Total war is a concept that involves not just the soldiers fighting in the war, but the whole country/society contributing in some form or fashion. One major way this occurs is through mass conscription of soldiers and civilian involvement. Civilians can contribute through rationing their food, working in war production industries, and purchasing war bonds. On the Western Front, vast trench warfare saw a great number of civilians be conscripted and sent to fight. While this was similar on the Eastern Front, Russia was dealing with some internal strife that made it difficult for total war to come to fruition. The United States had a brief involvement with total war in WWI, but it did adopt some of its concepts such as rationing food on the homefront, drafting men into the war, and passing anti-espionage acts that would have everyone on the look out for the enemy/spies.

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