The Concept of Total War: Understanding the History of Two World Wars

During the 20th century two conflicts of unprecedented scale occurred known as World War I from 1914-1918 and World War II from 1939-1945. The concept of ‘total war’ is very useful for understanding the history of the two world wars. The definition of total war can be described as military conflict in which the contenders mobilize all their civilian, economic and military resources in order to obtain a complete victory over the opposition. World War I and World War II are considered ‘total wars’ as nations used every available resource in order to gain victory. This concept of ‘total war’ is traced to Carl Von Clausewitz, who stressed the importance of crushing the opposition forces in battle. This concept of ‘total war’ helps us understand the history of the two world wars as ‘total war’ characteristics are evident throughout the two world wars in the first half of the 20th century, characteristics of ‘total war’ include attacks on civilians, young men being removed from the production line in order to serve in the military and being replaced in production by women, economic infrastructure being affected, cultural interest and support, and nuclear attacks on cities all define total war in the modern era.

Throughout World War I 1914-1918, the whole of Europe was mobilized in warfare. Total war became evident as military conflict ensured that all nations involved mobilized all their available resources in order to destroy another nations ability to compete in warfare. One of the main reasons why total war became recognised during the great war was industrialisation. As countries resources grew it became clear that certain conflict demanded more resources than others as warfare was becoming