Follow her ruthbenghiat. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. Read more opinion articles on CNN. Life would never be the same for the more than 65 million men from some 30 nations who fought in it, or for the civilians who experienced the first "total war" in history. More Videos Three unexpected things from WWI Ruth Ben-Ghiat. The possibility of total devastation that could result from the usage of new weapons and the adoption of the International Humanitarian Law restrain nations in participating in total war scenarios.
Features of Total War Total war is a warfare in which nations utilise any means necessary in order to destroy another nation's ability to engage in war. With the objective to reduce the capability of the enemy to continue fighting, all of the available resources of society could be mobilised and warfare is prioritised over non-combatant needs.
Origins of the concept Carl von Clausewitz, a 19th-century Prussian military strategist, discussed the concept of total war in his writings Vom Kriege On War. He described that wars veered constantly to escalate in violence toward a theoretical absolute and could not be fought by laws.
He emphasised the importance of crushing the enemy's forces in battle. He envisaged the complete mobilisation of manpower and resources, including policy and social systems, to win the war. Elements of Total War Mobilisation — It includes gathering troops, weapons, resources and other preparations.
Nations also mobilise their economy for maximum war protection, with companies producing war supplies. Extermination of the enemy — It is the rejection of peace or any outcome other than the complete destruction of the enemy. Nations seek the unconditional surrender of the enemy. Blurring of roles between soldiers and civilians — In total war, nations increasingly force men to become soldiers. Similarly, citizens are expected to contribute to the war effort.
The civilian population at home work for victory as well. Total control of society — All areas of society are impacted. Governments are more involved in civilians' personal lives and even resort to the use of censorship and propaganda to boost or maintain morale.
Use of various weaponries — Types of weapons used by nations can include biological, chemical, nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Nations are willing to use any means necessary to win. Targeting of civilians — All citizens of enemy countries are considered legitimate targets. Major infrastructure and essential resources can be targeted too. In practice, total war involves and impacts the governments, economies and populations of participating nations.
Early examples of Total War Although the term was not used until the 20th century, it is believed that total war had been practised for a long time.
The characteristics of total war had been observed in military conflicts before the terminology was conceived.
In this war, Greek warfare evolved from an originally limited form of conflict to all-out struggles between city-states, with large-scale atrocities. Third Punic War BCE : It was the third and last of three wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian Empire that resulted in the final destruction of Carthage, the enslavement of its population, and Roman hegemony over the western Mediterranean. Crusades : These were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims which started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups.
Countless villages were burnt and the population of entire cities was slain. The Mongol Invasions under Genghis Khan ss : Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire by destroying great cities, and slaughtering large portions of their populations. Many citizens were enslaved to be used as human shields in later battles.
It resulted in the further division of Germany, the end of the wars of religion, and the beginning of the rise of France as a dominant European power.
French Revolutionary Wars : These were a series of sweeping military conflicts between France and one or more European powers that resulted from the French Revolution. During the Reign of Terror, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place. The World Wars Distinct from how wars had previously been fought, the two World Wars of the 20th century are usually considered the most total of history's wars. Several elements of total war could be identified in these military conflicts.
Participating nations mobilised their own civilians for the war effort through forced conscription, military propaganda and rationing. Legislations that would be intolerable during peacetime were passed by governments, who acted as interventionists.
Economic production, nationalising factories, determining production targets, allocating manpower and resources was done by ministers and their departments. Almost the whole of Europe and its colonial empires mobilized to wage World War I, directing almost all aspects of life including industry, finance, labor, and food production toward military purposes.
Total war includes all civilian-associated resources and infrastructure as legitimate military targets, mobilizes all societal resources to fight the war, and gives priority to warfare over non-combatant needs. In a total war, to an extent inapplicable to other conflicts, the differentiation between combatants and non-combatants diminishes and even sometimes vanishes entirely as opposing sides consider nearly every human resource, even that of non-combatants, as part of the war effort.
Actions that characterize the postth century concept of total war include: blockade and sieging of population centers, as with the Allied blockade of Germany; commerce-raiding tonnage war, and unrestricted submarine warfare, as with privateering and the German U-Boat campaigns.
Almost the whole of Europe and its colonial empires mobilized to wage World War I. Young men were removed from production jobs to serve in military roles and were replaced by women. Rationing occurred on the home fronts. Conscription was common in most European countries but controversial in English-speaking countries. About , lost their lives. Though most deaths were young unmarried men, , wives lost husbands and , children lost fathers.
In the United States, conscription began in and was generally well-received, with a few pockets of opposition in isolated rural areas. Bulgaria went so far as to mobilize a quarter of its population or , people, a greater share than any other country during the war. In Britain, government propaganda posters were used to divert all attention to the war on the home front. They influenced public opinion about what to eat and what occupations to pursue, and changed the attitude toward the war effort to one of support.
Even the Music Hall was used as propaganda, with songs aimed at recruitment. After the failure of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, the large British offensive in March , the British Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal John French blamed the lack of progress on insufficient and poor-quality artillery shells.
This led to the Shell Crisis of , which brought down both the Liberal government and Premiership of H.
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