Summaries

The history of the development of the concept of total war and its growing escalation of scope and destructiveness.

On-camera host Gwynne Dyer analyzes two centuries of world military history and defines the milestones along the road to total war: the birth of nationalism, conscription, the mobilization of large armies, the invention of the machine gun, tank and atomic bomb, and the deliberate killing of civilians. From Napoleon to Nagasaki, The Road to Total War charts how the social, economic and technological developments of the last two hundred years have made warfare so efficient that it can now destroy us all. Part one of the seven-part series War, hosted by Gwynne Dyer, examining the nature, evolution and consequences of modern warfare.—NFB

Details

Keywords
  • world war two
  • nuclear weapons
  • f rated
  • world war one
  • aerial bombing
Genres
  • History
  • War
  • Documentary
Release date Nov 4, 2007
Countries of origin Canada
Language English
Production companies National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 57m
Color Color Black and White
Sound mix Stereo
Aspect ratio

Synopsis

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