Carl von Clausewitz and Moral Victories

Clausewitz’s theory of war has been described as quintessentially instrumental, an interpretation that hinges on his oft-cited dictum of war as policy/politics by other means. However, this overlooks another, much more existential interpretation of war, which Clausewitz forwarded in his writings during the reform era. In these writings, Clausewitz referred to a Prussian people’s war against French occupation as ‘the most beautiful of wars’, one with inherent moral and emancipatory qualities. In such a war, one can only win, either through a successful defence of territory or through rebirth after an honourable defeat. In contrast to military victory, which is always temporary, moral victory is lasting and guaranteed, owing to its inherent emancipatory qualities. What moral victories have in common with military victories, however, is the centrality of violence: participating in combat is both the means of the emancipation of the individual and the expression of its moral qualities.