Continental powers suffer vastly higher casualty rates in war because most fighting occurs on home territory, particularly if they lose, exposing civilian populations to no sanctuary from combat; comparing World War II statistics, maritime powers (Britain, United States) suffered far fewer military and especially civilian deaths than continental powers (France, Italy), with the difference growing sharply when civilian deaths are included.

causalpending

Speaker

Sarah Cozad Payne

Evidence Quote

when you compare Britain and France the uh Britain and the United States the two Maritime Powers with France and Italy by some statistics uh they suffer less... if you add in civilian deaths the difference between the maritime deaths and the Continental deaths just Skyrocket... in the Continental World a a lot of the fighting happens on home territory particularly if you lose so you have your citizens have no Sanctuary

Source

NWC 2025 INS Lecture - Dr. Sarah Paine: Geopolitics, Cold War Lessons and the Way ForwardU.S. Naval War College
Created: 8/11/2026, 7:04:38 AM

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