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The definition of total war is war with all a nations power - economic, population, diplomatic, scientific - dedicated to the military effort. Usually this means that your opponent is attacking you in all these areas as well.
Of course, in reality no nation can mobilize 100% of their national power into a war effort, so the euphemism 'total' is inaccurate.
Nonetheless, in WWII several nations made huge efforts at total war. Probably the USSR and Japan were closest to achieving the goal. Food rations for non military workers was below starvation level in the USSR. In Japan the food situation deteriorated rapidly during the war and reached a similar level by 1945. All other civilian supplies were in near total absence. One example: Japanese civilians were given an annual cloth allotment during the war that amounted to about one good sized American towel. This was not even enough to patch ragged clothing.
Britain also had a high level of organization - non-military personnel were moved out of the the country (children by the thousands were sent to Canada), historic buildings were ravaged for metal to feed the blast furnaces, attacks against German civilians were rampant, duplicity and Propaganda reined supreme in the diplomatic corps at it had in WWI.
Next among major combatants would be Germany. Germany never achieved the level of militarism found in Japan or the USSR. They only began to match Britain late in the war. For example: Even in the last year of the war Germany was still manufacturing many tons of wall paper, a total waste of effort in a military campaign.
Italy scarcely mobilized at all and was thus a drag on the military efforts of Germany from the start. The incredible disorganization, corruption, crime, and just plain sloppiness of the Italian economy and military created one military disaster after another. Example: Despite a large merchant marine and sizable navy, Italy could not even adequately supply a handful of divisions in north Africa, ultimately leading to the collapse of that Axis campaign.
In the USA there was a lot of output and the nation was well organized. However, the USA had so much slack economic capacity at the start of hostilities (1941 for the USA) that it took a long time to begin using some of it. As such, the USA was never fully engaged in the war to the extent that Britain, Japan, or Germany were. Additionally the USA was lone among combatants in having long distances to travel to the fighting fronts. As such the USA was never able to engage the large numbers of troops in combat as compared to Germany, the Soviets, or even Japan. Example: Exemptions to the military draft were common, with men able to avoid service for reasons that would have been deemed laughable in Germany, Russia, Japan, or even Britain.
A total war is one in which the entire resources and population of a nation are utilized to fight the enemy -military, economic, political and cultural. As the entire population is contributing towards the war effort, total war also involves targeting the entire population of the enemy in order to reduce the overall effectiveness of a nations overall war effort.
Examples from WW!
British naval blockade - starve the German population into surrender.
Air raids and naval bombardment of civilian targets by Germany
Conscription of troops for armies (all countries)
Conscription of women for war work on the Home Front (Britain)
Unrestricted submarine warfare, attacking all ships, including merchant and passenger ships (Germany).
High taxes to pay for the war (there was a 70% profits tax on all British companies in WW1).
Total war is when a country utilises all of its resources (economic, human labour, military) for a war effort. World War II was a total war for most of its participants, including Britain, Russia, Germany, Japan, USA and Australia.
Notably, Germany did not enter a state of total war until 1943. This was because they expected a short war, based around their Blitzkreig strategy of 'lightning war'.
For one total war is a term used when a country was contributing all of its resources to the war. Second countries from all over the world were involved in the war including all the superpowers and many of the smaller countries. (Brazil, United States, England, Japan, Russia, Australia and etc.)
Because when World War 1 started everything went to a total disaster, a lot of people got stuck and a huge chunck of people got killed from ww1. So that war will keep on pur hearts and every day we to will remember the couarages soilders
Assuming you are talking about the American civilians. Every US citizen (within reason) did something productive for the war. Either by joining the military, working in factories or even just cutting back on what they bought. (to leave more for the troops)
as the war dragged on, it became evident to all involved that an industrial war required total commitment; or total war
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What did the war become once participating countries began devoting all of their resources to the war effort?
World War or Total War .
Why World War 2 is called the bloodiest war?
Because WWII had the most bloodshed total, meaning its had the highest death total of any war ever.
What is the estimate of the total dead wounded and missing from World War I?
There were about 300,000 million casualties in world war 1.
How many soildiers died during World War 2?
The total Military Deaths during World War 2 is about 25.45 Million. This is 36% out of the total deaths during World War 2. The rest were civilian deaths.
Why is total war and how does the term apply to World War 1?
Total War means that it is wat against not only the military of each country, but also against the civilians.
The first total war in world history was what?
world war 1
In what ways might World War 1 be seen as a progressive war in America?
World war two was used for power.
Will they make a World War 2 Total War?
Maybe later but Shogun 2 Total War is coming out.
Were there one or two events that could have led to a total war in world war 2?
WW2 was a total war.
Was World War 1 a 'total war' for the US?
yes.
Total war Italy?
This question is too vague. Please resubmit your question with more specifics about Italy and total war. World War 2 was a total war for Italy.
Who invented total war?
Total War originated during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon Bonaparte is credited with its development. Total War was also used in the American Civil War and World War I & II.
What is the term total war and give a specific example from World War I?
World War 1 is an example of Total War. Total War is a conflict between two or more countries when all of their military and economic resources are employed to the destruction of the oposing country.
When did the total war begin and end?
Modern total war is best signified by World War I and World War II. However, before the term total war was developed the same concept did exist, as seen in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as with the American Civil War. It was not until the 20th century that total war was recognized as a distinct category of warfare.
What was total war in World War 2?
50-72 Million
In what ways did the US remain undecided about which side to support in World War I?
In what ways did the US remain undecided about which side to support in world war 1?
What were three ways that the war affected peoples day-to-day lives?
Rationing, propaganda and total war
