IF JOMINI AND CLAUSEWITZ ANALYZED THE SAME HISTORY, WHAT EXPLAIN

DIFFERENCE IN THEIR THEORIES?

Thesis: Analyzing the Napoleonic era, Clausewitz and Jomini formulated different war

theories owing to differences in their wartime experience, relationship to Napoleon, and

contemporary influences. 

The Napoleonic era of warfare remains, to date, the most significant period of

history for military professionals. It is evident from the fact that authors have penned

down approximately 300,000 books on Napoleon Bonaparte.1 The scholarly work to

understand Napoleon's way of war and his genius on the battlefield started during

Napoleon's life. Carl Von Clausewitz, a Prussian military officer, formulated a theory

expressed in the form of a trinity by studying Napoleon as a frame of reference.

Likewise, in the same era, Antoine Henri Jomini also expressed his ideas on Napoleonic

warfare in the form of war principles. Though both analyzed the same era, they

developed different views owing to their wartime experience, their relationship to

Napoleon, and contemporary influences.  

Clausewitz was born in Prussia on June 1, 1780.2 He joined Prussian Army as

Lance Corporal at the age of twelve. As an officer, he served on various staff

appointments in wars against Napoleon from 1805 to 1815. He witnessed the epitome

of operational art during the War of Third Coalition, in which Napoleon defeated the

armies of Austria and Russia. Likewise, being aide-de-camp during the twin battles of

1
“Books Written About Napoleon Bonaparte History,” UK Essays, accessed December 1,
2020, https://www.ukessays.com/essays/history/books-written-about-napoleon-bonaparte-history-
essay.php
2
T. Calhoun, Mark. Clausewitz and Jomini: Contrasting Intellectual Frameworks in Military
Theory. publication place: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2011.

1
Jena and Auerstedt, he saw Napoleon decisively defeating the Prussian Army. In short,

Clausewitz remained part of the forces opposing Napoleon during his military career,

and mostly those forces were subjected to crushing defeats by Napoleon. Resultantly,

he analyzed the Napoleonic era as part of the losing side, which impacted his warfare

theory. Moreover, under Napoleon, France was a military power that preferred offensive

warfare, whereas other countries/coalitions preferred defensive warfare. It also

impacted Clausewitz's military thinking and warfare theory as he declared defense as

the more vital form of war.

Jomini was born in Switzerland on March 6, 1779.3 He started his professional

life as a banker. Later, he first joined the Swiss Army and later shifted his services to the

French Army and Russian Army. As staff office, he participated in various battles of the

Napoleonic era and fought alongside Napoleon in the Battle of Jena and the battle of

Eylau. He closely experienced Napoleon's methods to overthrow his opponents and

deciphered the Napoleon methods using his banking expertise into a set of principles.

On the same battlefield, he was a member of the winning camp as opposed to

Clausewitz. This influenced his interpretation of war and ultimately on his theory of

warfare. He experienced the primacy of offensive under Napoleon and concluded it as

an essential principle to wage war against an opponent.    

Clausewitz and Jomini's relationship with Napoleon also explains the difference

in their military theories. Clausewitz witnessed Napoleon's victories against the great

powers of that era from the opposing camp. He studied Napoleon's battles and

campaigns to find out and understand his way of fighting a war. Clausewitz viewed how
3
T. Calhoun, Mark. Clausewitz and Jomini: Contrasting Intellectual Frameworks in Military
Theory. publication place: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2011.

2
Napoleon grabbed the chances battlefield offered to him and used them to overthrow

his rivals in a day. Battles after battles, he observed the implementation of new methods

and techniques by Napoleon, which were unknown to his opponents. Since there was

no known textbook or manual of these methods and techniques, Clausewitz attributed

Napoleon's execution to his genius. In other words, he concluded that Napoleon had a

very highly developed mental aptitude for warfare, a quality which his adversaries lack. 

