Review of the Most Famous Rules and Systems of Strategy

In Review of the Most Famous Rules and Systems of Strategy, Russia’s first professor of military strategy, General Nikolay Vasilyevich Medem, offers a comprehensive critique and analysis of the development of military strategic thought. Drawing upon the works of prominent modern military writers – such as Lloyd, von Bülow, Frederick the Great, Jomini, Napoleon, and Clausewitz – Medem seeks to clarify the science of strategy, which he regards as being in a state of confusion and contradiction. Medem contends that none of the strategic theories proposed by previous authors are complete. Instead, he proposes that these theories are better understood as principles that describe the properties of individual strategic elements or means – either in isolation or in relation to one another – and how these elements influence military actions. Additionally, Medem discusses his perspectives on achieving excellence in strategy, distinguishing between principles that can be acquired through formal study and knowledge that must be learned through practical experience.Published in 1836, this work has, until now, not been available in English. Read more