The effect of Clausewitz’s trinity on the Evolution of Modern Warfare Essay Outline
- Clausewitz changed the perception of warfare when he came up with the trinity of war which comprised of the people, the government and the military. After Clausewitz shared his ideologies, warfare evolved significantly and mainly between 1648 and 1941. Clausewitz trinity of war played a significant role in inventing modern warfare.
- The military understood the essence of strategy. Before the intervention by Clausewitz, many army commanders believed that well-trained and well-equipped armies always worn the war. In the wake of Prussia’s 1806 humiliating defeat at the hands of France, Clausewitz’s brilliant mentor, Gerd von Scharnhorst, had begun to suss out how Napoleon’s army of poorly trained peasants, with few proper officers and no formal system of administration or supply, could beat the tar off highly disciplined, professional armies of Prussia and her allies (Warren, 2017).
- Armies started implementing strong but simple strategies. After troops understood the importance of strategy in warfare, they had to master methods of coming up with effective strategies. A strategy must be distilled into the most straightforward language possible so that everyone in an organization can follow it (Pietersen, 2016). Thus army troops mastered secure but direct strategies.
- The strategy should not be static. Most armies use similar strategies. However, it is wise to change strategies once in a while to avoid prediction. Also, instead of abandoning a failed strategy, the leader should look for weakness and improve in readiness for battle. Strategy, like any other discipline in the modern world, as Alvin Toffler reminds us, requires constant learning, unlearning, and relearning (Peitersen, 2016). Thus, in war, armies need progressive and dynamic strategies.
Reference
Pietersen, W. (2016, February 12). Von Clausewitz on War: Six Lessons for the Modern Strategist. Retrieved October 28, 2019, from Columbia Business School : https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/ideas-work/von-clausewitz-war-six-lessons-modern-strategist
Waren, J. (2017, April 4). How Clausewitz Invented Modern War. Retrieved October 28, 2019, from Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-clausewitz-invented-modern-war?ref=scroll