David Bell argues that the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars that followed should be considered the first total war rather than those that came after convincing that the war laid economic, social, cultural, and political problems for many years which is an indication of total war. The war was so violent that it overthrew the strong and proud monarchy which was an alarming and shattering blow to European monarchies. According to David Bell, they took control of larger military forces and it became easy to generate weapons thus equipping a larger percentage of forces. The UK is portrayed as one of the biggest single manufacturer of firearms during the period distributing most of the firearms used by the Coalition powers during the entire conflict.
France was the second nation in the production of firearms providing for its own immense forces and also distributing to the Rhine Confederation. The French also distributed the armaments to other allies. Bell considered this war as the first total war because it occurred in full and at a gruesome extent. These wars should be considered the first total wars as they involved invasion of ideas, nationalist propaganda, and war of ideas. Above all, in the time of Napoleonic and French Revolutionary wars, propaganda was a fundamental aspect of victory. The twentieth century is seen as the century of total war, but David Bell as a historian argues that the incident had begun earlier during the era of sailing ships, muskets, and cannons.
Bell holds campaigns in Spanish cities, battlefields, and other European battlefields where many people died within a single day. This is the time when, according to Bell, that particular attitude towards war was born. This dazzling analytical history depicts war as conclusive and fought without mercy and limitation.
