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RethinkingoftheClausewitz'sVom Kriege:TheExistential WarandRoleofPeopleintheWar

Kim, Tae Hyun 1

1합동군사대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The purpose ofthis paper is to rethink a famous phrase war as a continuation ofpolicy by analyzing a nature ofwarin thevom Kriege,which hasbeen believedasasymboloftheClausewitz'swartheory.This paperwillintroduceaforgotten dimension ofwar,which can becalledas a existential warfare (existenzielle Kriegsauffassung) and provide its implication comparing with a instrumental war (Instrumentelle Kriegsauffassung). My argumentscan besummarizedasfollows.TheessenceofClausewitz's theory ofwarhas been understood in one way ofinterpretation influenced strongly by PeterParetandMichaelHoward'sversion ofonwar1984.From thispointofview,themostwell-knownbeliefofClausewitz'stheoryhasbeen ainstrumentalunderstanding,thatis‘warasacontinuationofpolicybyother means'.However,Clausewtiz's vom Kriege contains a dualnature ofwar under a conceptualframework of remarkable trinity ofwar consisting of government-army-people or blind natural force-probability-policy. For Clausewitzaconnectionofpeopleandwarisasimportantasaconnectionof governmentand war.The previous research did concentrate its perspective merely on an one side of this dual nature of war,and this leads to reductionism ofClausewitz'spowerfulexplanatorylogicaboutnatureofwar. Theexistentialunderstandingofwardoesinfluenceashiftofwarparadigm in thecontextofrevolutionary war,which hasbeen visualized asa form of partisanwarfareorguerrillawarfareintherealworld.Intherevolutionarywar people inspired by the politicalideals and patriotic nationalism in a pole of blinderNaturtrieb,notgovernmentinapoleofVerstand,playsacriticalrole toconductwar.Even though Clausewitzdidnotforseeacoming ofarecent politicaldemocratic system,his insighton a importantrole ofpeople in a conductofwarshouldberedeemed.

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