Who first used total war?

The modern concept of total war can be traced to the writings of the 19th-century Prussian military strategist Carl von Clausewitz, who denied that wars could be fought by laws.

Where was total war first used?

The first use of the term by German mathematician Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742-1799) seems to point in this direction, as he used it in his letters from England to Heinrich Christian Boie (1744-1806) in the years between 1775 and 1778 in conjunction with other phrases such as “total battle” or “total campaign.”

Who used the total war strategy?

Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman believed that it was necessary to break the South's will to fight. Sherman summed up the idea of total war in blunt terms: "We are not only fighting hostile armies," he declared in 1864, "but a hostile people, and must make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war."

What was the first total war in history?

World War I is often referred to as the first "total war." People at the time used this term to describe the size and devastation of the war. It helped them understand how the roles of soldiers and civilians became difficult to separate.

When did total war become a thing?

Two years into the World War, both Allied and Central Powers suffered devastating military and civilian losses. Confronting the reality of total war and grimly determined to see it through, 1916 was the year of great battles.

The History of Total War

Who used total war in the Civil War?

Shermans place in American History. While these two campaigns are controversial, Shermans application of total war was operationally necessary to achieve the Unions military end state of ending the Civil War, as supporting operations to Lieutenant General Ulysses S.

Was total war used in ww2?

Examples of Total War

One prime example of the use of total war in the modern world is the actions of the United States against Japan in World War II.

What was the first war fought by total war economies?

World War I was a 'total war' that involved the governments, economies and populations of participating nations to an extent never seen before in history. This was distinct from how wars had been previously been fought.

When was total war first used in the Civil War?

The idea of total war was first applied to the Civil War in an article about William T. Sherman published in the Journal of Southern Historyin 1948: John B. Walters's "General William T. Sherman and Total War."⁵ After this initial use of the term, it was quickly adopted by T.

Was ww2 the first total war?

World War II was even more deadly that World War I. More soldiers and civilians were killed than in any war before it. The impact on civilians in particular in terms of death, destruction and displacement also made it more of a total war than that of 1914–18.

Who was the general most responsible for total war?

Later life of William Tecumseh Sherman

Sherman was one of the ablest Union generals in the Civil War. He saw that conflict in its broadest strategic terms, and his March to the Sea is generally regarded as the first example of the use of total war in the modern era.

Did the Civil War use total war?

The American Civil War has been classified by some historians as a “total war." 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.” The war was not only fought on distant battlefields in which soldiers remained widely ...

Did Germany use total war in ww2?

Summary. The Second World War has commonly been portrayed as the foremost example of total warfare, while Blitzkrieg has been seen as the form of warfare that Germany waged between 1939 and 1941.

What wars used total war?

Total wars have occurred throughout history and include the third Punic War, the Mongol Invasions, the Crusades and the two World Wars.

Who declared total war in ww2?

The Reich Plenipotentiary for the Total War Effort (Reichsbevollmächtigter für den totalen Kriegseinsatz) was a position created by Adolf Hitler, the Führer ("leader") of Nazi Germany, on 23 July 1944 for Joseph Goebbels, who was also at the time the regime's Propaganda Minister.

Was the US in total war during ww2?

The United States, which had the world's 18th largest military in 1939, mobilized itself for total war production almost overnight once the nation entered the war. The immediate conversion of peacetime industries into war production facilities involved companies of all sizes and types.

Did Germany use total war in WW1?

By 1915, all major combatants had implemented a condition of 'total war', meaning that civilian economies were harnessed to supply and arm forces in the field. Backed by the nation's strong industrial sector, the German military held its own on both the Western and Eastern Front.

Did Lincoln use total war?

“It was Lincoln, Grant, and the Civil War that incorporated total war into modern experience,” asserts Charles Strozier. He adds that “the totality of the modern state seems to require unconditional surrender as a necessary correlative of its total wars.

What city did Sherman not burn?

William Tecumseh Sherman chose not to burn down the city of Savannah. Sherman sought approval from Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, then in command of all Union armies, and President Abraham Lincoln for his plan to march his army of 60,000-62,000 soldiers from Atlanta to Savannah.

Whose doctrine led to the total war concept?

The modern concept of total war can be traced to the writings of the 19th-century Prussian military strategist Carl von Clausewitz, who denied that wars could be fought by laws.

How is total war different than most wars fought before WWI?

In a state of total war, there are no limits to the weapons used, the territory or combatants involved, or the goals. Total war is considered the most extreme form of warfare because both civilians and soldiers are targets.

Did the Civil War make the country better or worse?

The Civil War confirmed the single political entity of the United States, led to freedom for more than four million enslaved Americans, established a more powerful and centralized federal government, and laid the foundation for America's emergence as a world power in the 20th century.

Has the US ever been in total war?

Sherman's March to the Sea in the American Civil War – from November 15, 1864, through December 21, 1864 – is sometimes considered to be an example of total war, for which Sherman used the term hard war.

How many total wars were there in the Civil War?

Although over 10,500 military engagements occurred during the Civil War, it is generally accepted that there were 50 major battles of the Civil War, with about 100 other significant battles.

Who is the strongest total war?

The Exiles of Khorne take the prize as the strongest faction in Total War: Warhammer 3. Despite their lack of ranged and magical options, the armies of Khorne sweep the field with their devastating melee abilities.