Humans are not inherently violent. Yet, much of human history contains many instances of horribly violent acts. World War I, was one of these periods. World War I was fought for many reasons. Assassinations, alliances, imperialism, nationalism and militarism were all major factors that brought the whole world together in a conflict that ended with causalities in the tens of millions. It may be proposed that if the people of the world powers of the time had been more well versed in peace building customs that the war might have been avoided. However, the war seems to stem from a root of greed, which eventually manifested itself in a violent outburst, rather than stemming from a root of ignorance of peaceful practices.
The war itself boils down
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Freud in his response to a letter sent to him by Albert Einstein said that war is an appropriate response method for achieving peace (Freud 177). He says this meaning that eventually there will be created, through wars, powerful government force that will help keep the peace (Freud 177). Others like Gandhi pose a much different view. He says that a thief will stop stealing out of fear of punishment, but that is the only reason he will stop stealing. If the fear of punishment were to go away, he would resume stealing (Gandhi 277-278). Looking at this in light of Freud’s idea it would seem that he proposes more of a false peace. This theory, in this instance at least, puts to rest more or less that war or force is a valid method of achieving peace. Real peace stems from understanding and communication, not from rules, force and craving power. The next idea to come into play is another Gandhian idea. Gandhi proposes the theory that history is only the record of dispute and conflict between people and groups, in other words wars (Gandhi 281). Following this path, it can be reasoned that humans are not naturally warlike. If history is simply a record of dispute it means that when there are no disputes humans are living peacefully, which would seem to indicate that that natural state of living is a peaceful one (Gandhi 281). Assuming this is true that would mean that the major powers of the world in the early twentieth century did not go to war because they were ignorant of peaceful practices because by Gandhian philosophy peace is the norm. This would then mean that whatever drove the societies of the world to war during this time was something foreign from the norm. It would have been something learned at a base level of society. This can be backed up by using the analogy of a tree. The tree does not fall over when its top most branches are rotten, the tree falls
As soldiers went away to war, waving at their family and friends goodbye hoping to see them on Christmas Day, instead were blown across a field, torso and head 50 feet apart. World War One, or the “War to End all Wars”, started when a Serbian terrorist assassinated ArchDuke of Austria Hungary, Franz Ferdinand, on June 28, 1914, which led to disputes and chain reactions of declarations of war between countries. Although this event was said to light the fuse, the big wires that were attached to the bomb consisted of alliances, militarism, and imperialism.
Another main cause of World War I was Militarism. For each country there was a big increase in military and naval forces. For each country there was a big increase in military and navel forces. The policies and government created a big influence on the military men and because of this, force was a alternative as solutions to problems. This is what made militarism one of the main causes of World War I. There was a rise in military influence on policy making after 1907, in countries such as Germany and Russia. During this period of time the German Army was known as a “state within a state”. Everybody in the government such as the parliament and politicians were required to follow the General staff. The war atmosphere was endangered. It was because of the secret alliances and that triggered a armaments race among all the powers. During 1900-1914 the race became very serious and the international situation became much worse then ever before. During these years there was a rise in army and navel estimates. There was so much military rivalry within countries competing for the
Throughout history there has been many conflicts between groups of people that have threatened peace in many nations and regions. One of these conflicts was world war 1 which involved many countries that sided with one another against each other. There were many causes to this conflict that started all the fighting between the nations. Each country has their own view on who's fault it was and if it was handled correctly. This war only caused many casualties and economic problems for countries which could of easily been avoided.
Many people would agree that the Treaty of Versailles cause the war to be inevitable. While there were other factors that could have prevented the war. One cause in particular, was the document that president Paul Von Hindenburg and Baron Tschirschky drafted. Declaring the German people should embrace democracy, president Von Hindenburg army should be independent of politics, a constitutional monarchy with clear separation of power, and abolishing all racial and religious discrimination.
The events leading up to and starting World War One were morally wrong. Firstly, the arms race and the division between the Entente and the Central Powers made war not only unavoidable, but hoped for. The last straw was the assassination of the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, Franz Ferdinand; and the two powers, each waiting for an excuse to finally begin a war started a global conflict. This is a violation of the second criteria for CCC 2309, there had been little use of diplomacy before the two powers jumped to all out war. When the war finally started, the enormous arsenal of weapons that the two sides built up made the war long-lasting and extremely violent. This war also violates the fourth criteria of CCC 2309 with the
There are moments in our history where the citizens of the world stand up and for their beliefs, their honor, and themselves. They come together to reform the existing government that is holding them back from achieving their desired lifestyle. When this occurs, most likely, war is inevitable to follow. When war comes to a country, death and destruction is destined. Leaders and rules change, but the pride of its citizens prevails and becomes
There were many underlying causes that could have been used to lead up to World War I. World War I had many turning points throughout the war. The war took over a huge piece of land and water for each country involved in the war. There were four main causes that have been believed to be the cause of World War I.
