Art of War Antoine-Henri Jomini, the Art Essay

Art of War

Antoine-Henri Jomini, the Art of War

Jomini's the Art of War is based on the authors experiences in the Crimean War and the Napoleonic Wars. War is presented as an art, and yet Jomini's emphasis is on strategy and decisiveness.

Author's Identity: Antoine-Henri Jomini was born in Switzerland in 1779. He came of age during the French Revolution, and understood well the fusion between politics, diplomacy, and military tactics. Jomini served with both French and Russian armies. A large part of Jomini's career was spent as an adviser, strategist, and military scholar. He served as adviser to two Russian tsars and devoted the latter part of his career to writing and analysis.

Author's Purpose and Intended Audience: Jomini writes for an audience of his peers, including military generals, strategists, political maneuverers, and military scholars as well.

Historical Context of the Work: The author came of age during some of the most formative events in European history including the French Revolution.Therefore, his writings reflect the prevailing trends in political and military strategy during the early nineteenth century. The Prussian and Russian Empires and Napoleonic France are the primary backdrops of Jomini's work. Massive changes were taking place in the geo-political landscape of Europe, and Jomini was in the fortunate position of understanding military strategy from a cross-cultural and nuanced perspective.

5. Author's General and Specific Views About War: The outcome of war hinges on strategy, including diplomacy, intelligence, human resource management, material resource management, and timing. Jomini especially emphasizes the importance of diverting resources at crucial moments, such as knowing exactly when and where to act based on a thorough tactical analysis. Jomini outlines the six fundamental components of the art of war, including….....