Examples Of Clauseewitz's Paradoxical Trinity
TITLE
MAJ Evette Barnes, SG6A, AY 2017-18
November 2017, H100
Question: How does Clausewitz's paradoxical trinity explain the changes to the character of warfare from the methods used by Frederick the Great to those that followed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
Carl von Clausewitz defines the nature of war by identifying that which remains constant in all wars using his highly regarded paradoxical trinity ; meanwhile, he acknowledges war has, and will continue to change as the characteristics of warfare change but that the three aspects of the trinity (simplified as government, army, and people ) are constantly at play. It is the variables within the compelling relationships between: instruments …show more content…
The transition of governments and policies as instruments of subordination from royal monarchies to democracies and how they governed their citizens and military shed light on the changes to the character of warfare. As a royal-blooded King of Prussia, Frederick the Great harnessed the power of the state to influence the military. His officer corps naturally followed as part of a caste system devoted to their king. Citizens recruited into the military were compelled to follow both through strictly implemented disciplinary actions on the battlefield and through pay via government taxation. Additionally, Frederick insured popularity with the public and his soldiers by …show more content…
Domestically, Frederick insulated his military actions against the will of his enlightened citizens’ belief that war as an ‘unnecessary destiny of mankind; ’ through support of enlightenment priorities, e.g. arts, religious freedom, and freedom of the press. Similarly, the American Revolution was largely a war of will over religious freedom fought over an ocean; General George Washington avoided decisive battles in a strategy to exhaust the will of the British populace and crown to secure American sovereignty. Later in American history the unmeasurable passion of the Confederacy in the American Civil War surprised the Union Army and led to unforeseen victory in battles. It is this passion of the people which enables nations to enter total war in the First World War in the face of lethal technology and tactical
MAJ Evette Barnes, SG6A, AY 2017-18
November 2017, H100
Question: How does Clausewitz's paradoxical trinity explain the changes to the character of warfare from the methods used by Frederick the Great to those that followed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
Carl von Clausewitz defines the nature of war by identifying that which remains constant in all wars using his highly regarded paradoxical trinity ; meanwhile, he acknowledges war has, and will continue to change as the characteristics of warfare change but that the three aspects of the trinity (simplified as government, army, and people ) are constantly at play. It is the variables within the compelling relationships between: instruments …show more content…
The transition of governments and policies as instruments of subordination from royal monarchies to democracies and how they governed their citizens and military shed light on the changes to the character of warfare. As a royal-blooded King of Prussia, Frederick the Great harnessed the power of the state to influence the military. His officer corps naturally followed as part of a caste system devoted to their king. Citizens recruited into the military were compelled to follow both through strictly implemented disciplinary actions on the battlefield and through pay via government taxation. Additionally, Frederick insured popularity with the public and his soldiers by …show more content…
Domestically, Frederick insulated his military actions against the will of his enlightened citizens’ belief that war as an ‘unnecessary destiny of mankind; ’ through support of enlightenment priorities, e.g. arts, religious freedom, and freedom of the press. Similarly, the American Revolution was largely a war of will over religious freedom fought over an ocean; General George Washington avoided decisive battles in a strategy to exhaust the will of the British populace and crown to secure American sovereignty. Later in American history the unmeasurable passion of the Confederacy in the American Civil War surprised the Union Army and led to unforeseen victory in battles. It is this passion of the people which enables nations to enter total war in the First World War in the face of lethal technology and tactical