Total War in Relation to World War I and II
[IMAGE]First of all, what is “Total War”? What do we mean by it and
what answer do we expect from this question? Total War is the war that
affects all of society- not just armed forces, and that uses all the
resources available to be able to win it. It’s “the mobilization of
the whole society and its resources for the war effort.”
In most of the countries the first Total War was the First World War.
World War One started a completely new generation of wars. Before 1914
wars only affected the army and had no change on the lives of ordinary
people. At earlier times small professional armies fought the wars,
which means that all the men were especially trained for fighting.
Well, those two wars- World War One and World War Two were different.
Everyone fought them and everyone provided as much help as possible,
it didn’t matter whether the person was skilled or unskilled, old or
young, male or female. In this essay I will also investigate why were
World War One and World War Two called Total Wars. The first thing
that comes to mind is the scale of war. It was tremendous. I am going
to start from speaking about World War One and then later on about
World War Two.
[IMAGE]World War One was a completely new style of wars, the changes
were unbelievable, in fact the historians even see the World War One
as “the dividing line between modern and contemporary history”. The
war didn’t only change the style of fighting, but also the lifestyle
of people and their views on wars. It involved almost the entire
World, and not only the arguing countries were involved, but the
others as well. It involved “the entire population on large scale”. As
I mentioned previously, the scale of war was enormous. There were
about 70 million men fighting from 20 countries. In the beginning
there was no conscription, all the men were volunteers, and in fact
World War Warfare was one of the greatest examples of technological advancement and strategic challenge, with the introduction of inventions such as the aircraft and the tank the battlefield transformed from attrition as scene in the early years of the war to decisive by the end of the war.
Sister Claire Evelyn Trestrail was the eldest of five being born on the 10th of December, 1877 in Clare, South Australia. Trestrail served in the First World War as a nurse following in her mother’s footsteps who was a trained nurse, Acting Matron of King Edward Hospital in Perth and also had involvement within the Red Cross and the Saint John’s Ambulance Services. Trestrail’s younger siblings also had involvement within the First World War with her two younger brothers; John Henry and Amarald Glen, serving in the royal Flying Corps and respectively, 1 Machine Battalion. Amarald was also presented with a Military Medal for Gallantry at Villaret. Sister Ella also served as a nurse, got married, but tragically returned as an amputee. It was only her youngest sister Amy who did not serve during the war.
The United States is the Super Power in today’s world and two reasons for that are the outcome of World War II and how the President at the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt handled conflicts at home as well as overseas. America was going through a very difficult time dealing with the Great Depression and the problem of Germany starting conflicts in Europe where nothing was being done about it. World War II was something America stayed out of for about three years, but when we finally did get involved the “scales” were now tipped in the favor of the Allies due to the American involvement. Also, as shown in World War I when the United States gets involved with conflicts dealing with issues overseas we are very successful and are adamant on becoming victorious. Much like the conflict America is dealing with today in Iraq, although many people do not agree with the war and the grounds for the war I think that our government is doing the right thing. People need to realize that our government would not do anything to hurt the nation or its people because that is just a reflection of the government and the people who run it. They want to be perceived as the super power of the world and would not do anything to hurt that image. Much like Roosevelt helped the United States to appear the Super Power, President Bush is also doing his part by continuing the war on terror and not ending it until he feels we have conquered the men behind the 9/11 attacks.
World War I and World War II were wars fought away from home, but still made a large impact on the people at home. Both wars required a lot of men fighting against the enemy forces, and because of that a lot of supplies were needed in order to sustain the soldiers. This meant that many people at home were heavily impacted by the need of human and natural resources. Specifically how the minorities were affected and what role they played in both the world wars. Many of the minorities faced racial prejudices during this time period, but this did not some of them from wanting to fight for their country.
World War Two (WW2) was one of the most brutal wars in world history and engulfed Europe along with many other powers from around the world. It could be used as an example of total war. The idea of total war is defined as ‘a war that is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used, the territory or combatants involved, or the objectives pursued, especially one in which the laws of war are disregarded.’ Further than this, ‘Total war’ also encapsulates the way in which war affects all aspects of life for those involved and the involvement of all areas of society and a country’s total commitment to destroying its perceived enemies. Under this definition, WW2 can be used as a fairly useful example. More specific aspects of this war which can demonstrate
Wars are good business. They create an immediate demand for a wide variety of materials needed by the government in order to fight the war. They create work opportunities for people that might not ordinarily be considered part of the normal work force. And, while not necessarily good for the soldiers engaged in the fighting, wars are always good for the businesses that provide the materials used in a war. The Second World War was very good for business.
