Was World War One a total war? Why? Why not? The First World War of 1914-1918, also known as the Great War, was the first total war in history. What began as a European struggle over the balance of power between the triple alliance of France, Britain and Russia on one side and the central powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary on the other, soon became a global conflict that involved the imperial powers of Europe, their colonies and lands such as the Ottoman Empire, Japan and the United States. Although the sheer number of countries involved in the conflict is enough to describe the First World War as a mass war, what makes it total is the fact that it was waged not only against the enemy’s armies, but also against the civilian population. Military attacks, the use of propaganda and the fact that governments had to mobilise every available human and material resource for the conduct of war affected non-combatants and made World War One a war not fought between armies, but entire societies. Civilians became targets of warfare because their efforts were crucial to the outcome of the war. While fifteen million soldiers died , untold millions suffered off the battlefield. One weapon that had a major effect on warfare in 1914-1918 was the submarine. Since all Britain’s supplies were seaborne, enemies such as Germany resorted to starving the population by destroying British supply ships. The British also found it an effective tactic to blockade supplies to Germany, starving the German war economy and population. Air raids were also a reality for citizens and the general populace had to be ready for the enemy to strike at any time. Attacks were not always so random. An Armenian woman tells of her experiences of being taken from her city with her children, knowing that she was going to be killed - “I was in the last caravan to leave the city; we knew they were leading us to our deaths…there was a well wide open where the executioners immediately threw the women they were stabbing.” This is an example that shows how women and children suffered in a conflict that many did not understand or want to be a part of. The use of propaganda and the war of words between belligerents played a big part in making the First World War total, as “the orgy of killing on the battlefield took place against the backdrop of an orgy of loaded words.” The government and press were able... ... middle of paper ... ...d be directly or indirectly involved in the war – if not physically involved in battle, they could be emotionally affected by the use of propaganda or manipulated by misleading information. Finally, the First World War was waged with armaments that require entire economies to produce them. This means that the war was total because non-combatant involvement in the war effort was essential. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bentley, Jerry H. & Ziegler, Herbert F., Traditions & Encounters, (New York, 2003). Demm, Eberhard, ‘Propaganda and Caricature in the First World War’, Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 28, No. 1. (1993), pp. 163-192. Hobsbawm, Eric, ‘The Age of Total War’, Age of Extremes, Michael Joseph, 1994. 21-53. Marquis, Alice Goldfarb, ‘Words as Weapons: Propaganda in Britain and Germany during the First World War’, Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 13, No. 3. (1978), pp. 467-498. PRIMARY SOURCES Lines of Fire. Women Writers of World War I, edited by Margaret Higonnet (New York, 1999): Gadarinee Dadourian, ‘A Mother’s Deportation’, pp.280-1. Mike Iavarone, “Trenches on the Web: Posters from the Great War,” http://www.worldwar1.com/posters.htm#ger
In 1914, with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife from Austro-Hungarian Empire caused an enormous war called World War I, that killed and injured about thirty million lives. It also destroyed the economy later on. World War I changed combat tactics in a whole new way, where people would die in a blink of an eye. Commanders and soldiers did not know about the capabilities of their new arsenals. The new industrialized developed weapons devastated the battlefield with blood, mountain of corpses, and small craters. Some of the weapons that were used were machine guns, poison gas, mortars, and tanks. Soldiers described the battlefield as a nightmare. This was the start of a new era arising through warfare. A very dangerous way to bring great change to the world but was not intended. World War I brought great changes to the world but, considering the countless deaths, it was the worst war ever, an inhumane war.
Source: “Wheeler book, Chapter 5”. I chose a few images that would support my statements as well as give the reader some images to improve the image of propaganda during World War 1.
Wars have been around for centuries. A typical battle was fought on land. The infantry would line up and fire at the advancing enemy. World War I was first called "the Great War" because of the number of lives lost (Coetzee 11). There were approximately nine million deaths over the course of the four years the war lasted (11). World War I began because of the assassination of "Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne" (17). Tensions were high and war seemed the only solution (17). The alliances in Europe were well formed by the time 1914 arrived (17). "The Central Powers" were "Germany and Austria-Hungary" (Westwell 8). "The Triple Entente" were "Britain, France, and Russia" (8). All of the countries and citizens believed in the cause of the war from the very beginning (9). That enthusiasm would quickly change once the introduction of new weapons and strategies were revealed (9). Every country involved was seeking ways to improve on the resources they needed to fight, and hopefully win the war. None of the countries involved wanted the other side to have a military advantage over the other (7). World War I had technological inventions such as machine guns, poison gas, tanks and submarines, which changed the strategy of war. The outcome of these inventions resulted in more death and destruction than previous wars.
