Hannah Parry is a Newsweek Live Blog Editor based in New York
tech and crime extensively.Hannah joined Newsweek in 2024 and previously worked as an assistant editor at The U.S
Sun and as a senior reporter and assistant news editor at The Daily Mail
She is a graduate of the University of Nottingham
You can get in touch with Hannah by emailing h.parry@newsweek.com
Continuous updates; facts and sources are still being cross-checked
Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content
Witnesses who arrived to the scene of the Christmas market attack has described the "chaotic situation."
"We saw blood on the floor, we saw people sitting beside each other and having golden and silver foils around them," Lars Frohmüller, a reporter for German public broadcaster MDR, told the BBC
"And we saw many doctors trying to keep people warm and help them with their injuries." he added
German chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Magdeburg on Saturday after the shocking attack on the Christmas market
Scholz said his thoughts were with the victims and their families
"We are at their side and at the side of the people of Magdeburg
My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours," Scholz said on X
Die Meldungen aus Magdeburg lassen Schlimmes erahnen.Meine Gedanken sind bei den Opfern und ihren Angehörigen
Wir stehen an ihrer Seite und an der Seite der Magdeburgerinnen und Magdeburger
Mein Dank gilt den engagierten Rettungskräften in diesen bangen Stunden
A Saudi Arabian national was reportedly arrested on Friday after allegedly driving a car into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg
killing at least two people and injuring over 50 others
German newspaper Die Welt reported that a rental car was used to injure or kill between 60 and 80 people at the market
while police had not "ruled out" that an explosive device might have also been used in the apparent attack
The suspect was reportedly born in Saudi Arabia in 1974
"Officials are saying now that the driver is Saudi," CNN's Jake Tapper said during a broadcast on Friday night
"He is a doctor and has been in Germany since 2006."
Read in full from Alia Slisco on Newsweek.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called the German market attack "deeply shocking" as she said authorities are working to clarify details
"The news from #Magdeburg is deeply shocking," Faeser said in a post on X
"The emergency services are doing everything they can to care for the injured and save lives
Our thoughts are with the victims and their families
The security authorities will clarify the background."
Die Nachrichten aus #Magdeburg sind zutiefst erschütternd
um die Verletzten zu versorgen und Menschenleben zu retten
All unsere Gedanken sind bei den Opfern und ihren Angehörigen
Die Sicherheitsbehörden werden die Hintergründe aufklären
The suspect who allegedly deliberately drove his car into crowds at a Christmas market was acting alone
Saxony-Anhalt PM Reiner Haseloff told reporters
The suspect has been identified as a Saudi Arabian doctor who has lived in the Germany for almost two decades
The two people killed in the attack are reported to be a toddler and an adult
At least 68 were injured when a black car plowed into busy crowds at the Christmas market in Germany on Friday
Today's horror attack comes eight years the deadly Berlin Christmas market attack left 13 dead and dozens more injured
had used a truck to plow into the crowded Christmas market on December 19
He was killed four days later during a shootout in Italy
The suspected driver is a doctor from Saudi Arabia
the regional prime minister of Saxony-Anhalt
who was arrested at the scene but has not yet been named
has been living in Germany since 2006 and works in Saxony-Anhalt
A total of 68 people were injured in the Magdeburg Christmas market attack - with 15 of those seriously hurt
At least 37 people were moderately injured and another 16 were slightly injured
according to a post on the city's Facebook page
Around 150 emergency personnel have been sent to the scene
At least two people have been killed in the Magdeburg Christmas market attack
Dozens more were injured in what authorities believe was a targeted attack
and firefighters have responded to the suspected targeted attack at the Madgeburg Christmas market
The emergency services have closed off the streets around the market as they respond to the dozens of injured shoppers
German police fear that there may be an explosive in the car that plowed into crowds of shoppers at the Christmas market
Magdeburg police have cordoned off the area and are telling the public to stay back
Vice President-elect JD Vance has responded to the attack on the German Christmas market
Vance shared an Associated Press report on the attack
which left at least one dead and dozens injured
The identity of the driver has not yet been released but police report he has been arrested
Who was driving the car? https://t.co/A6Bq8WuswL
Local authorities have reported between 60 and 80 people were injured in the attack
Authorities are investigating the incident as a suspected targeted attack
Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif warned that the driver appears to have targeted shoppers at the Christmas market
A horrifying video, circling on social media and verified by CNN
shows the moment that a black car drives directly into a crowd of people at the Magdeburg Christmas market
Scores of shoppers who were crowded into the stalls when the car plowed into them
Others tried to outrun the vehicle or dive out the way as it crashed into shoppers
Magdeburg spokesperson Michael Reif described seeing "terrible" pictures of the "targeted" attack
"The pictures are terrible," he told reporters in Germany
"My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors
but I can't yet say from what direction and how far."
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said the Christmas market attack "raises the worst fears."
particularly now in the days before Christmas," added Saxony-Anhalt Gov
Between sixty and eighty people were injured in the German market attack
At least one person was killed when the car plowed into shoppers at the market
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground
Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair
Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter.
Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter.
