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Strategy

Strategy

by B. H. Liddell Hart

First published 1968

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About this book

Strategy: The Indirect Approach is a study of war across history by the British military writer B. H. Liddell Hart. It argues that the most effective strategy seeks to unbalance an opponent physically and psychologically, rather than meeting its strength head-on, and it tests that argument against campaigns from antiquity to the Second World War. Readers come to it for its influential theory of strategy and its many historical case studies.

Liddell Hart sets out to examine what strategy is and why wars so often end in costly deadlock. He proposes the 'indirect approach' as a general principle and asks his readers to judge it against the record of past wars.

Summary written with AI from the book's details.

Will you like it?

Readers interested in military history and in how strategy is thought about will find the book's central argument worth testing. It is built on campaigns from antiquity to the Second World War, so its examples are concrete and its principles can be checked against the record.

  • the indirect approach
  • dislocation of the enemy
  • decisive battle
  • limits of force
  • strategy and policy

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Quick answers

What age is Strategy for?
Adults.
Is Strategy a standalone?
Yes, it stands on its own.
Does Strategy have violence, sex or strong language?
Nothing a reader needs warning about.

Written with AI from what's known about the book.

Reader's guide

Themesthe indirect approach, dislocation of the enemy, decisive battle, limits of force, strategy and policy, lasting peace

the indirect approach · dislocation of the enemy · decisive battle · limits of force · strategy and policy · lasting peace

StyleArgumentative, clear and discursive, with a steady stream of historical examples and short statements of principle. The chapters are long and move from case to case. The book is substantial in length and is written for general readers with an interest in military history as well as for specialists.

Argumentative, clear and discursive, with a steady stream of historical examples and short statements of principle. The chapters are long and move from case to case. The book is substantial in length and is written for general readers with an interest in military history as well as for specialists.

How it was writtenLiddell Hart was a British army officer turned military journalist and historian who wrote extensively on the First and Second World Wars. Strategy was first published in 1954 by Faber and Faber in Britain and was revised in a later edition, published in 1967 in the United States as well. This dossier should be read with that in mind; the 1968 date in the catalogue record probably refers to a later printing or edition.

Liddell Hart was a British army officer turned military journalist and historian who wrote extensively on the First and Second World Wars. Strategy was first published in 1954 by Faber and Faber in Britain and was revised in a later edition, published in 1967 in the United States as well. This dossier should be read with that in mind; the 1968 date in the catalogue record probably refers to a later printing or edition.

How it was receivedThe book became one of the most widely read works on strategy in the twentieth century and has been a point of reference in military education and in debates about deterrence and the limits of force. Historians have questioned some of the author's historical judgements, particularly his account of German generals and his use of selected examples, and his views of Clausewitz are contested. It is still read as a statement of a major school of strategic thought.

The book became one of the most widely read works on strategy in the twentieth century and has been a point of reference in military education and in debates about deterrence and the limits of force. Historians have questioned some of the author's historical judgements, particularly his account of German generals and his use of selected examples, and his views of Clausewitz are contested. It is still read as a statement of a major school of strategic thought.

Questions to discussWhat does the author mean by the indirect approach, and is it the same as avoiding battle?

These may talk about the whole book.

  1. What does the author mean by the indirect approach, and is it the same as avoiding battle?
  2. Does the book's case against Clausewitz hold up when the wider argument of On War is considered?
  3. Which historical examples do you find most convincing, and which do you think are weakest?
  4. How should a strategist balance the aim of destroying an enemy's army against the aim of a lasting peace?
  5. Did the arrival of nuclear weapons change the principles the book describes?
  6. How far can the historical cases be trusted, given that the author was both a historian and a commentator on the wars he discusses?
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