Historical factor
Total war and attrition
Total war and attrition describes a recurring pattern in which prolonged, large-scale conflict drains an empire's manpower, finances and social cohesion faster than they can be replenished. Even victorious states could be fatally weakened by such struggles. The German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed under the strains of the First World War, the Swedish Empire was exhausted by the Great Northern War, and the Empire of Japan was ground down in the Pacific War.
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Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Total war and attrition. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/total-war-and-attrition
- MLA
- “Total war and attrition.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/total-war-and-attrition. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Total war and attrition.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/total-war-and-attrition.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Total war and attrition’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/total-war-and-attrition (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