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There are several strands of thought on the subject of war within the book. On the one hand there is the top down approach which sees war as an expression and instrument of policy. In other words war is used in order to achieve political aims (or in defense, as the method of resisting the political aims of the aggressor). The other strands of thought are practical and deal in a systematical manner with war as it was practiced, covering a wide variety of strategic and tactical manners.
The book contains a wealth of historical examples used to illustrate the various concepts. Frederick II of Prussia (the Great) figures prominently for having made very efficient use of the limited forces at his disposal. Napoleon also is a central figure in the book credited with having changed the nature of the wars fought through his ability to motivate the populace and thus unleash war on a greater scale than was generally fought previously. Carl von Clausewitz spent a considerable part of his life fighting against Napoleon and there is no doubt that the insight he gained from his experiences provided much of the raw material for the book.
On War is actually an unfinished work; Clausewitz had set about revising his accumulated manuscripts in 1827, but did not live to finish the task.
(Translations are into English unless otherwise noted)