What is 'total war'?

Answer

Total War refers to a war being fought by the ENTIRE nation. Not just the Army. It refers to the whole society being mobilized in support of the war effort. Everything goes to the war.

Therefore, since the whole society is involved in the war, it also refers to the military practice of targetting the WHOLE society. This means bombing civilians because they work in the factories and serve in the armies. Total war means no target is off-limits.

Answer

The concept of total war had the entire nation: people, industry, government, etc... geared to the sole purpose of fighting an intense, focused war. On the pointy end it meant that anything that you could do to your enemy to weaken them and strengthen your hand was a valid strategy. Some concepts that are a part of total war are strategic bombing of civilian centers, unrestricted submarine warfare, government control of industry.

Answer

Total War is the concept of every facet of the nation being targeted. The first use of the term was in the American Civil War when General Sherman made his March to the Sea through Georgia and up the the Carolinas in which he devastated everything. The idea was that the civilian population was aiding the Confederate forces because they grew food, made clothes, etc., for the Confederate Army and therefore, as far as Sherman was concerned, might as well have been in the military since the military's performance was dependent on them. As such, Sherman felt it was justfied to target these people.

In WWII, the thinking was similar. In Germand and Japanese cities, you had the general population growing foor, making clothes, and making ammunition for the enemy soldiers, so they might as well have been in the military because like the Confederate Army, the German and Japanese armies were dependent on the performance of their civilians.

The idea of total war has waned in the last few years to some degree. True you still have the civilian population producing foods and textiles for the military, but with the advent of smart weapons, the need to carpet bomb and raze areas isn't a great because the accuracy of weapons can help ensure a target getting destroyed with a minimum of destruction to the surrounding area.

First answer by Jeffery Jensen. Last edit by Jeffery Jensen. Contributor trust: 223 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 118 [recommend question]