Total War

Definition

Total war refers to the concept of warfare in which a country or alliance devotes all of its resources to the complete defeat of the enemy, mobilizing all available economic, industrial, and military resources for that purpose. It is characterized by the absence of distinction between combatants and civilians, with both becoming legitimate targets.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Total war emerged as a dominant military strategy in the 19th and 20th centuries, exemplified by conflicts like the American Civil War, World War I, and World War II.
2. The Union's adoption of total war tactics, such as Sherman's March to the Sea, was a key factor in the North's eventual triumph over the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
3. The concept of total war emphasized the complete mobilization of a nation's resources, both military and civilian, to achieve victory, blurring the traditional distinction between combatants and non-combatants.
4. Total war strategies often involved the deliberate targeting of civilian populations and infrastructure, such as the bombing of cities, in an effort to demoralize and weaken the enemy's will to fight.
5. The use of total war tactics by both the Union and Confederacy during the American Civil War contributed to the war's immense scale, duration, and devastating impact on the civilian population.

Review Questions

• Describe how the concept of total war emerged and evolved during the American Civil War.
  • The American Civil War saw the emergence of total war as a dominant military strategy. As the conflict progressed, both the Union and Confederacy adopted increasingly aggressive tactics that blurred the lines between combatants and civilians. The Union's adoption of total war tactics, such as Sherman's March to the Sea, which deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure and resources, was a key factor in the North's eventual triumph over the Confederacy. The use of total war strategies by both sides contributed to the war's immense scale, duration, and devastating impact on the civilian population.
• Explain how the Union's use of total war tactics, such as Sherman's March to the Sea, influenced the outcome of the American Civil War.
  • The Union's embrace of total war tactics, exemplified by General Sherman's March to the Sea, was a critical factor in the North's eventual victory over the Confederacy. By deliberately targeting and destroying civilian infrastructure, resources, and morale, the Union was able to weaken the Confederacy's ability to sustain its war effort. This strategy of total mobilization and the blurring of the distinction between combatants and non-combatants eroded the Confederacy's will to fight, contributing to the Union's triumph. The devastating impact of total war tactics on the civilian population also had long-lasting consequences for the South's recovery and reconstruction in the aftermath of the conflict.
• Analyze the broader historical significance of the concept of total war and its emergence during the American Civil War, and how it shaped the conduct and legacy of the conflict.
  • The American Civil War marked a significant turning point in the evolution of warfare, as the concept of total war emerged as a dominant military strategy. The Union's embrace of total war tactics, such as Sherman's March to the Sea, which deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure and resources, was a key factor in the North's eventual victory over the Confederacy. The blurring of the distinction between combatants and non-combatants, as well as the complete mobilization of a nation's resources, both military and civilian, to achieve victory, had far-reaching consequences. The devastating impact of total war on the civilian population left a lasting legacy, shaping the conduct and memory of the conflict. The American Civil War's transition to total war foreshadowed the even more destructive conflicts of the 20th century, such as World War I and World War II, where the concept of total war reached its most extreme and horrific manifestations.

Related terms

Unconditional Surrender:

The demand for the complete and utter defeat of the enemy, with no negotiated peace terms or compromise, requiring the vanquished party to submit to the victor's terms without reservation.

Scorched Earth Policy: A military strategy that involves deliberately destroying the local infrastructure and resources of an area to deny the enemy access to them, often resulting in significant civilian suffering.

Civilian Casualties: The unintended or deliberate killing of non-combatant citizens as a result of military operations, which can occur in the context of total war.