Abstract:

The practice of war has been transformed dramatically due to the economic, political and social developments which appeared sequentially since "the Age of Revolution," as historian Eric Hobsbawm's expression. In addition to political formation which based on nation-state conception boosted by the 1789 French Revolution, economic and technological developments thanks to the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century are milestones of history of civilization. The technological facilities of the Industrial Revolution increased the state power and its organizational capacity as well as production tremendously. Since the end of the 19th century, while the world was approaching a war because of antagonism derived from imperialistic struggles. The state developed highly effective mechanisms to employ the citizens for war efforts. As well as to control and act of economic sources, to transform citizens into soldiers through education and propaganda are the basis of that effectiveness. Thereby, it emerged a new kind of war practice that could mobilize all population and economic sources for war effort. That practice was called "Total War" and the best versions of that practice are the World Wars, especially the second one. In this article, the emergence of the concept and practice of Total War will be analyzed in a period from the French Revolutionary Wars which based on great facilities of the Industrial Revolution, to the end of the Second World War.

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