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
Newsletters in your inbox See all
Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker
If you\u2019re interested in writing for us
email us at submissions@thestrategybridge.org
Join The Bridge by supporting our community! Click here to donate to our tax-deductible fundraising campaign
this was when Carl von Clausewitz wrote most of his treatise On War
despite the period's undoubted significance for the military theorist’s legacy
For modern national security professionals
this knowledge gap is particularly unfortunate
reinforce the mistaken impression that Clausewitz's efforts to write a theory of war were an exoteric process separated from his experience in war or his performance as a senior officer
it is also easier to brush aside the need for reflection and the continuous study of war
and society Clausewitz thought central for the business of war
The reasons for this decade-long knowledge gap are manifold
First and foremost is the lack of correspondence between Clausewitz and his wife Marie as they lived together; although other letters are preserved
their number is not as great nor their content as candid and detailed as their correspondence as a couple
the military theorist spent most of this period drafting On War
and the prolonged and secluded nature of that writing process offers a less compelling narrative to scholars and audiences
Following the riveting accounts of the Napoleonic Wars
the realities of peace and the Restoration Era's stifling climate additionally constrain interest in the period
biographies tend to describe the 1820s in broad strokes
often squeezing the decade Clausewitz dedicated to writing On War into a single chapter
now in the collection of the German History Museum in Berlin
promises to shed new light on Clausewitz's life
its connection to real-life events provides a better understanding of the decade’s influence over Clausewitz's thought and the realities surrounding the creation of On War
The find highlights an overlooked memorandum Clausewitz wrote in 1825 that
reveals Clausewitz as a thoughtful and consummate military professional
the ideas expressed in this memorandum matured on the pages of his general theory
reinforcing the notion of his theory as a product of complex reflection on the realities military professionals encounter
(Copyright: German Historical Museum/Deutsches Historisches Museum/I
The newly discovered drawing comes from the collection of the German Historical Museum in Berlin
the institution acquired the partial estate of the artist Johann Jakob Kirchhoff (1796-1848)
Among the sketches and studies found was an aquarelle representing Carl von Clausewitz
The drawing was part of a series of portraits of Prussian officers and statesmen who played a significant role in the 1813-1815 campaigns against Napoleon (or the Wars of German Liberation
as the period is also known in German historiography)
The portraits were bundled together with Kirchhoff's work Royal Parade on the Tempelhof Field (Königsparade auf dem Tempelhofer Feld)
the Royal Parade represented a gathering of the elite of the Prussian army
with the famous cast iron monument dedicated to the Prussian victories in 1813-1815 as a background
Although the intention and immediate purpose of this work and the additional portraits remain unclear
the iconography evoking the Wars of German Liberation suggests Kirchhoff probably envisioned the sequence as a jubilee celebration of the Allied victories against Napoleon
As the faces on the Royal Parade are hard to distinguish while the individual sketches are rich in detail
it is also possible the artist might have had another
the sequence may have constituted a preliminary study for it
Kirchhoff's illustrator work could also suggest he intended the Royal Parade and the drawings for a book or a luxury album.[1]
Kirchhoff's portrait of Clausewitz unmistakably reminds us of the military theorist's popular image by Wilhelm Wach
There is a possible explanation for that—after Clausewitz's death
Marie wished to commission a portrait of her beloved husband that could be turned into lithograph and then printed and gifted to close friends
was dissatisfied with a recent official portrait done by the famous German artist Franz Krüger
Marie intended to commission another painting
an amalgam of Krüger's work and a drawing she possessed that
truly captured her beloved Carl's facial expression.[2] The similarity between Kirchhoff's image and Wach's famous portrait of Clausewitz suggest the former might have been that drawing
This also implies Wach's work was created posthumously by combining Clausewitz's figure from Krüger's portrait with the facial expression from Kirchhoff's
“Carl von Clausewitz” by Wilhelm Wach (Wikimedia)
Kirchhoff's image emphasizes Clausewitz's penetrating blue eyes
a feature the work shares with another recently discovered drawing of the military theorist
the so-called “young Clausewitz.”[3] Yet compared to that work's confident and energetic look
Not only the fifteen-year difference and the burdens of several wars separate the two images
His letters from that time describe prolonged and severe pain in the throat that made it impossible for him to swallow and enjoy food and drink.[4] Hence the unhealthy complexion and weariness evident in his face
Kirchhoff's drawing provides one additional insight
The larger aquarelle was called Royal Parade on the Tempelhof Field
but no known source mentions a prodigious parade in 1825
