The Art of War Sun Tzu's Art of War, is an ancient text that contains the key to victory in war and life. The methods of warfare described in this book appear to be philosophies rather than methods; as they can be used outside of the war regiment and in everyday life situations and struggles. The philosophies contained in the book were used in ancient China by Sun Tzu himself to defeat an army of three hundred thousand with an army of just thirty thousand. He acted as commander but also as a teacher of philosophy. The instructions found in the text were written only for the eyes of the emperors and their war commanders, but when the secret finally came out, its tactics were used throughout the world. The war history of the United States seems to be predicted by this text. The text predicts the reason for the final end of the Nazis in World War II and why the United States would be defeated in Vietnam. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When it comes to Sun Tzu's The Art of War, knowing his words will lead you to prevail, ignoring them will lead you to battle darkness. Tzu's basic principles were used by the United States to win the war against the Nazis during World War II, and ignorance of them caused the United States to lose the war in Vietnam. These principles can be summarized by three quotes from the text: “Know your enemy and know yourself and in 100 battles you will never be in danger”, “Winning 100 battles is not the pinnacle of skill; to subdue the enemy without fighting is” and “Avoid what is strong, attack what is weak”. In a modern but similar scenario, North Vietnam's leader, like Sun Tzu, found himself facing a force ten times larger than his own. The much feared force was the anti-communist United States, the superpower of democracy and capitalism. The United States never lost a battle against North Vietnam's minimal army, yet it lost the war. Through the losses suffered by the North Vietnamese, they came to know their enemy and themselves; they learned to avoid what was strong and attack what was weak. The United States learned that “winning 100 battles is not the pinnacle of skill; subjugating the enemy without fighting is." North Vietnam won the war, not because it won the hard-fought war, but because it won the moral war. Broadcast images of the Tet Offensive caused the United States to lose support at home and consequently lose the war. The loss of the Vietnam War reminded the United States of the philosophy it used to win the fight against the Nazis in World War II—that most battles are won using intellect, not brute force. In World War II, the Nazis became an unstoppable force. With an ever-growing army and knowledge of their surroundings, the Nazis were able to conquer huge amounts of land in a relatively short time and with minimal resistance. The United States seemed to be in a losing situation, as it had to mobilize its army in France to regain control of this essential land. The problem faced by the United States was that mobilizing its army in broad daylight would send it to face death at the hands of the waiting enemy. When the United States finally entered the war, they followed Sun Tzu's instructions to "let [their] plans be dark as night and then.