The Total War, Total Wars, And Proxy War

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“War is organized violence often on a large scale, involving sovereign states or geographic parts of the same state or distinct ethnic or social groups within a given state (civil war) (Magstadt, Thomas).” The three wars I will be covering are the Just Wars, Total Wars, and Proxy Wars. A common form of warfare, the Just War can be seen in World War Two, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. A just war is “a war fought in self-defense or because it is the only way a nation can do what is right (Magstadt, Thomas).” The Vietnam Civil War began in 1959 and ended in 1975. This was a time when the United States helped the French against communist threats. American soldiers also partnered with South Vietnam. The Viet Cong, was also a part of …show more content…

The Napoleonic War and World War Two are some great examples of a Total War. Napoleon, the leader of the Napoleonic War, had vast access to resources and wanted total control of Europe. Napoleon used his army to burn down Moscow and he drafted loads of men for the modern army. He used propaganda, nationalism, and patriotic symbols to mobilize his society. From 1950 to 1953, the Korean War made a large impact during this time frame. Northern Korea was led by the Soviet Union and The United States was in charge of South Korea. The divide of the country in the two areas started the civil war. Both sides wanted to reunite the peninsula. South Korea reestablished their government and fought back against the North Koreans. The Korean War first began in 1950 when the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) attacked the ROK (Republic of Korea). At the time, North Korea and South Korea were against each other and split. The DPRK worked its way into South Korea and forced it into the Pusan area with the help of the Soviet Union. The United States feared the DPRK would challenge the world and its security to create a non-communist South Korea. There was worry that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) …show more content…

A Proxy War is “a war between two adversaries back opposing parties to a conflict by supplying money, weapons, and military advisors, while avoiding direct combat operations against each other (Magstadt, Thomas).” Two examples of Proxy Wars are the Vietnam Civil War and the Afghanistan War. The Vietnam Civil War began in 1959 and continued until 1975. The United States tried to help the French colonial forces and prevent communist threats. During this time frame, more American soldiers entered Vietnam and joined with South Vietnam to become a powerful force no one would reckon with. The Viet Cong was supported by the Native Vietnamese population and was part of the Soviet Union’s force. South Vietnam lost and its government of Saigon fell and was taken over by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. During the Afghanistan War, “the Soviet Union launched a military invasion and the United States backed the freedom fighters (the mukahideen) (Magstadt, Thomas). Another great example of a Proxy war is the Salvadoran Civil War. The Salvadoran Civil war began in 1980 and went until 1992. El Salvador is a country located next to Honduras in Central America. Before the Salvadoran war, El Salvador struggled with violence and poverty. The was because of the over population and class struggles within the society. The poor economic conditions are the reason why this coalition of the leftists and communists chose to go against the military regime.

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