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Jomini Vs. Clausewitz American Military Essay

He felt that it was the responsibility of the military generals to execute the war in accordance with the policies set by the political leaders. "War is nothing but the continuation of policy with other means," said Clausewitz . Jomini, however, took a contrary view. Jomini had little concern with political implications. Jomini's suggestion was that a government should choose its ablest commander and then leave him alone to wage the war according to scientific principles.

Clausewitz and Jomini developed their theories of war in a world that was much different than today's world. Their world was dominated by monarchial style governments that participated in warfare for reasons different from the reasons that modern democratic governments choose to pursue military options. Policies in the dynastic period were formulated by monarchs and had more to do with familial relationships and the acquisition of territory than for pure political considerations. In modern times, politics are the basis of wars and the policies are determined by national...

One of the major criticisms of both Clausewitz and Jomini is that their theories were formulated in a time when the nuances of democracy and nationalism were still in their infancy and that neither man contemplated the world as it exists today
. The American military, however, continues to teach the strategies and theories of both men with Clausewitz's theories actually being incorporated in the U.S. Army's Field Manual. As odd as it may seem, both men remain as relevant today as they were nearly two hundred years ago.

compare and contrast Jomini and Clausewitz

Roger Parkinson, Clausewitz: A Biography. (Lanham, MD: Cooper Square Press 2002).

Hew Strachan, European Armies and the Conduct of War. (Boston: George Allen and Unwin 1983), 94.

Carl von Clausewitz, On War (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976), 479.

Azar Gat, The Origins of Military Thought: From the Enlightenment to Clausewitz (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1989).

Sources used in this document:
Hew Strachan, European Armies and the Conduct of War. (Boston: George Allen and Unwin 1983), 94.

Carl von Clausewitz, On War (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976), 479.

Azar Gat, The Origins of Military Thought: From the Enlightenment to Clausewitz (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1989).
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