Did the second world war, more so than the first world war, exemplify the character of "total war"?
Singapore Armed Forces2023
Magazines
Total copies: 1
In this essay, the author contends that World War Two (WWII) exemplifies the concept of Total War more than World War One (WWI) through the larger scales of military and economic mobilisation, as well as the deeper level and impact of civilian victimisation. The author presents his argument in three parts. First, he discusses how the scale of military mobilisation and complexity of WWII was markedly higher than that of WWI. Second, he assesses the cost of war and allocation of war economy as well as the relationship between military actions and economics of the key players. Lastly, the author then assesses the impact that each war had on the non-combatants of the war, as part of military and political actions.