Final answer:
The concept of 'total war' describes a conflict that mobilizes all resources of a nation, targeting both military and civilian resources to achieve complete victory. The Boer War showed aspects of total war, such as scorched-earth policies and civilian internment, but the term is more typically associated with the widespread societal involvement seen in World War I.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term total war refers to a conflict where all of a nation's resources, including civilian and military, are mobilized to achieve a complete victory over the enemy, without distinction between military and non-military targets. The Boer War, also known as the Second Boer War, is considered by some as a representation of total war because of the extensive measures taken, such as the British employing a scorched-earth policy and creating concentration camps for Boer civilians.
However, the concept of total war is more commonly associated with the conflicts of the 20th century, especially World War I, where total war involved entire societies in the war effort, and the combat intruded regularly on civilian lives.