Ideas of Total War From Napoleon to Now

¶ … warfare in the Napoleonic era fundamentally similar to warfare practiced today?

No, warfare in the Napoleonic Era is fundamentally different from warfare practiced today.

While the Napoleonic era introduced brought civilians to the war front, this is fundamentally different from warfare today, because warfare practiced today takes the war to the civilians.

While warfare in the Napoleonic era inspired civilians to fight guerilla-style against the encroaching armies, this style was different from today's warfare, which is based on the idea of Total War -- first exampled in the Civil War in Sherman's March to the Sea and later in WW2 with the firebombing of cities in Germany and the total destruction of civilian populations in Japan.

Point # 1 Topic Sentence: Napoleon did not practice Total War in the same fundamental way that it is practiced today.

Napoleon introduced the notion of mass conscription, but this was an act of bringing civilians to the war -- not an act of taking the war to the civilians as is done today.

Thus, Total Warfare in the Napoleonic era simply referred to the expansiveness of the war -- the idea that all parties are involved.

III. Point #2 Topic Sentence: Technology has changed since the Industrial Revolution, which has caused Total War to be practiced in a much more precise and destructive manner: there is no need for conscripted armies when bombs are more than effective.

Napoleon's armies required manpower, but today's armies require technical power.

Napoleon did not deliberately target civilian populations. Today's armies do target civilian populations as part of a logistical strategy.

IV. Point #3 Topic Sentence: Napoleonic armies battled each other for possession of ground; today's armies are part of a much grander, larger strategy of war that incorporates economic warfare as well as cyber warfare (along with the threat of decimation of civilian populations and infrastructure) in its strategy.

Napoleonic warfare typically took place on battlefields outside civilian populations.