Jomini is also called "Devin de Napoléon" (the man who guessed what Napoleon

was about). Being on the same side as Napoleon, unlike Clausewitz, he got sufficient

opportunity to study the French Emperor in person. Jomini was a banker in his early life,

which means mathematical principles were his strong suit. He observed the use of set

methods and calculations by Napoleon to defeat his foes, and he used his banking

knowledge to understand and interpret Napoleon's methods and techniques. He also

compared the Napoleon system of war with Fredrick the Great for better

comprehension. This effort's outcome was a set of principles that presented a blueprint

of Napoleon's entire system of war. Jomini guessed Napoleon's methods so accurately

that Napoleon tried to stop the publication when he read about it. However, later he

allowed it after uttering the famous words, "the old generals commanding against me no

longer read anything and could not benefit from its lessons, and the young ones who

read are not commanders."4

Contemporary influences also played an essential role in the formulation of war

theory for both Clausewitz and Jomini. Romanticism influenced Clausewitz. One of the

4
“Jomini, Antoine Henri, Baron De,” Napoleon.org, accessed December 4,
2020, https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/biographies/jomini-antoine-henri-baron-de/.

3
Romanticism characteristics is "preoccupation with the genius, the hero, the exceptional

figure in general, and a focus on his passions and inner struggles."5 Moreover,

Clausewitz used Idealism as a framework for the construct of his book. Additionally,

Clausewitz used the dialectic method in his book to present his ideas to the readers.

The combination of romanticism, Idealism, and dialectic leads to Georg Wilhelm

Friedrich Hegel, a German philosopher of the 19th century. These contemporary

influences played a significant role in the formation of war theory by Clausewitz,

according to whom external forces dominated war, and it escapes control.6 

Jomini's personality was more inclined to science and mathematics, as is evident

from his profession before joining the military. With this education and professional

base, he analyzed Napoleon's art of war before and after joining military service. Unlike

Clausewitz, the concepts of enlightenment and Rationalism influenced him.

Enlightenment advocates applying reason to solve or understand any problem7,

whereas Rationalism focuses on obtaining knowledge using logic and reason.8 Hence,

one sees Jomini attempting to summarize Napoleon's warfare to several maxims

advocating success if applied correctly.  

Clausewitz and Jomini came up with different theories despite analyzing the

same history because they viewed the same picture with different lenses. They

belonged to different nations and had a diverse education and professional outlook.
5
“Romanticism,” Britannica, accessed December 4, 2020, https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism.
6
Nance William, “Jomini - History, Theory and Doctrine” (lecture, Command and General Staff Officer
College, Fort Leavenworth, KS, November 6, 2020).
7
“Enlightenment,” Britannica, accessed December 53, 2020, https://www.britannica.com-/event
/Enlightenment-European-history.
8
“History of Western Civilization - Rationalism,” Lumen Learning, accessed December 2,
2020, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldhistory2/chapter/rationalism

4
They experienced war and Napoleon from different camps, positions, and

appointments. They were proponents of different philosophical concepts. Their theories

of war are different but equally crucial for military professionals. Particularly, Field Grade

Officers need to identify and understand the relevant lens before applying/using

Clausewitz or Jomini's theories in their professional careers.  

Bibliography  

5
"Books Written About Napoleon Bonaparte History," U.K. Essays, accessed December

1, 2020, https://www.ukessays.com/essays/history/books-written-about-napoleon-

bonaparte-history-essay.php.

T. Calhoun, Mark. Clausewitz and Jomini: Contrasting Intellectual Frameworks in

Military Theory. Publication place: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2011.

T. Calhoun, Mark. Clausewitz and Jomini: Contrasting Intellectual Frameworks in

Military Theory. Publication place: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2011.

"Jomini, Antoine Henri, Baron De," Napoleon.org, accessed December 4,

2020, https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/biographies/jomini-

antoine-henri-baron-de/.

"Romanticism," Britannica, accessed December 4,

2020, https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism.

Nance William, "Jomini - History, Theory, and Doctrine" (lecture, Command and

General Staff Officer College, Fort Leavenworth, KS, November 6, 2020).

"Enlightenment," Britannica, accessed December 53,

2020, https://www.britannica.com/event/Enlightenment-European-history.

"History of Western Civilization - Rationalism," Lumen Learning, accessed December 2,

2020, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldhistory2/chapter/rationalism