Total War and the United States, 1860-1950

Amanda Nagel, School of Advanced Military Studies

The concept of total war has and continues to fascinate both scholarly thought and popular culture in the United States. After World War I, the term total war was coined to describe the destruction and decimation associated with that war. Many people have an idea of what total war is, or should encompass. Scholars have argued for decades as to what exactly constitutes the definition of total war, which conflicts fall under that definition, and why other conflicts are excluded from bearing such a label. In this course, we will examine multiple conflicts the United States took part in, as well as one European conflict during the time frame of the course. Our purpose is to determine what total war means, which conflicts are defined by this terminology, and why others are not.