Scorched Earth Policy - Term Paper Example

Britain, Germany, and the United States were able to develop strong weapons and hasten the process of industrialization.

The primary goal of the scorched earth policy was to starve the enemy by denying them access to resources that might be used in the war. After exhausting the weapons at hand, the enemy had no alternative but to surrender to the enemy because they could not recharge their weaponry and military forces. The effectiveness of the scorched earth policy was guaranteed because the modern methods of food preservation by the military had not been invented. This implied that the forces had to depend on direct food and weaponry supplies.B. Its Toll on CiviliansThe scorched earth policy had a significant toll on civilians.

The scorched earth policy aimed to ensure that the area where the enemy is likely to attack had almost nothing that could benefit them as food or weaponry. This overlooked the fact that the areas had the indigenous people who did not participate in the war (Pollard, & Iain 12). The destruction of all the beneficial resources in the environment appeared as a way of killing all forms of life in the region. Eventually, the indigenous people starved for lack of food, water, shelter, and other necessities.

At the same time, their food crops on the field as well as their livestock were destroyed by the military forces. The scorched earth policy led to the outbreak of diseases, hunger, famine, and deaths of the indigenous people (Meiring, Elizabeth, & Dan 4). The military forces also burned vegetation and other resources that could be used as food. This had a significant negative impact on the people. It led to the destruction of soil, making the regions unsuitable for crop production. In other words, although the policy targeted the enemy by attempting to deny their resources for survival, it tended to overlook the indigenous people.

The death of the native population was not taken as significant as the death of military personnel of the allies and those of the enemies. Eventually, the native people were forced to look for alternative means of survival. Others migrated to other areas with favorable environments for agriculture. The scorched earth policy positively benefited the militaries that used them but had a disastrous impact on the enemy and the people residing in the particular area.