Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), the Prussian military theoretician who wrote On War, is known above all for his famous dictum: "War is the continuation of politics by other means." In Ren Girard's view, however, the strategist's treatise offers up a more disturbing truth to the reader willing to extrapolate from its most daring observations: with modern warfare comes the insanity of tit-for-tat escalation, which political institutions have lost their ability to contain. Having witnessed the Napoleonic Wars firsthand, Girard argues, Clausewitz intuited that unbridled "reciprocal action" could eventually lead foes to total mutual annihilation. Haunted by the Franco-German conflict that was to ravage Europe, in Girard's account Clausewitz is a prescient witness to the terrifying acceleration of history. Battling to the End issues a warning about the apocalyptic threats hanging over our planet and delivers an authoritative lesson on the mimetic laws of violence.

Author: René Girard
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Michigan State University Press
Published: 12/01/2009
Series: Studies in Violence, Mimesis, and Culture
Pages: 237
Weight: 0.9lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780870138775


Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 05/01/2010 pg. 289

About the Author
Girard, René: - René Girard is a member of the French Academy and Emeritus Professor at Stanford University. His books have been translated and acclaimed worldwide. He received the Modern Language Association's Award for Lifetime Scholarly Achievement in 2008.