World War One, was a catastrophe war that ravaged Europe, ending millions of lives. In 1914, December 24-25, an unimaginable event occurred despite governments trying to cover up but failed. It's called the Christmas Truce, a temporary cease-fire between two enemies; Germans and British who laid down their weapons and enjoy the Christmas holidays.
Was World war one the inevitable outcome of how European politics and society had developed in the decades before its outbreak?
The First World War has established an unforgettable memoir in the history books. World War 1 was a massacre of human life and an important event that determined the present state of the modern world. Yes, World War 1 was inevitable. The foundation of the causes of World War 1 can be traced back to several factors that were building up international tension to the ultimate result of war. In the 1900s, the European countries were extremely competitive in extending their influence around the world. Their competitive nature was motivated by the encouragement of nationalism within countries, the entangled alliances between nations, the arms race and the battle to acquire colonies around the world contributed to the small disputes that exploded
“World War I was not inevitable, as many historians say. It could have been avoided, and it was a diplomatically botched negotiation,” once said Richard Holbrooke, an American diplomat. Many people worldwide agree with Mr. Holbrooke, believing WWI to be a waste of human lives. Known for its ridiculous start, fueled by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, and its huge impact on numerous countries earned it the title of the Great War. Though many people considered it pointless and as a war with many negative repercussions, WWI did lead to some positive outcomes, such as its art. Not only were new movements created, but also new styles of existing forms of art resulted from the war. Because of the different ways that art developed both on and off of the battlefield during the Great War, WWI is one of the most influential wars on the development of art in the twentieth century.
One of the most influential songs of all time, “Imagine” by John Lennon, envisions a world of peace; “Imagine there’s no countries…nothing to kill or die for…imagine all the people, living life in peace.” During the 1970’s the hippy movement was very pro-pacifism and love, however, it ended almost abruptly. This was not the only cultural movement to advocate for peace, Mahatma Gandhi was the strongest advocate for non-violence in the last century, and he was assassinated. But can life really be lived completely peacefully? History has proven that violence is inevitable and that peace, while a beautiful concept, is nothing more than such. Since the beginning of time our race has shown that fighting is inescapable. There must be some reason as to why humans are violent creatures. Ayush Midha wrote an interesting article, “The Neuroscience of Aggression” which attempts to answer this question. Her authoritative work makes the claim that our species has a complex connection and desire for violence. Midha’s main argument is a claim one of cause and effect. All cause and effect claims have very opinionated and debated points of view. This makes her job hard to convince the reader of her standpoint. However, Ayush Midha’s effective use of Toulmin’s argument style makes her position strong and compelling.
Throughout much of the history of civilizations, states have declared war for land, valuables, and resources. In the course of the mid-20th century and the 21st century, ascendant super powers have invaded foreign lands for resources such as oil, and weapons companies have profited from the ongoing cycle of war these super powers promote. The populations of these states have been fed lies vis-à-vis the media; propagandizing these “rogue nations” and promoting an ‘Us vs. Them’ mentality, to garner support for these armed conflicts. War is our primordial instinct, as humans are territorial and aggressive. That is our nature, and by looking at events in our history, one may see that war appears to be timeless and inevitable.
Throughout history there has been competition for resources and domination. This competition has led to conflicts that have caused destruction, social disruptions and death. World War I was no exception to this competition. World War I was known as the war to end all wars and was caused by a combination of factors. Some causes of World War I was nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and the main cause which was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip of Serbia. While the United States attempted to remain neutral and stay out of the war, Germany choose actions that gave the U.S. no choice but to enter and help their Allies defeat the other powers.
2. There are different theories that seek to explain why humans still fight in war. Some of the individual, state and global level theories of conflict are based on: Human Nature or Individual Leaders, States’ Internal characteristics, and Global Level System (Turetzky lec 11). Human Nature arguments for the causes of war are based in Sigmund Freud idea that “aggression is simply part of human nature that stems from humans’ genetic programming and psychological makeup.” Realists also “argue that violence is a product of bad human nature” and that there is not anything to eliminate this bad human habit. I believe that it is true that humans’ nature is composed with an instinct of violence (War). However, society has a lot to do with the expansion of this bad habit. Today aggression is embedded in everything, which enforces our acceptance and practice of violence. Obviously, as realists argue, it is almost impossible to eliminate this bad habit from human nature. In contrast, the individual Leader arguments blame the state leaders for wars. However, we can’t blame a country’s leader for war. The author Stoessinger, stated in his book that a state head’s perceptions are decisive in war (Stoessinger 65). I believe that a leader’s