Total War and Limited War Can you think of any wars in history that would be con
ID: 3491957 • Letter: T
Question
Total War and Limited War
Can you think of any wars in history that would be considered 'total wars?' Why are they total wars? What characteristics about the conflict, or conflicts, that you picked make it/them definable as total war?
Can you think of any wars in history that would be considered 'limited wars?' Why are they limited wars? What characteristics about the conflict, or conflicts, that you picked make it/them definable as a limited war?
Now think about and answer this: Does vast amounts of money and technology necessarily mean a side fighting limited war can defeat a smaller and poorer enemy fighting total war? Tell me what you think and find an example in history to prove your points.
Explanation / Answer
Total wars are characterized by unrestricted use of weapons, trespassing the territory to achieve goals of destruction and manslaughter and a disregard for the laws that govern war. During the 19th century many wars were fought which may be called as total wars, like-
Although modern historians say that total wars are a part of conflict between industrial countries, at times intertribal wars also come under this category, where one tribe defeats the other tribe.
As opposed to total wars, there are limited wars. Limited wars are characterized by being limited geographically and use of limited resources in terms of manpower, money and intentionality. Examples are- Crimean War, Falklands War, Korean War and Vietnam wars. NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Gulf war I and Gulf war II, Afganistan war etc.
When two sides or nations fight, long term destruction in terms of money, manpower and resources is inevitable. The side which is more powerfull exerts a pressure on the weaker side to use all their resources for fighting and may be winning. In such a case the destruction is so massive that it takes decades by the lost and weaker nation to bounce back to the initial state. This is detrimental to not only for the resources but also to the psyche of people residing in that nation. It takes years and years for them to overcome the loss and strive and thrive again.