the Prussian army conducted military exercises in Potsdam and Berlin with the additional purpose of creating a modern field manual
The indications in Kirchhoff's papers that the series was made both in Berlin and Potsdam also suggest the maneuvers may have served as the real-life basis for the artist's work.[5]
In his position as a director of the Prussian Military Academy
Clausewitz also performed duties as associate to the General Staff (aggregirtier Officer des General Stabes)
occasionally called to support the evaluation of maneuvers and training.[6] However
his particular involvement in the 1825 maneuvers remains unclear
A memorandum he wrote ahead of the event suggests Clausewitz was not included in the committee working on the field manual
indicates that even if the military theorist did not belong to the Prussian General Staff's leading figures
he still enjoyed recognition for his role in the Napoleonic Wars and
the artist would have not included him in the series
author unknown.(Forschungsgemeinschaft Clausewitz-Burg
Even if the committee working on a new field manual omitted Clausewitz
the short memorandum captured his thoughts on the ways to create guidelines for conduct in the field
Although published in the 1990 volume containing Clausewitz’s manuscripts and correspondence
the document has never been extensively studied
This article offers its first English translation
Clausewitz's memorandum was sent to his close friend and former commander
Field Marshall August Neidhardt von Gneisenau.[7] Serving as the chief of staff for Blücher
Gneisenau was largely responsible for the planning of the Allied campaigns against Napoleon in 1813-1815
when Prussian politics took a reactionary turn
He and Clausewitz continuously exchanged ideas
and Gneisenau encouraged Clausewitz's work on a general theory of war
It remains unclear whether Clausewitz expected that his friend would pass along the 1825 memorandum to other leading features in the Prussian military or used the occasion to simply clarify his thoughts on the subject
A booklet capturing the conduct of armies in the field
was called to close a gap in Prussia's military documentation
As part of the efforts to restructure and modernize the Prussian army after its disastrous defeat at the hands of Napoleon in the Jena-Auerstedt Campaign (1806)
the reform circle led by Gerhard von Scharnhorst created an exercise manual in 1812.[8] The document aimed at introducing contemporary tactics
and rebuilding it as a force able to face Napoleon's troops
Following his mentor Scharnhorst's instructions
Clausewitz served on the committee that compiled the infantry exercise manual
The booklet was considered a comprehensive guide for training troops that
Yet the realities of prolonged campaigning and mass warfare in the 1813-1815 period also revealed its limits
The exercise manual required extensive periods of training and long and systematic development of officers and non-commissioned officers able to lead troops
Prussia increasingly relied on newly drafted soldiers and the Landwehr (territorial reserve)
and prominent members of the society; although enthusiastic
the drafted Prussian troops and their leadership arrived at the war theater with four months of service on average
newly commissioned and non-commissioned officers often lacked knowledge and experience leading to poor performance in the field.[10] They needed practical guidance for their conduct in combat
As a reaction to this experience in the Wars of German Liberation
Clausewitz considered writing a field manual in 1816
His request for institutional support for the project was met with little enthusiasm from the war ministry; instead
Clausewitz devoted his energy to writing war theory.[11] Nonetheless
the need for a new manual guiding and unifying the army's conduct on the field became hard to overlook
leading the Prussian military to plan the maneuvers of 1825 as the basis for the creation of such document
Clausewitz's memorandum displays his disdain for habitual committee work
the emphasis on consensus from early on and attempts to please every expectation tended to steer the process in the wrong direction: "From the very first moment
everything is taken into account and agreement is sought too early." Instead
Clausewitz suggested a group of experienced and knowledgeable officers with diverse expertise should reflect and write their proposals separately; only after these rough drafts were prepared should the committee meet and discuss which requirements and ideas should be captured in the manual
would "safeguard against one-sidedness" and could produce a valuable product
This careful reflection on military instructions promised to also bridge the gap between theory and practice
Clausewitz criticized the notion that a field manual should be based on the experience from such a limited event as a fourteen-day exercise: “It seems to me implausible that we will learn in a fourteen-day-long exercise what has not been learned while experiencing a four-year-long war.” Instead
the creation of a manual had to be a deliberate and thoughtful process: "It is more a question of capturing
what needs to be prescribed and can be prescribed."
should be written in clear language and aim to capture the majority of cases
Arguing that no guide could offer instructions for every occasion—nor should it attempt to do it—Clausewitz emphasized the need for reliance on "common sense." He also took a jab at the military profession and its love for elaborate paperwork
"which some find the service's particular dignity."
