Peter Paret Books

Anything but a detached theorist, Clausewitz was as fully engaged in the intellectual and cultural currents of his time as in its political and military conflicts. Late-eighteenth century thought helped shape the analytic methods he developed for the study of war. The essays in this volume follow his career in a complex military society, together with that of other students of war, both friends and rivals, providing a broad perspective that leads to significant documents so far unknown or ignored. They add to our understanding of Clausewitz’s early ideas and their expansion into a comprehensive theory that continues to challenge our thinking about war today.

These essays provide an authoritative introduction to Carl von Clausewitz and enlarge the history of war by joining it to the history of ideas and institutions and linking it with intellectual biography. Reflecting Peter Paret's three decades of study of Clausewitz and of the history of war, they examine Clausewitz's theoretical work in the context of his time and in relation to war as a general historical phenomenon. Although the analytical strength of On War makes it far more than a historical document, Clausewitz's ideas and the methods he employed to express, develop, and test them become clearer when his work is seen against a historical background. The first six essays analyze military power in European history and discuss the transformation of war at the end of the eighteenth century. They provide the historical setting for the following nine essays, which address significant aspects of Clausewitz s life and thought, from the logic of his theories to his aesthetics and his reactions to the revolutions of 1830. The concluding essay examines the history of war as a scholarly discipline. Together these pieces shed new light on Clausewitz, on the age in which he lived, and on his theories, which retain a timeless interest.

This text discusses Machiavelli, Maurice of Nassau, Gustavus Adolphus, Raimondo Montecuccoli, Vauban, Frederick the Great, Guibert, Bulow, Napoleon, Jomini, Clausewitz, Adam Smith, Alexander Hamilton, Friedrich List, Engels, Marx, Moltke, Schlieffen, Delbruck, Bugeaud, Gallieni, Lyautey, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Liddell Hart, De Gaulle, and other military strategists.

The book explores the clash between National Socialism and Ernst Barlach, a prominent 20th-century sculptor, highlighting his active resistance to the confiscation and destruction of his work. It delves into Hitler's critique of modernism, presenting it as a coherent political stance against liberal Western culture. The narrative also reveals the cultural tensions of early Nazi Germany, where some radicals sought to promote a 'Nordic modernism' and engage Barlach. Peter Paret's analysis intertwines the history of modern art with modern German history during a turbulent period.

The book explores the Berlin Secession, a pivotal movement in the art world that emerged in the late 19th century. It highlights the artists' quest for independence from traditional academic standards, emphasizing their innovative approaches to art and design. The Secession's impact on modern art and its role in shaping contemporary aesthetics are key themes, showcasing influential figures and their contributions to the movement. The narrative delves into the cultural and social context of Berlin during this transformative period.

Exploring the evolution of German art from the 1840s to the 1940s, this book presents a variety of viewpoints that highlight the cultural and political influences that shaped artistic movements during this period. It delves into the works of notable artists and the societal changes that impacted their creations, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of the complexities and transformations within German art history.

The description for this book, Yorck and the Era of Prussian Reform, will be forthcoming.

In interpreting its own age art often turns to the past. At the beginning of the twentieth century one of these encounters between present and past was prompted by the interest a major figure in German modernism, the sculptor Ernst Barlach, came to take in the medieval epic The Song of the Nibelungen. There exists no statement by Barlach to explain what prompted his interest and the resulting sequence of large drawings on the epic’s climactic final segment, reproduced here. In conception and execution these drawings stand out in Barlach’s graphic oeuvre, as they stand apart from the multitude of interpretations the Nibelungen inspired in art, literature, and music. This book discusses the epic and its course through German history, the artist’s biography and the course of his work, as well as the place the drawings occupy in the art, culture, and politics of Germany in the 1920s and 30s and beyond to the ideological and political crises of Central Europe before and after the First World War.

The compelling story of the military campaign that changed how we think about war Responding to the enemy's innovation in war presents problems to soldiers and societies of all times. This book traces Napoleon's victory over Prussia in 1806 and Prussia's effort to recover from defeat to show how in one particular historical episode operational analyses together with institutional and political decisions eventually turned defeat to victory. The author moves from a comparative study of French and Prussian forces to campaign narrative and strategic analysis. He examines processes of change in institutions and doctrine, as well as their dependence on social and political developments, and interprets works of art and literature as indicators of popular and elite attitudes toward war, which influence the conduct of war and the kind and extent of military innovation. In the concluding chapter he addresses the impact of 1806 on two men who fought on opposing sides in the campaign and sought a new theoretical understanding of war—Henri Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz. Fields of history that are often kept separate are brought together in this book, which seeks to replicate the links between different areas of thought and action as they exist in reality and shape events.

Presents a comprehensive analysis of one of the significant thinkers of modern Europe. This book combines social and military history and psychological interpretation with a study of Clausewitz's military theories and of his unduly neglected historical and political writing. It is useful for anyone interested in Clausewitz and his theories.