The Strategy Makers : Thoughts on War and Society from Machiavelli to Clausewitz

About the Book :

Today`s military strategists and tacticians may be familiar with the writings and teachings of Carl von Clausewitz, but The Strategy Makers: Thoughts on War and Society, 1650-1850 reintroduces readers to the lives and writings of those whose contributions to the study of war and society are just as important. Beginning in the 16th century with Bernardino de Mendóza of Spain, this milestone work examines the writings of 16 of the greatest-and largely unacknowledged-military minds of the modern era, concluding in 19th-century Prussia with Rühle von Lilienstern, Clausewitz`s contemporary.

In probing the ideas of these men, the author shows how thoughts about military technology, tactics, and strategy changed during the course of these three centuries. What results is a comprehensive and fascinating lesson in how early-modern military experts thought about the relationship between war and society. Their thinking influenced the waging of war during their own age and has continued to shape the conduct of war down to the present day.

About Author :

Beatrice Heuser, PhD, holds thee chair in International Relations at the University of Reading , Reading, Berkshire, UK. A Graduate of the Universities of London (Bedford College and LSE) and the University of Oxford (D Phil), she holds a Higher Doctorate (Habilitation) from the Philipps-University of Marburg. From 1991-2003 she taught at the Department of War Studies, King`s College, London, Where she last held the Chair in International and Strategic Studies(2000-2003). In 1997/8 she spend a sabbatical at NATO headquarters as a consultant/intern. From 2003-2007 she was Director of Research at the Military History Research Office of the Bundeswhr. She has also taught in France at the University of Reims, and the Graduate School of Journalism in Lille, and in Germany at the University of the Bundeswehr near Munich. Her publications include The Evolution of Strategy: Thinking War from Antiquity to the present, Reading Clausewitz several books, edited volumes and articles on strategy(especially nuclear strategy and culture in Britain, France and Germany), NATO, and on Cold War international relations.