Clausewitz argued further that practical guidance for combat
and war theory ought to be in constant dialog
To describe this theoretical and normative unification of conduct
Clausewitz used the term Methodismus or mode of procedure
the eminent German scholar Werner Hahlweg briefly commented on the similarities between the 1825 Memorandum and the chapter in Book II
Chapter 4 (translated by Peter Paret and Michael Howard as "Method and Routine").[12] Contrary to the popular perception that the entirety of Clausewitz's manuscripts had been lost in World War II
some of the early drafts are preserved in the German archives and provide clues on the development of his thought
The early version of Methodismus is one of those preserved.[13] Famously
as captured in the Note of 1827 published as the preface of On War
Clausewitz envisioned comprehensive revisions in the drafts
a plan never to be fulfilled due to his unexpected death in 1831.[14] The preservation of the earlier manuscripts allow us to study the development of Clausewitz's thought and particularly the influence of the 1825 events and the memorandum on his revisions of On War
the chapter offered a rather short discussion
on the place of guidance in the study of war and the role routine and patterns could play in military conduct
with its complex enactment and ever-changing conditions
war may appear as a human activity the least amendable to rules
when considering that commanders usually worked with imperfect information and without the ability to oversee and control the execution of every order
basing disposition “on the general and probable” was often the case
(The paragraph was partially preserved in the mature version of On War).[15] Thus
the question Clausewitz raised in the early draft—but failed to answer—was how this methodical procedure should be devised to facilitate military performance on the field without becoming a stiff routine that shackled conduct and blinded commanders to the singular challenges they faced in combat
The 1825 Memorandum helped Clausewitz to refine his thinking on the matter
The chapter in On War we read today is an extended meditation on the role guidance
and routine should and could play in the conduct of war
Clausewitz argued that a "method" or "mode of procedure" is a constantly recurring procedure "that has been selected from several possibilities." Despite its seeming uniformity
it could not describe all eventualities but "should be designed to meet the most probable cases
Routine is not based on definite individual premises
but rather on the average probability of analogous cases
will soon acquire some of the nature of a mechanical skill."[16] Clausewitz also found an answer to the question he posed in the early draft
how to create practical but undogmatic guidance for conduct on the field: "As such [routines] may well have a place in the theory of the conduct of war
provided they are not falsely represented as absolute
binding frameworks for action (systems); rather they are the best of the general forms
and options that may be substituted for individual decisions."[17] In other words
they had to be understood for what they are—general guidelines and heuristics; thus
if they were seen as rules to be continuously followed
the guidelines would become counterproductive and even dangerous
Clausewitz saw procedures and routines in perpetual discourse with war theory; the latter
was the "intelligent analysis of conduct of war."[18] While unified methods and routines are typical and acceptable on a tactical level
some imitation of previously successful approaches
or preferences dictated by the fashion of the day was also unavoidable
when people failed to recognize these routines on an operational and strategic level for what they were
developed out of a single case." As an antidote
are called to provide context and reveal when a method had outlived its time while simultaneously empowering leaders to seek and develop new approaches.[19]
The discovery of the 1825 portrait and an understanding of its larger context reveals how little we still know about the military theorist's life and writing process
Although his war experience is extensively studied
Clausewitz's tangible achievements as a military reformer on the eve of the Wars of German Liberation and afterwards are not yet fully appreciated.[20] The process of creation of On War remains
a circumstance particularly vexing given the treatise's unfinished nature
the chapter on Methodismus discussed in this article is seldom read or debated in professional military seminars
despite its valuable insight into the business of war
By studying the roots of Clausewitz's ideas and their gradual development
we can better understand their meaning while broadening our modern interpretation of his thought.
for today's national security practitioners exploring Clausewitz's thought process brings reassurance and encouragement
The Prussian general continuously reflected on practical challenges he encountered in war and peace—and strove to capture these reflections in a general theory transcending the constraints of early nineteenth-century warfare
his treatise is an homage and empowerment of those enlightened professionals who constantly study the business of war and strive to conduct it in an informed and effective manner
Royal Parade on the Tempelhof Field" (Königsparade auf dem Tempelhofer Feld)” by Johann Jakob Kirchhoff
These days here and in Potsdam small-scale field exercises are starting
Their purpose is to produce practical suggestions for field-duty regulations
Colonel {August Wilhelm von} Neumann is going to be the commander
and Colonels {Eugen Maximilian von} Roeder and {Karl Friedrich Adolph von} Malachowski will be the observers and arbitrators
Lieutenant Colonel {Ulrich Friedrich Johann Gottlieb von} Barner will command and General {Adolf Eduard von} Thiele will be the second observer and arbitrator
I know too little about the matter to be able to judge the practicability of this measure
it seems to me implausible that we will learn in a fourteen-day-long exercise what has not been learned while experiencing a four-year-long war
what needs to be prescribed and can be prescribed
When such a task is done tenfold in the office
