The concept of war in which entire societies — their economies, populations, and moral resources — are mobilized for the war effort, and the distinction between combatant and civilian is eroded.
Clausewitz's absolute war: the theoretical tendency of war toward its logical extreme — the application of maximum force. Total war as historical reality: in the World Wars, belligerent nations mobilized their entire industrial, agricultural, and human resources. Civilians become targets (strategic bombing, blockade). Psychological dimension: morale as a military resource to be destroyed. Ludendorff's formulation (1935): total war requires subordinating all aspects of national life to military purposes. Marks the terminus of the Westphalian distinction between soldiers and civilians.
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