69 Tal Tovy Aspects of Total War in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings A wide variety of factors influenced the writing of Tolkien’s masterpieces. Numerous studies have noted Tolkien’s experiences as a young junior of- ficer on the Western Front during the First World War, and some have dealt with them in great detail. 1 The horror of war, the futility of trench warfare, the routine of bombing and sniping, the diseases and pests, the ravages of the weather, the loss of brothers in arms, and over and above everything else, the death of his close friends from the TCBS group. All had an influence on Tolkien as he approached the writing of The Hobbit, and the effects of his experiences continue to reverberate throughout the pages of The Lord of the Rings. The effect of this war on Tolkien and his writing is beyond doubt (Carpenter 80-86; Jones 47-48). Nevertheless, this chapter argues that these books were written within a broader historical context, caused by the fundamental transformation in the character of war as it became ‘Total War’, which Tolkien indeed experienced both as an individual, but also as part of a collective belonging to Western civilization. Furthermore, it is important to remember that Tolkien began writing his books in a climate of increasing political radicalism in Europe, as the politics of the 1920s and 1930s drew their inspiration from the legacy of the First World War. The vast structure of 19 th century civilization was buried in the trenches of the Western Front, Eric Hobsbawm writes, adding that the 20 th century cannot be understood (and it is possible to argue that neither can the beginning of the 21 st century) without understanding the First World War, and that Western civilization continued to live and think in terms that were influenced by that war (Hobsbawm 22). During the 19 th century the nature of war changed, from limited wars between European houses of royalty to total war between nations and peoples. War ceased to be a caprice of rulers in their pursuit of dynastic ambitions and imperial 1 See in particular the comprehensive book by Janet Brennan Croft, War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Westport: Praeger, 2004.