First total war

Historian David A. Bell refutes the idea of the 20th century as the century of total or world war. He shows that the phenomenon has much earlier origins, dating back to the age of muskets, cannons, and sailing ships. It was in Napoleonic Europe that current Western notions of war and peace became latent. Between 1792 and 1815, the continent was on the brink of collapse: France alone accounted for nearly a million war deaths. In an unprecedented process, the conflicts of the era brought significant changes to the territory and political system of each European state. These changes establish a crucial relationship with today's world and help us understand warlike behavior throughout the West.