The Advancement of War The industrial revolution and the great inventions that were growing out of it were to make possible the rapid deployment of huge armies over great areas. Modern total war was first presaged, not by dramatic technical advances, but by the revival of what is now called the ideological element of conflict. This came with the French Revolution and the wars it generated. The history of war then marked time for most of the 19th century. Despite the wartime propaganda that colored postwar studies, World War I was probably not a war over basic ideological issues. Nevertheless,