During the early 1900s a new era of warfare emerged as governments began to employ all economic, technological and psychological resources available to defeat their enemies. This concept of Total War altered the direction of humanity and governments understanding in their allocation of resources. This essay will examine the relationship between propaganda used during World War I, its effect on the masses and the absolutely essential need for the success of such campaigns in obtaining military victory. While leaflet propaganda used during the war will be the main focus, considerations will be given to other forms to illuminate the necessity of understanding and utilizing the tools of this very powerful weapon.
Fyne, Robert. The Hollywood propaganda of World War II. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1994. Print.
In the most destructive war in the history, propaganda became a new way of attempt to influence in a huge manner a notable percent of public opinion by using media or any alternative via of communication. Somehow, in World War II the known term ‘’propaganda’’ started to present negative connotations. In Germany this new way to express information among the population was invented by the Nazi’s which name given was ´´negative propaganda.’’ The Völkischer Beobachter, that means, ``People´s observer´´, serves as an example of Nazi´s ideology to disturb human’s minds in order to make them do something they did not felt comfortable doing. Perhaps newspapers were established in many territories that were conquered during the war, Nazi’s journalist made negative propaganda tending to persuade. Hitler, in contrast, was a great speaker. His oratory was his major and most powerful weapon, a factor in his rise.
World War I, also known as the Great War, is one of the most significant wars of the 20th century. It began on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918, which resulted in over 4 years of bloodshed and turmoil. This war, which was fought mainly in Europe, caused over 17 million causalities. World War I was one of the deadliest conflicts known and documented in American and European history. WW1 involved two groups known as the Central Powers and the Allies. Many countries located in various parts of the world were involved in the Great War; however, each country's involvement differed. The countries with most significant involvement were Austro-Hungary, Serbia, Russia, Germany, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Ottoman Empire,
By 1917, World War I was the most brutal conflict that had ever been seen on the world stage. It was no longer a war that only involved the European powers, but also countries from all over the world including the United States. During the war, the total number of casualties reached over 37 million and over eight million lives were lost (“WWI Casualty and Death Tables” 1). The extremely high number of casualties was mostly caused by new developments in warfare technology. One of the most well remembered weapons of World War I was mustard gas. Mustard gas caused the soldiers’ skin and internal organs to blister and could be fatal, but could take anywhere from a week to an entire month to claim the lives of its victims from the inside out. Mustard gas has gone down in history as one of the most dreaded elements of the war. This horrific example of chemical weaponry is just one of the numerous amounts of new warfare technology used during the First World War, including other types of chemical weapons, machine guns, bombing techniques, airplanes, submarines and radio.
Cross, D.W. "Propaganda; How Not to Be Bamboozled." Mackillop, James and Donna Woolfolk Cross. Speaking of Words; A Language Reader. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1982. 184-193. Print.
During 1914 the use of propaganda along with poetry created a means of influencing the minds of society to believe that the war was
World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It had many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail.
World War I, commonly referred to as “The Great War,” began on July 28, 1914. It lasted four years and ended with the signing of peace treaties on November 11, 1918. This war was a battle between the Allies and the Central Powers. The main members of the Allied Powers were France, Russia, and Britain. In 1917 the United States joined the Allies due to Germany sinking The Lusitania and killing many Americans on board. The main members of the Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. Most of the war was fought primarily in Europe and the Middle East. After four years of fighting, the Allies won, but sadly, approximately 19 million people lost their lives.
Curnalia, Rebecca. "A Retrospective on Early Studies of Propaganda and Suggestions for Reviving the Paradigm." Routledge 5.4 (2005): 237-257. Web. 14 Jul 2010.
If we define “Total War” as a type of warfare that affects and involves every part of a society, then World War I can be argued to be the first attempt by military and political leaders to engage in such a conflict. Modernity was at Europe’s door thus leading to the inventions and innovations that would allow for war on a scale, and of a scope, that had never before been considered. Yet, it was not the fact that these innovations and technologies existed, or that specific conflicts necessitated war, but rather that the political and military elite, coming out of an age of pompous militarism, made decisions based on previous experiences and not on future possibilities. These decisions had an adverse affect not only on the outcome of the war politically (as far as treaties and borders were concerned), but it affected individuals at a grassroots level creating a subsequent era of distrust, listlessness, and eventual aggressive feelings creating the perfect storm out of which Nazism could rise.
5) Talcott Parsons, "Propaganda and Social Control" (1942). Francis Merrill, New York Problems of War Society, (pp. 46).