Nature Of World War 1 Essay

Which Theorist best characterizes the nature of World War I- Jomini or Clausewitz? World War I is identified as one of the most catastrophic wars in history. Its mark in history transitioned what could be considered as normal warfare to what is now considered modern warfare. The war resulted in mass causalities and at its conclusion no one side could declare victory. According to John Keegan, the First World War was a tragic and unnecessary conflict. The nature of World War I was different from any previous war due to the amount of deaths and destruction. Clausewitz theories of absolute war, war as a continuum of policy, and the presence of friction in war best characterized the nature of World War I. The initial onset of World War I was considered total war. Total war is a war that is unrestricted

That being said the weather in Europe, at the time, was a key point of friction during World War I. The rain and mud not only caused mobility problems for the Soldiers but it also affected the trenches that the Soldiers occupied as fighting positions. The trenches were used by the Soldiers to avoid small arms and artillery fire. The rain and mud caused fighting in the trenches to become unbearable. The Soldiers shared the flooded trenches with rats and corpses. The rats filled trenches, which resulted in infections and food contamination. The trench foot disease was also source of infection during World War I. It is a fungal infection of the feet, caused by cold, wet and unsanitary trench conditions. A soldier with trench foot was not capable of fighting and was removed from the line. Some of the Soldiers would eventually return to the fight and others would not return due to foot amputation. As a result, there was a reduction in combat power. As Clausewitz stated, “Tremendous friction cannot be reached to a few points,