Another dominant historical event was the war on terror in Afghanistan. This war has been classified as the longest war in U.S. history, and it has affected many people. In my case, both the good and bad experiences I faced there as a military member instilled me with a new outlook on life. I now value more what I have and hold dear every moment I can spend with the people I love. The shock waves of large-scale events undoubtedly push society in certain directions, which in turn affects every individual, even on the smallest
World War II could be looked at as an extension of World War 1 due to the weapons and alliances. But World War II is indeed not an extension of World War I for many reasons. Those are stated throughout the alliances. Germany declared war because the Atlantic Charter, U.S got drawn in because Japan bombing Pearl Harbor.
Would the world be different if President Wilson didn’t declare war against Germany? During this time, some Americans were in favor of Wilson committing the United States to the war, but some were not. President Wilson should commit the United States to war because the sinking of the Lusitania, the Zimmerman Telegram and propaganda. This time in history was extremely important because it made a huge impact on the country, it changed the way people lived their lives.
What do the “War to end all wars” and the Second World War have in common, well they are both world wars but what are the specifics? The answer to that will be included in the following text. To start off did you know that (per PBS.org) World War One saw 320,000+ “dough boys” lose their life fighting World War Two had a more than double death toll with 1,000,000+ “GI’s” lives sacrificed? In addition, there was genocide happening on both World Wars with Ottoman Empires killing of Armenians and the Third Reich’s mass killing of Jews in World War Two. In closing the outcome of World War One and World War Two had different endings, World War One saw the Treaty of Versailles, German
The First World War and Why It Wasn't The War to End All Wars The allies, following great losses especially Britan and France, were keen to prevent such a tragedy from re-occuring, they did this by not preventing Germany from rearmaring, they also didn't stick to what they planned to in the treaty of Versailes. Britan and France seemed more concerned with the spread of communism then what Hitlar was doing. Both Britan and France remembered the horrific experences of the first world war. Hitlar believed that Germany would become a great nation again under his rule. People thought that the treaty of Versailles was unfair to Germany, once a proud nation, now under the control of a foreign nation, helpless to do anything to stop.
World War 2 was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945.World War 2 was the deadliest conflict in human history. 50 to 85 million fatalities,most of which were civilians in the Soviet Union and China.It included massacres,the deliberate genocide of the Holocaust,starving,disease and first use of nuclear weapons in history.The Empire of Japan aimed to dominate Asia and the Pacific was already at war with the Republic of China in 1937.Although the world war is generally said to have begun on September 1 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Nazis.
“[B]oth sides had seen, in a sad scrawl of broken earth and murdered men, the answer to the question….Neither race had won, nor could win, the War. The War had won, and would go on winning.”1 These are the words of Edmund Blunden, a British soldier who survived the Battle of the Somme, who came to the realization that nobody could claim victory in the twentieth-century mass warfare, because both winners and losers paid a high price. The new type of warfare launched in the twentieth-century had a great impact on the modern world that went beyond the immediate cost of casualties.2 The psychological, social, economic and technological effect these wars had on those who survived earned this type of conflict a new name: total war, which encompassed all aspects of life. Before 1914, Western society believed in progress, peace, prosperity, reason, and the rights of the individual. During that time, people believed in the Enlightenment, and industrial developments and scientific breakthroughs were a daily reality apparent in the rising standard of living. But World War I crushed all hopes and dreams. It plunged society in an age of anxiety and uncertainty in almost every area of human life. The social impact of total war was also profound. The role of women changed dramatically as the war greatly expanded their activities and changed attitudes towards them. This change was brought about by the total national readjustment and the mobilization of the home front. In order to wage unrestrained warfare, belligerents had to intervene in the economies, diverting production from peacetime goods to the manufacture of munitions and military equipment. Technological advances also took place, which increased the number of “mechanical contrivances”3 such as heavy artilleries, tanks, submarines, and airplanes, which made war an “untrammeled, absolute manifestation of violence”4 as Carl von Causewitz so eloquently put it.
The Great War took place during 1914 to 1918, it was a global war where the world fought the triple Alliance, which was made up of Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy. It was one of the first times in history where every resource and weapon was used against an opposing nation. It completely fulfilled all aspects of a total war, as all civilians, both men and women, were affected by the on-going warfare. Specifically in Britain, where everybody was driven to defeat the triple Alliance. Using their political power, the United Kingdom used censorship, propaganda and established the Defence of the Realm Act to govern all aspects of the country, in order to achieve victory on the battlefield. Hence why, World War I was a total war.
World War 1 World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It has many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War 1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace on the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination, Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia.