Ending Total Warfare With a BANG: The Atomic Bomb

The age of total warfare faced an abrupt ending with the closing of World War II. With the success of the Manhattan project, a weapon of power beyond comparison arised: the atomic bomb. Although the idea had been thought of before by many, no nation had actually completed the weapon and used it in a battle. Although the A-Bomb has only been used twice in combat (Hiroshima and Nagasaki), it functioned as a deterrent ever since, as no country was willing to risk having it used against them. In 1949, the Soviet Union succeeded in detonating their own atomic bomb, meaning that the monopoly the United States once had was officially over. With two opposing nations sporting this sort of destructive power, wars were forced to change in nature. What followed in the next war was a unique shift in not only how wars are fought, but who fights them.

In the next few wars, the major players are in the background, instead of in the front lines. With the Truman Doctrine, the United States promises aid to any country fighting against Communism (in essence). In the meantime, the Soviets want their system to expand. In other words, the US did not fight the USSR, it provided the USSR's enemies with means to fight those who were backed by the Soviets. Although some of these are really well known, a large amount of support is forgotten. Most seem to forget that the United States backed the mujahedeen (spelling varies)  fighters in the Afghan civil war, in order to keep communism out, demonstrating the "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" characteristic of this time. 

It is somewhat ironic that a weapon of mass destruction became the largest factor in stopping total warfare, in the end. However, when the best predicted outcome of a fight is mutually assured destruction, people are hesitant. The pot just wasn't high enough to justify the all-in. Instead, the big players were now just dealing the cards in order to favour those they desired. Warfare had changed.

Little Boy, the bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima, August 6, 1945