it surely would be more practical than these meditations and observations made with reins in the hand
What I have in mind are five to six individuals with different backgrounds: a couple of capable drill instructors from the infantry and the cavalry
a couple of capable soldiers from the frontline of both branches
meaning such who are already acquainted and understand the existing {body of knowledge} and know what a professional handbook should say.[22] They are tasked to create the first draft of a field manual and independently explore in detail their specific areas
These differing and in their biases surely very varying works would then provide the materials
This process would safeguard against one-sidedness and raise all concerns and complexities
then from the onset we will attain an artificial half-baked product {Halbding} divorced from any originality because in such a commission no member has an opportunity to express themself completely
Capture only the most essential and useful matters
subsequently leaving out all immaterial or impractical forms; for the useful and needed is so much that it is even more unwarranted to clutter military service with paperwork
in which some find the service’s particular dignity
To capture only what covers a majority of cases
for an instruction that includes points that cannot be applied in hundreds of cases
loses influence and gravitas; and on the other ceases to be among the required readings to which a practitioner adheres and
to belong among what amounts to everything a practitioner needs
then the regulations would also not be overshadowed by one component (for the whole text must be divided in such)
As the main requirement for field regulations
I believe that the provisions concerning the engagement of the enemy amount to an elementary war study {Kriegslehre}
which covers topics from the whole so-called small war up to the positioning and application of a brigade
a specific mode of procedure {Methodismus} in command of troops is created
which safeguards against too much ignorance and going astray while following some false ingenuity
when keeping up with military theory’s {Kriegskunst} development and not too outdated
The provisions captured in the military regulations should represent it {this methodological procedure}
and these provisions should serve at professional and advanced schools as the base for the curriculum
from which the art of fighting wars will be further developed; thereby
I beg Your Excellency all the more for forgiveness for having diverted your attention with it for so long
Vanya Eftimova Bellinger is the author of Marie von Clausewitz: The Woman Behind the Making of On War
The views expressed are her own and do not reflect the official position of the U.S
and referenced across the worldwide national security community—in conversation
Thank you for being a part of The Strategy Bridge community
Header Image: “Royal Parade on the Tempelhof Field" (Königsparade auf dem Tempelhofer Feld)” by Johann Jakob Kirchhoff
[1] See Kirchhoff’s biography in Neuer Nekrolog der Deutschen 1848 (Weimar: Voigt Verlag, 1850), 799-803. https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=LEzuCFYkFjsC&pg=GBS.PA536&hl=en
Marie von Clausewitz to Karl von der Gröben
[3] Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, “A Portrait of Clausewitz as a Young Officer,” War on the Rocks, 23 October 2015. https://warontherocks.com/2015/10/a-portrait-of-clausewitz-as-a-young-officer/
Scharnhorst- und Gneisenau-Nachlaß sowie aus öffentlichen und privaten Sammlungen
by Werner Hahlweg (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht
[5] See the provenance on https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/YUNMXRUJPUJWRN5DACFC4FJ5HPZLEPSH
[8] On Scharnhorst and the reform circle, see Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, “Introducing #Scharnhorst: The Vision of an Enlightened Soldier ‘On Experience and Theory’,” The Strategy Bridge, 1 April 2019. https://thestrategybridge.org/the-bridge/2019/4/1/introducing-scharnhorst-the-vision-of-an-enlightened-soldier-on-experience-and-theory
Von Wien nach Königgrätz: Die Sicherheitspolitik des Deutschen Bundes im europäischen Gleichgewicht 1815–1866 (München: R
[11] August Neidhardt von Gneisenau to War Minister Boyen
Das Leben des Feldmarschalls Grafen Neithardt von Gneisenau
by Peter Paret and Michael Howard (Princeton
[20] On Clausewitz's experiences as a soldier
Clausewitz: His Life and Work (New York: Oxford University Press
Christopher Bassford provided initial comments and corrections
Clausewitz frequently underlined sentences and key words he thought important
later editions and English translations do not always reflect Clausewitz’s preferences
This translation reproduces the emphases as published in Clausewitz
Carl von Clausewitz is considered by many the west’s preeminent military theorist
and within professional military education his seminal treatise On War is extensively cited and studied
it might be supposed that we know all there is to know about his life and work
On War is a constant fixture in the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Reading List
our knowledge about the books Clausewitz read and considered relevant for his work is rather opaque
Scholars usually study the letters to his wife Marie as the main source for insight into his cerebral path.[1] In this regard
the discovery of the complete correspondence between the couple in 2012 enhanced enormously our knowledge about Clausewitz’s intellectual environment.[2]
exactly the time when Clausewitz was wrestling with the ideas behind and the composition of On War
the couple spent most of their time together
Clausewitz’s correspondence with his close friend Field Marshal August Neidhardt von Gneisenau from the same period is also rather sporadic
The military thinker occasionally wrote to his brothers
but these letters concerned mostly family matters
and we are left with far fewer primary sources than we might like.[3]
The collection’s titles demonstrate Washington’s broad intellectual interests and enormous drive for self-improvement
