Final Thoughts	p. 212
Notes	p. 225
Select Bibliography	p. 273
Index	p. 285
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Clausewitz in English

The Reception of Clausewitz in Britain and America, 1815-1945

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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