To What Extent Was the First World War Either a Total War or a Limited War?

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To what extent was the First World War either a Total War or a Limited War? “If we don't end war, war will end us”. It is human nature to fight. Either for survival, hate or power they all have the same devastating consequences. Throughout this essay I will be analyzing World War 1 as a total or limited war. After deciding upon one, I will support my ideas with facts and thoughts of my own opinion. It is hard to decide whether World War 1 was actually a total or limited war as a whole because every war has different characteristics that must be taken into consideration in order to judge the final outcome. For example the countries involved, resources used, weaponry, and how many individuals were part of the war out of the whole population. Having this said, I will say that WW1 as a whole was a limited war. The main reason for why I believe this is because not the entire world took part on this war. Most of Africa was controlled by European countries and they were referred to as colonies at the time, but in reality that country is not taking part in the war since it is being controlled by a European power. Countries like the United States and Japan which were independent got involved on their own. Other than that, the main countries fighting were those around the Triple Entente and those centered around the Triple Alliance. Other countries around the globe were neutral during this war and did not take part in it. Another reason why WW1 was not a total war is because not all countries used up all their resources to fight or to produce the needs. Most of the countries in the Allied powers, already had their military resources established for example, which could alleviate the tension of having to produce weapons and military supplies quickly as the demand increases. The British had the strongest navy years before WW1 began which allows them to use the
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