War throughout history has been limited as opposed to absolute. Limited war by its nature is the opposite of absolute war, and absolute war is a theory that fails as a construct. This essay discusses the two groups or types of war (absolute and limited) and the category subsets of those two groups that Carl von Clausewitz first discussed in his treatise On War.
Categories of war, as defined by Carl von Clausewitz, are absolute war, ideal war, limited war, real war, war to disarm the enemy, war of limited objectives, and war to overthrow the enemy. These categories fall into two groups; absolute war (which contains absolute war) and limited war (which contains ideal war – related to absolute war, real war, war to disarm the enemy, war of …show more content…
Absolute war is the premise that all means available, to include all personnel that can wield a weapon, all equipment, all weapons (to include weapons of mass destruction) will all be used at the same time to completely destroy the enemy. This construct of war is not only improbable, it is impossible and ultimately fails as a construct. Clausewitz struggled with the definition and theory of absolute war throughout all books in his treatise On War.
It appears almost entirely in Book VIII, “War Plans,” but his discussion of it there is experimental—probing and inconsistent. It arises in Chapter 2 and soars in Chapters 3.A and 3.B, but comes into serious question even in 3.B. It receives fundamental criticism in Chapter 6.B, and thereafter disappears from view as the limited aim—which he previously in the same book had treated disdainfully under a different label— comes into serious consideration. Ultimately, Clausewitz dropped the term …show more content…
To triumph within a conflict, the side who will eventually win must either disarm the enemy or wear one’s adversary down to the point that the adversary is unable or unwilling to fight. The second category of war Clausewitz defines is ideal war. “Ideal war is a philosophical abstraction, a "logical fantasy" that is impossible to achieve in reality. It is war in a "pure" form, violence at its most extreme, unrestrained by intelligent forces or by the frictional effects of time, space, and human nature.” Real war is simply war as it happens and how combatants enact war. A war of limited objectives is defined by the statement; it is a war to obtain defined and stated objectives, many times in the form of small gains to accomplish a larger goal. Similarly, a war to overthrow the enemy defines itself; overthrow a leader of a state or country to further a state’s or nation’s
Categories of war, as defined by Carl von Clausewitz, are absolute war, ideal war, limited war, real war, war to disarm the enemy, war of limited objectives, and war to overthrow the enemy. These categories fall into two groups; absolute war (which contains absolute war) and limited war (which contains ideal war – related to absolute war, real war, war to disarm the enemy, war of …show more content…
Absolute war is the premise that all means available, to include all personnel that can wield a weapon, all equipment, all weapons (to include weapons of mass destruction) will all be used at the same time to completely destroy the enemy. This construct of war is not only improbable, it is impossible and ultimately fails as a construct. Clausewitz struggled with the definition and theory of absolute war throughout all books in his treatise On War.
It appears almost entirely in Book VIII, “War Plans,” but his discussion of it there is experimental—probing and inconsistent. It arises in Chapter 2 and soars in Chapters 3.A and 3.B, but comes into serious question even in 3.B. It receives fundamental criticism in Chapter 6.B, and thereafter disappears from view as the limited aim—which he previously in the same book had treated disdainfully under a different label— comes into serious consideration. Ultimately, Clausewitz dropped the term …show more content…
To triumph within a conflict, the side who will eventually win must either disarm the enemy or wear one’s adversary down to the point that the adversary is unable or unwilling to fight. The second category of war Clausewitz defines is ideal war. “Ideal war is a philosophical abstraction, a "logical fantasy" that is impossible to achieve in reality. It is war in a "pure" form, violence at its most extreme, unrestrained by intelligent forces or by the frictional effects of time, space, and human nature.” Real war is simply war as it happens and how combatants enact war. A war of limited objectives is defined by the statement; it is a war to obtain defined and stated objectives, many times in the form of small gains to accomplish a larger goal. Similarly, a war to overthrow the enemy defines itself; overthrow a leader of a state or country to further a state’s or nation’s