Students of Clausewitz now have a new and exciting source of information. Scholars from his home town of Burg bei Magdeburg (Forschungsgemeinschaft Clausewitz-Burg e.V.) recently discovered Marie von Clausewitz’s last will and testament in the Brandenburg State Archive in Potsdam
The document bears the stamp of 16 May 1814
This means she drafted it shortly before leaving Berlin to rejoin Clausewitz in the Rhine camp where he
as chief-of-staff for the Russo-German Legion
was staying after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte.[4] In 1831
when Clausewitz served as chief-of-staff for Prussia’s Army of Observation on the eastern border and fearing the approaching cholera epidemic
but she never did.[5] Neither did she change the document when Clausewitz suddenly died in November 1831
so when Marie passed away unexpectedly in January 1836
Meticulous Prussian bureaucrats wrote long lists of household items
and assets the couple owned and composed extensive procedural discussions regarding which relatives should receive which elements of the estate
The folders consist of over 400 well-preserved pages of text
individual titles and volumes are numbered according to their position on this list for easy reference
The catalog created by the Prussian bureaucrats does not appear to be in any particular order
and we have retained the sequence from the original catalog in the edited list
As the testament is transcribed and analyzed
and as more information and more translations become available
Pages from the booklist found in the Testament of Marie von Clausewitz (Courtesy of Brandenburgisches Landesarchive/Brandenburg State Archive)
Pages from the booklist found in the Testament of Marie von Clausewitz (Courtesy of Brandenburgisches Landesarchive/Brandenburg State Archive)
and some context concerning the Clausewitz’s library
The first and most noticeable observation is how short the list is—only 380 volumes
the illustrious Prime Minister of Saxony Heinrich von Brül
once owned a legendary collection of 62,000 books.[6] George Washington’s library contained some 1,200 titles
something Clausewitz most certainly was not
Yet even the reliance only on his government pay could hardly explain the the small size of the recorded library
that Marie gifted some of Clausewitz’s books to friends and relatives after his death in 1831
a common way to remember a beloved person in this period
bestowed on close friends and family some of her belongings in 1836
Among the gifts were books from her library (although we don’t know the titles).[7]
literally lived down the hall from one of the greatest military libraries in Europe.[8] So
perhaps he had no need to purchase every book he wished to read or needed for his scholarly work
Portrait of Antoine-Henri Jomini by George Dawe (Hermitage Museum/Wikimedia)
Also of interest, the personal library does not contain any title written by Clausewitz’s contemporary, Baron de Jomini. Considered the former’s great rival in the realm of strategic studies, Jomini was a prolific and bestselling author. His Traité de grande tactique (1803) was widely studied and underwent various editions
Clausewitz extensively studied this work and later on the pages of On War
criticized Jomini.[12] The absence of these works in the private library is a fascinating fact yet to find its explanation
It is important to emphasize that the book collection could be considered equally curated by Marie von Clausewitz
tell us as much about her as it does about Carl
While the library contains a number of professional military works
titles corresponding to her interests make up a significant part of it as well (more on this later)
A politically active woman and an intellectual in her own right
Marie often encouraged and sometimes openly pushed her husband to explore Romanticist literature
She was a popular member of Berlin’s literary salons and a friend of many famed artists of the day
valued the chance to broaden and challenged his perspective.[13]
General Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst
Not surprising for an officer of the Prussian Army
military publications constitute a significant number among the volumes
Some of the more interesting titles include Vauban’s classical treatises on fortifications and sieges (43 and 112); Johan von Ewald’s book on light infantry tactics (25); Henry Lloyd’s history of the Seven Years’ War (last volume written by G.F
280-285); Montecucili’s memoirs (44); a study of Maurice de Saxe (59-60); Lazare Carnot’s textbook for engineers (288); George de Chambray’s account of Napoleon’s Russian Campaign in 1812 (107-108); several of Georg Wilhelm von Valentini’s military works (4 and 9); Phillippe Henri de Grimoard’s treatise on general staff (247); and of course the field manual written by his mentor
Just as one would expect from a graduate of the Prussian Kriegsakademie—in which science and math made up a significant part of the school’s curriculum—the personal library contains many titles on math
and astronomy.[14] As the cataloged titles reveal
science remained one of Clausewitz’s lasting interests
he read about geography (most noticeable are Alexander von Humboldt’s works
Paul Erman’s treatise on electromagnetism from 1821 (5) might even have been one of the inspirations for Clausewitz’s famous metaphor about how passion
and reason act as three magnets constantly reshaping the character of a war
This raises a fascinating point regarding Clausewitz and his view of the sciences
just before assuming the position of director of his old school
Clausewitz criticized the overemphasis of math in military education
from 1819 he wrote that mathematics remains the cornerstone of officer education
there should be balance with humanities and broader knowledge
Only in this way would the Kriegsakademie create logical and comprehensive thinkers able to cope with uncertainty on battlefield and the challenges of dealing with real people.[15] It was a stance
as the further analysis of the personal library suggests
published by Clausewitz’s old acquaintance from Koblenz
The book on the art of correspondence (69) most certainly belonged to Clausewitz
Marie did not need it—from an early age she was trained how to write elegant letters
a skill considered crucial for an aristocratic woman.[16] As a young officer
