Total war is not a new invention. The concept of decimating your enemies by any means necessary, even if it involves harming "innocent" civilians. People as a whole seem to have an innate desire to utterly destroy those we are in conflict also destroys the ability to keep any form of peace. This way of thinking is also called "The Armaggedon Complex" (The Armaggedon Complex)
It is well known that total war occurs, but what is harder to figure out is why. Why do people feel the need to annihilate anyone related to an opposing army?
A good portion of this can be traced to propaganda. The goverment feeds the general population a story about how the country fighting ours is a big, evil villain that needs to be wiped out. That includes anyone who assists their army, after all, if the army is evil, then anyone who supports the army must be evil, right?
Take the current "War on Terror" as an example. The American people want Al Quaeda brought down, and to do so, are willing to bomb towns and villages full of civilians that may or may not be hiding operatives.
Obviously the reasons for committing total war differ from conflict to conflict, and scientists may never know precisely why people in conflict are only satisfied after all potentially responsible parties have been absolutely destroyed, but it is certainly a problem that I feel needs addressing.
Paris Sinett
"The Armageddon Complex: Dynamics of Opinion." jstor.org. 6 September, 2009. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2746165?seq=8
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