On War

THE Germans interpret their new national colours— black, red, and white—by the saying,
"Durch Nacht und Blut zur licht." ("Through night and blood to light"), and no work yet written
conveys to the thinker a clearer conception of all that the red streak in their flag stands for than
this deep and philosophical analysis of "War" by Clausewitz.
It reveals "War," stripped of all accessories, as the exercise of force for the attainment of a
political object, unrestrained by any law save that of expediency, and thus gives the key to the
interpretation of German political aims, past, present, and future, which is unconditionally
necessary for every student of the modern conditions of Europe. Step by step, every event since
Waterloo follows with logical consistency from the teachings of Napoleon, formulated for the
first time, some twenty years afterwards, by this remarkable thinker.