was painfully aware of his lack of social pedigree.[17] The year the book on correspondence was published
as a recent graduate of the Kriegskademie and aide-de-camp of Prince August (a cousin of King Friedrich Wilhelm III) was stationed in Berlin
Clausewitz entered the capital’s cultural and political scene
the brevet captain did his best to fit within the refined social circles
among other things by improving his letter writing skills
After the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815
Clausewitz increasingly read books on statecraft (19
international and domestic law (289 and 312)
The 1820s were also a time when he worked intently on the development of his military theory in On War
The volume and breadth of these titles suggest Clausewitz’s groundbreaking idea about war’s political character and the interaction between politics and war was not a sudden hunch inspired by genius
as the product of a long process of research and reflection
In the note from 1818 about the genesis of On War
Clausewitz revealed that he initially modeled his writing after Montesquieu’s “short
compact statements.”[18] The library actually contains a copy of the French philosopher’s complete oeuvre
Clausewitz’s interest in Johann Gottlieb Fichte’s ideas is also well documented (185 and 250)
And the catalog also contains a philosophical work on Erasmus (191).[19]
painted by Joseph Karl Stieler (Neue Pinakothek/Wikimedia)
hence the personal interest in his published lectures on literary theory from 1809-1811 (367-368).[21]
Some of the books, of course, are far from masterpieces but examples of the literature that caught the spirit of the time and the interest of the masses. Today, authors like Susanne von Bandemer (114), and Frederic Reynolds (133), and the poetry of the medievalist and politician Ludwig Uhland (268) are known mostly to experts
Yet the presence of these works in the personal collection confirms the impression that the couple read widely and were deeply immersed in the cultural debates of the time
An observant reader of the cataloged titles will notice many of them are in English
most of these books were acquired by Marie
and Marie was fluent in English and close to many English-speaking expats and diplomats living in Berlin
and his wife Louisa.[22] Clausewitz once harbored ambitions to become Prussia’s ambassador in London
but whether he had learned to speak English well
Marie was the passionate fan of Lord Byron’s poetry
she was also a supporter of Greek independence movement.[24]
Based on the publication dates, Marie almost certainly acquired some of the books after her husband’s death (27, 179, 202-207, 186-190, 268,369). These are mostly literary works—Schiller, Rahel von Varnhagen’s published letters
Marie also kept one copy of Clausewitz’s published Posthumous Works (371-377)
she prepared the unfinished manuscript of On War for public release
the seminal treatise appeared as the first three volumes of Posthumous Works
followed by a number of his campaign studies
The private library contains a copy of parts 1-4 (On War and The Campaign of 1796) and 6-8 (Part II of The Campaign of 1799
containing various campaign studies and edited by the couple’s close friend Carl von der Gröben
the Prussian bureaucrats cataloging the titles noted that this copy in the personal library bore markings
It is a fascinating detail to ponder: What did Marie think about or wish to change in her husband’s lifework after it was published? Just as with the rest of the library
unfortunately we do not know the fate of this copy of Posthumous Works
This is a question Marie’s testament has yet to answer
The library also contains a significant number of religious titles. This is something of a surprise, as neither Marie, nor Carl appeared particularly pious in their writings. Clausewitz, of course, was the grandson of a well-respected Lutheran theologian, Benedikt Gottlieb Clauswitz
Therefore it should perhaps not be quite so surprising that spirituality and theology belonged to his intellectual interests
The 1820s were also a time of pietistic revival in Germany and many of the couple’s friends and acquaintances were prominent members of this circle (e.g
Princess Marianne of Prussia).[25] The Clausewitz couple
intellectually curious and part of Berlin’s vibrant social scene
might have read the famed works of the time
Another possible explanation is that Marie
after Carl’s sudden and tragic death in 1831
sought comfort and hope in religious literature.[26] In any case
and Paul Cornish).[27] The newly discovered library suggests there is much more to explore on the topic
Perhaps the most curious find in the Clausewitz catalog is a cookbook
Carl Friedrich von Rumohr’s The Essence of Cookery (published under the pseudonym Joseph Koenig
nor Marie displayed a particular interest in gourmet cuisine
Madam von Clausewitz certainly had never touched a griddle in her life
did not write a typical cookbook with recipes for various dishes
no recipes for making pudding or instructions for grilling a steak
The Essence of Cookery is rather a meditation on the nature of food and the character of various cuisines
The book explores food preparation and consumption within their broader cultural and historic context
It provides its readers with basic knowledge
while encouraging them to explore the world around them
to attribute the inspiration for On War to one book
read Rumohr’s work; The Essence of Cookery might have been gifted to the couple
only to gather dust in their library or purchased after his death
The comparison rather points to the spirit of the time
the Enlightenment propagated reason and education
The Reign of Terror and the Napoleonic Wars challenged this vision
and many who lived through them came to distrust prescriptions and dogmatic rhetoric
bold mind could seize and navigate a complex world
Perhaps this is the lesson—or at least a lesson—to take from the library of Carl and Marie von Clausewitz
their library might do something to shape our own views of reading lists
Editor's Note: The full list of books discovered in the testament of Marie von Clausewitz is available for free viewing and download at this link. We will update this list with new information as it becomes available.
