total war

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total war

military

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 15, 2024 • Article History

Key People:: Carl von Clausewitz; Erich Ludendorff

Related Topics:: strategy; limited warfare

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total war, military conflict in which the contenders are willing to make any sacrifice in lives and other resources to obtain a complete victory, as distinguished from limited war. Throughout history, limitations on the scope of warfare have been more economic and social than political. Simple territorial aggrandizement has not, for the most part, brought about total commitments to war. The most deadly conflicts have been fought on ideological grounds in revolutions and civil and religious wars. The modern concept of total war can be traced to the writings of the 19th-century Prussian military strategist Carl von Clausewitz, who denied ...(100 of 470 words)

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