Was World War one a Total War? Why? Why Not?

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 deathsÐ'...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 to manipulate public opinion during the war using words as tools to inspire national spirit, breed hatred, sacrifice, courage and endurance. Such propaganda included posters asking people to "Wake up America! Civilisation calls every man, woman and child!" A British poster that emphasises the involvement of the total population in the war effort shows different kinds of people engaging in war responsibilities Ð'- men at battle, women in the workforce making uniforms, men making weapons Ð'- and it asks "Are YOU in this?" This kind of all-embracing propaganda had the aim to brainwash whole nations. The combination of the public's thirst for information about the war and various governments' urgent need to mobilise entire civilian populations for the war effort led to a moulding of the public's thinking through the printed word. In Germany, for example, the military had the right to censor the press and any information that could distress the people was suppressed, while unfavourable news about a situation on the front was passed over silence, delayed or toned down. This was the same in Britain and France. The First World War was total because propaganda and censored news were used as weapons that could reach whole populations and intervene into everyday lives. Even though not all people were physically involved in battle, even children could look at a newspaper or propaganda poster and feel the impact of war through words that evoke fear, sadness, anger or give the urge to join the army.

The First World War was total because every area of the economy was focused on one aim - the complete mobilisation of all forces for war. All belligerents faced the task of clothing, feeding, housing and arming millions