Clausewitz and the People's War

New Roads #16

by T. Derbent

Carl von Clausewitz is one of the greatest military thinkers of all time. His analysis extends beyond the realm of specific historical experiences and develops military theory to a high level of generalization. Studying the relationship between war and politics—the interplay between the military command, the civil government, and the people, as well as the phenomena that lead to or hinder the escalation of violence—Clausewitz amassed a substantial and original body of work, which gained increasing recognition from the end of the 19th century. But it was not within the ranks of the military command that Clausewitz’s thinking had the greatest impact. Instead, his closest readers were to be found among the theoreticians and practitioners of people’s and revolutionary war. While Clausewitz’s influence on Lenin has long been documented, the imprint of his ideas on Engels, Mao, Giáp, and others has remained relatively unknown. The first French edition of "Clausewitz and the People’s War" illuminated this influence and made it possible, beyond the history of ideas, to approach questions of revolutionary warfare from unexplored angles, and creatively engage in current and historical military debates.

This English translation is a revised and extended version of the original 2004 edition in French. It includes additional articles and a glossary, as well as a historical chart of political and military organizations, revolutionary and people’s wars from the Napoleonic era to today.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Politics

Paperback

First published September 8, 2004

Reviews

[Dwight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banger book. I don't particulrly agree with the endorsement of Marighela, and the dissolution of "politics in command" (I can do this since I'm Filipino bro), otherwise overall a great text that Maoists should engage with.

p.s. the whole essay wholeheartedly dunking on Trotsky was a fun read.

[Aurora Wedge · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very important wake-up call for communists worldwide to heed the military question. While Derbent clearly shows his affinity towards Mao and the strategy of protracted people's war, he does not turn into unproductive polemicizing regarding other strategies. He quite openly admits the faults of PPW and emphasizes in "Categories of Revolutionary Military Politics" that maintaining a flexible approach is key, to analyze and creatively apply aspects from different strands to the situation; these are not ready-made formulas. If there is one central tenet to take away from the entire book, it is "creativity". Communists must fiercely oppose dogmatism and the endless circle of senseless historical spats, donning the ghosts of past projects as batons for street cred rather than critically appraise them.

[Carlos García · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy buen libro para entender los diferentes debates político-militares de la tradición marxista leninista durante las diferentes etapas del siglo XX. Es especialmente interesante entender el papel de Clausewitz en estos debates y en personas tan importantes como Lenin y Mao.
Esencial para cualquier amante de la historia revolucionaria y una gran forma de introducirse en la materia de la política militar revolucionaria y la cuestión de las milicias.

[J. Moufawad-Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this book back in July:

https://marxandphilosophy.org.uk/revi...