Samenvatting

This paper introduces Clausewitz’s almost unknown publication ‘Aphorismen über den Krieg und die Kriegführung’ and compares it with ‘Vom Kriege’. The textual comparison shows that the text is in all likelihood the very first version of Clausewitz’s masterpiece. This is of great importance to our understanding of the genesis of ‘Vom Kriege’ and it also will have theoretical consequences as the aphorisms already contain important key concepts.