World War I : a Total War?
- Submitted by: agnesd
- Views: 905
- Category: History: World Wars
- Date Submitted: 03/01/2011 05:27 AM
- Pages: 2
- Report this Essay
We can say World War One was a total war for several reasons. It was a war on many fronts, the armies contained civilian soldiers as well as real soldiers, a war of propaganda and a war in which even women participated.
The war was on many fronts because it was fought on the western front (Germany verses Britain and France), on the eastern front (Germany and Austro/Hungary verses Russia), on the Italian front (Austro/Hungary verses Italy) and on the Balkan front (Turkey verses Britain and Commonwealth). It was also a war on many fronts because it was fought on land, at sea and in the air. On land, the soldiers were mainly in the trenches. At sea, they had new technologies which were submarines they used them to attack during the battle of Jutland in 1916. In the air, the soldiers used planes to bomb people under them. We can also call World War One a total war because in the armies there were three types of soldiers. Firstly, there were professional armies but they were exterminated by 1915. These armies were able to fight well compared to the armies that came later. The armies that came later were volunteers. Some men really wanted to go to war but were not formed for. This was their chance to do what they wanted. However, this did not really happen like most of them wanted and most of them died. The government then had to do conscription in January 1916 to force the men from nineteen to forty years old to go to war. The men which refused to fight were imprisoned, humiliated or shot. World War One was also a war of propaganda. In 1915, since there were no more professional armies, DORA (Defence of the Real Act) censored anti war comments and all the truth about war to make young men want to go to fight for their country. Some teenagers from the age of fourteen said they were older so they could go fight. Another thing that made World War One a total war is that even women participated. In 1914, they brought comforts such as cigarettes or clean and knitted socks...
The war was on many fronts because it was fought on the western front (Germany verses Britain and France), on the eastern front (Germany and Austro/Hungary verses Russia), on the Italian front (Austro/Hungary verses Italy) and on the Balkan front (Turkey verses Britain and Commonwealth). It was also a war on many fronts because it was fought on land, at sea and in the air. On land, the soldiers were mainly in the trenches. At sea, they had new technologies which were submarines they used them to attack during the battle of Jutland in 1916. In the air, the soldiers used planes to bomb people under them. We can also call World War One a total war because in the armies there were three types of soldiers. Firstly, there were professional armies but they were exterminated by 1915. These armies were able to fight well compared to the armies that came later. The armies that came later were volunteers. Some men really wanted to go to war but were not formed for. This was their chance to do what they wanted. However, this did not really happen like most of them wanted and most of them died. The government then had to do conscription in January 1916 to force the men from nineteen to forty years old to go to war. The men which refused to fight were imprisoned, humiliated or shot. World War One was also a war of propaganda. In 1915, since there were no more professional armies, DORA (Defence of the Real Act) censored anti war comments and all the truth about war to make young men want to go to fight for their country. Some teenagers from the age of fourteen said they were older so they could go fight. Another thing that made World War One a total war is that even women participated. In 1914, they brought comforts such as cigarettes or clean and knitted socks...