Editing Total war (section)

==Characteristics==
Total war is a concept that has been extensively studied by scholars of conflict and war. One of the most notable contributions to this field of research is the work of Stig Förster, who has identified four dimensions of total war: total purposes, total methods, total mobilisation, and total control. Tiziano Peccia has built upon Förster's work by adding a fifth dimension of "total change." Peccia argues that total war not only has a profound impact on the outcome of the conflict but also produces significant changes in the political, cultural, economic, and social realms beyond the end of the conflict. As Peccia puts it, "total war is an earthquake that has the world as its epicenter."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.conflittologia.it/rivista-n-25/|title=Rivista n.25 – Rivista Italiana di Conflittologia|date=1 May 2015}}</ref><ref>Peccia, T. (2015), Guerra Totale: interpretazione delle quattro dimensioni di Stig Förster ed il radicalecambiamento della società post-conflitto, Rivista italiana di conflittologia, pp. 51–65.</ref>

The four dimensions of total war identified by Förster are:

1) Total purposes: The aim of continuous growth of the power of the parties involved and hegemonic visions.

2) Total methods: Similar and common methodologies among countries that intend to increase their spheres of influence.

3) Total mobilisation: Inclusion in the conflict of parties not traditionally involved, such as women and children or individuals who are not part of the armed bodies.

4) Total control: Multisectoral centralisation of the powers and orchestration of the activities of the countries in a small circle of dictators or oligarchs, with cross-functional control over education and culture, media/propaganda, economic, and political activities.

Peccia's contribution of "total change" adds to this framework by emphasising the long-term effects of total war on society.

5) Total change: This includes changes in social attitudes, cultural norms, and political structures, as well as economic and technological developments.

In Peccia's view, total war not only transforms the military and political landscape but also has far-reaching and long-time implications for society as a whole.<ref>https:// www.conflittologia.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Rivista-n-25-completa.pdf</ref><ref>Peccia, Tiziano (2015). 'Guerra Totale: interpretazione delle quattro dimensioni di Stig Förster – Il radicale cambiamento della società post-conflitto', Rivista Italiana di Conflittologia, no. 25, pp. 51-65. ISSN 1971-1921. Stampato per Cuam University Press Edizioni Labrys.</ref>

Actions that may characterise the post-19th century concept of total war include:
* [[Strategic bombing]], as during [[Strategic bombing during World War II|World War II]], the [[Korean War#Bombing of North Korea|Korean War]], and the [[Vietnam War]] (Operations [[Operation Barrel Roll|Barrel Roll]], [[Operation Rolling Thunder|Rolling Thunder]] and [[Operation Linebacker II|Linebacker II]])
* [[Blockade]] and [[siege|besieging]] of population centres, as with the [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] [[Blockade of Germany (1914–1919)|blockade of Germany]] and the [[Siege of Leningrad]] during the [[Blockade of Germany (1914–1919)|First]] and [[Blockade of Germany (1939–45)|Second]] World Wars
* [[Scorched earth]] policy, as with the [[Sherman's March to the Sea|March to the Sea]] during the [[American Civil War]] and the Japanese "[[Three Alls Policy]]" during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]
* [[Commerce raiding]], [[tonnage war]], and [[unrestricted submarine warfare]], as with [[privateer]]ing, the German [[U-boat]] campaigns of the First and Second World Wars, and the United States [[Allied submarines in the Pacific War|submarine campaign against Japan]] during World War II
* [[Collective punishment]], pacification operations, and [[reprisal]]s against populations deemed hostile, as with the execution and deportation of suspected [[Communards]] following the fall of the 1871 [[Paris Commune]] or the German reprisal policy targeting [[Resistance during World War II|resistance movements]], insurgents, and [[Untermensch]]en such as in France (e.g. [[Maillé massacre]]) and [[Pacification actions in German-occupied Poland|Poland]] during World War II
* [[Industrial warfare]], as with all belligerents in their respective [[home front]]s during [[Home front during World War I|World War I]] and [[Home front during World War II|World War II]]
* The use of [[civilian]]s and [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] as [[forced labour]] for [[military operation]]s, as with Japan, USSR and Germany's massive use of forced labourers of other nations during World War II (see [[Slavery in Japan]] and [[forced labour under German rule during World War II]])<ref>{{cite book |title=On the Road to Total War: The American Civil War and the German Wars of Unification, 1861–1871 (Publications of the German Historical Institute) |page=296 |date=22 August 2002 |publisher=[[German Historical Institute]] |isbn=978-0-521-52119-2}}</ref>
* Giving [[no quarter]] (i.e. take no prisoners), as with [[Hitler]]'s [[Commando Order]] during World War II