Dyer Reading - Mass War to Total War

Essentially, the evolution of mass war to total war occurred around World War I, when technology drastically changed the way battles were fought. With the introduction of technology, war developed into having more casualties, both in the military and civilian populations. The change also occurred (especially) in World War II, when civilian casualties outnumbered military casualties, a key quality of a total war.

 In a mass war, the goal isn't specifically to annihilate a foe, but to battle until a conclusion is finally reached. Civilian populations would barely feel the cost of the war if at all, and the territory their homes were on wouldn't change hands. But with the introduction of total war in World War I, the brutality of the war severely increased. Technology introduced machine guns, tanks, artillery shells and aircraft, all of which led to the dramatic increase of the devastation of the war. 

Lets not even talk about how bad World War II was. Between the Holocaust, Blitzkrieg, air raids and nuclear bombs, the total war of World War II involved civilian populations much, much more than it had in World War I.  With twice as much civilian dead than military dead, World War II had a much more catastrophic impact on the world than any other war before.