Carl von Clausewitz (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Vanya Eftimova Bellinger is the author of Marie von Clausewitz: The Woman Behind the Making of On War
She currently teaches at Air University’s Graduate School of Professional Military Education and Air Command and Staff College and is working on her second book
a study of Carl von Clausewitz’s Last Campaign (1830-1831)
Have a response or an idea for your own article
Please help spread the word to new readers by sharing it on social media
Header Image: The first page of Marie von Clausewitz's testament and last will
It states: "Testament of Madam Colonel von Clausewitz
1814 and accepted on the 19th." (Courtesy of Brandenburgisches Landesarchiv/Brandenburg State Archive)
Clausewitz and the State (Princeton: Princeton University Press
[2] My book Marie von Clausewitz: The Woman Behind the Making of On War is the first attempt to study the complete correspondence
descendants of Marie’s brother Fritz von Brühl were in possession of the letters between Carl and Marie
The family decided to deposit the papers in the Prussian Privy State Archives in Berlin and now they are held there
Marie von Clausewitz: The Woman Behind the Making of On War (New York: Oxford University Press
Ein Lebensbild in Briefen und Tagebuchblaettern
by Karl Linnebach (Berlin: Wegweiser Verlag
[10] Clausewitz wrote an essay based on this book
it is published in English as “Some Comments on the War of the Spanish Succession after Reading the Letters of Madame de Maintenon to the Princess des Ursins” in Carl von Clausewitz
by Peter Paret and Daniel Moran (Princeton: Princeton University Press
[11] See for instance the partial English translation of “The Campaign of 1812 in Russia,” in Clausewitz
“Jomini and Clausewitz: Their Interaction,” Paper presented to the 23rd Meeting of the Consortium on Revolutionary Europe at Georgia State University
https://www.clausewitz.com/readings/Bassford/Jomini/JOMINIX.htm
and trans.by Michael Howard and Peter Paret (Princeton: Princeton University Press
The Politics of German Protestantism: The Rise of the Protestant Church Elite in Prussia
1815-1848 (Berkeley: University of California Press
[26] Even if Marie did seek solace in religious literature
this did not last long and cannot explain the significant number of such books
commented that the latter’s religiousness was “too worldly.” Bellinger
“Clausewitz and the Ethics of Armed Force: Five Propositions,” Journal of Military Ethics (2003)
Mit Günter Hirschmann ist eine der großen Spielerpersönlichkeiten des FCM und seiner Vorgängervereine verstorben
Ehemaliger Spieler und Trainer im Alter von 88 Jahren verstorben Die blau-weiße Familie trauert um Günter Hirschmann
der am vergangenen Donnerstag im Alter von 88 Jahren verstorben ist.Er war einer der großen Spielerpersönlichkeiten unserer beiden Vorgängervereine BSG Motor Mitte und SC Aufbau
In seiner Heimatstadt begann er 1947 unter Trainer Otto Kirsch bei der SG Sportfreunde Burg mit dem Fußballspielen
1955 wechselte er mit seinem Burger Kumpel Hans Strübing nach Magdeburg
Seinen ersten Pflichtspieleinsatz für die BSG Motor Mitte hatte er am 31
Juli 1955 bei einem Auswärtsspiel der Totorunde gegen die BSG Chemie Zeitz (1:1)
In seiner ersten regulären Saison 1956 avancierte er auf Anhieb zum Stammspieler und absolvierte alle Punktspiele
Zusammen mit Werner Hilbert erzielte er mit 15 Treffern auch die meisten Tore
Auf Grund seiner begnadeten Technik wurde er in relativ kurzer Zeit der Dreh- und Angelpunkt des Magdeburger Spiels
Er war ein sehr guter Standardspezialist und zuverlässiger Elfmeterschütze
Seinen ersten großen Erfolg mit den Magdeburgern konnte er 1959 mit dem Aufstieg in die DDR-Oberliga feiern
FC Magdeburg dreimal FDGB-Pokalsieger (1964
Beim zweiten Pokalsieg 1965 wurde er im Finale gegen den SC Motor Jena zum Matchwinner
indem er kurz vor dem Abpfiff einen Foulelfmeter zum 2:1-Endstand verwandelte
Insgesamt bestritt er 338 Pflichtspiele für Motor Mitte
Das bedeutet aktuell Platz 4 in der ewigen Torjägerliste des FCM und seiner Vorgängervereine
Für den SC Aufbau war er mit 91 Treffern der Rekordtorjäger
Von 1960 bis 1965 war er zudem Mannschaftskapitän des SC Aufbau
April 1961 wurde er vom damaligen Trainer der DDR-Nationalmannschaft Heinz Krügel in den Kader für das Länderspiel gegen Ungarn berufen und kam als erster Spieler unseres Vereins zu Länderspielehren
Weitere mögliche Einsätze verhinderte eine Meniskusverletzung
die er sich kurz nach seinem Länderspieleinsatz zuzog
Weitere internationale Einsätze hatte er für die B-Nationalmannschaft der DDR (1) und die U-23-Nationalmannschaft (3)
Sein letztes Pflichtspiel für unseren Verein bestritt er am 2
April 1969 bei einem 2:1-Heimsieg in der DDR-Oberliga über den 1
Danach war er noch für zwei weitere Jahre für die zweite Mannschaft des FCM aktiv
Nach seiner sportlichen Laufbahn gab der gelernte Schlosser über 25 Jahre als Nachwuchstrainer seine Erfahrung an jüngere Generationen von FCM-Fußballern weiter
Günter Hirschmann war insgesamt über 40 Jahre als Spieler und Trainer für unseren Club tätig
FC Magdeburg spricht seinen Angehörigen sein aufrichtiges Beileid aus und wird das Andenken an Günter „Mücke“ Hirschmann für immer in Ehren behalten.Fotos: 1
Ihr habt wieder die Wahl: Stimmt jetzt für Euren FCM-Spieler des Monats April 2025 ab
Wir haben die Spiele unserer U17 und U19 vom vergangenen Wochenende zusammengefasst
Ab sofort könnt ihr Eure Dauerkarte für die kommende Saison auf eine andere Person übertragen
In der neuen Ausgabe von „Ganz oder gar nicht“ ist Pierre Nadjombe zu Gast gewesen.