Types of War
Types of War
Types of War
Von Clausewitz defined war as “an act of violence intended to compel our opponents to fulfil our will”
Sorel defined war as a “political act by means of which States, unable to adjust a dispute regarding their obligations, rights
or interests, resort to armed force to decide which is the stronger and may therefore impose its will on the other”.
Wallace defined war to be “the sanctioned use of lethal weapons by members of one society against members of another.
It is carried out by trained persons working in teams that are directed by a separate policy-making group and supported in
various ways by the non-combatant population”.
Deutsch and Senghaas defined war as “actual large-scale organized violence, prepared and maintained by the compulsion
and legitimacy claims of a State and its government, and directed against another State or political organization”.
Types of War
Although all wars are violent, not all wars are the same. In fact, there are many different types of wars, which can be
classified according to which people actually fight, the intensity of the conflict, and the extent of combatants’ use of
violence, among other factors.
Scholars generally describe five types of war:
1. Total war
2. Limited war
3. Guerrilla war
4. Civil war
5. Proxy war
A total war/hegemonic war/general war/world war is a war in which combatants use every resource available to
destroy the social fabric of the enemy. Total wars are highly destructive and are characterized by mass civilian casualties
because winning a total war often requires combatants to break the people’s will to continue fighting. During such wars
entire society is mobilized for struggle and entire society of enemy is considered a legit target. World Wars I and II were
total wars, marked by the complete destruction of the civilian economy and society in many countries, including France,
Germany, the Soviet Union, Italy, Great Britain, and Japan.
A limited war is a war fought primarily between professional armies to achieve specific political objectives without
causing widespread destruction. Although the total of civilian casualties may be high, combatants do not seek to
completely destroy the enemy’s social and economic frameworks. In these wars after occupying the land as aimed, a state
may stop further acquisition and only defend its gains. The Persian Gulf War of 1990–1991 was a limited war in which
the United States and its allies forcibly removed Iraqi troops from Kuwait.
A guerrilla war is warfare without front lines, in the midst of civilian populations, often enjoying the support of the
people. Guerrilla fighters usually seek to harass and punish their enemy to gradually limit its operation and liberate
territory from its control or may be even topple their government. Guerrilla warfare opens doors to banditry, personal
vendettas, sexual violence and lawless behaviour. These wars are often very long but also tend to be successful for the
insurgents as evidenced by Mao Zedong’s victory over Chiang Kai-shek in China in the 1940s, the Vietcong’s victory
over the United States in the Vietnam War, and the Mujahideen’s victory over the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the
1980s.
A civil war is a war between factions within a state trying to create or prevent a new government for the entire state or
some territorial part of it or the aim may be to change the entire system of government or to replace the people in it or split
a region off as a new state. Civil wars are almost always total wars because each side feels compelled to destroy the
enemy’s political support base. Regional rifts, such as the American Civil War between the North and the South. Civil
wars have been fought among ethnic rivals, religious rivals and rival clans. Revolutions can spark civil wars as well. Civil
A proxy war is a war fought by third parties rather than by the enemy states themselves. Many of the militarized conflicts
during the Cold War, such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War, can be interpreted as proxy wars between the United
States and the Soviet Union, neither of which wanted to fight each other directly.