The Idea of War

War in the 20th Century Starter:)  1.Please write a list of wars which have occurred in the 20th century.  2.How many people have been killed in wars during the 20th century?  3.What major economic/political ideology dominated European national agendas in the late 19th century?

And the answers are…  We will get to this in a moment.  According to Milton Leitenberg of Cornell University 231 million people have been killed.  Expansion, Empire building and resource extraction from non European/western nations.

Count the Conflicts  On a separate piece of paper and a neighbor identify as many conflicts as you can from the provided sheets.  How many?  Shocked by how many you don’t know?

Some points to consider for the year  Despite the incredible number of conflicts humanity has engaged in during the 20th century, we will be reduced to studying only a few.  However, we are not doing a war study class, nor are we focusing on battle history. Instead the IB history course is interested in three main ideas the Causes, Practices and Effects of particular conflicts in various regions of the world. Likewise, the course is interested in how various historians depict theses causes, practices and effects so we can gain a depth of historiographical perspectives.

Points to consider continued  As we study consider who compiled the research and how the “facts” have been determined.  Likewise, attempt not to isolate events in your mind. You’re not memorizing facts about 1 historical event, you are looking for relationships between policy, people, ideals, and processes which have contributed to conflict or created peace during the 20th century.

Last but not least…  Despite the title this is not “American History.” In reality this is a course on 20th century world history. Therefore, don’t be surprised when America is not the central focus of my lessons.

Philosophical ideas of war  What is war?  Thoughts?

Some wise words on war  Cicero – “a contention by force”  Hugo Grotius – “war is the state of contending parties, considered as such”  Thomas Hobbes – “by war is meant a state of affairs, which may exist even while its operations are not continued” – i.e. war is also an attitude  Karl von Clausewitz – “war is the continuation of politics by others means”  Jacques Rousseau – “War is constituted by a relation between things, and not between persons... War then is a relation, not between man and man, but between State and State...”

Continued…  Rationalist Theory – assume to be an orderly affair in which states are involved, in which there are declared beginnings and expected ends, easily identifiable combatants, and high levels of obedience by subordinates  This theory does not deal well with pre-state or non-state peoples and their warfare  Heraclitus – “war is the father of all things”  Voltaire – “Famine, plague, and war are the three most famous ingredients of this wretched world... All animals are perpetually at war with each other... Air, earth and water are arenas of destruction.”

Continued  Daniel Smith - war is an active conflict that has claimed more than 1,000 lives  Oxford Dictionary – “any active hostility or struggle between living beings; a conflict between opposing forces or principles.”  Root of English word ‘war’, werra, is Frankish- German, meaning confusion, discord, or strife  It is difficult to pin down an exact definition because the nature of war, and therefore the philosophy of war, is constantly changing. The 20th Century witnessed unprecedented changes in what causes war, how wars are fought, and how wars end (or don’t end).

Societies and religious ideals of war War has been conducted by every community and in every part of the world at some time. Although, a universal phenomenon; various societies and religious communities have differed in their interpretations and justifications for engaging in warfare to solve problems.

Vedic traditions  The oldest documented discourse justifying war is found in the Mahabharata; a Vedic scripture of India. In this text two brothers discuss if the “suffering of war can ever be justified.” This is dated 400B.C.E

The Greeks  Discussed the necessity of war in “Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian war.”

St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas  Wrote extensively on war in particular the “Just war theory”  This argument was created to justify Christians defense of the Holy City after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Islam  Within the Quran as well as the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), there are specific regulations limiting the conditions for and the manner in which a war is fought.  According to the Hadith Muslims may engage in war to defend their land/territory. However, while engaged in combat they may not kill women, children, destroy livestock or the farms of the enemy.

Is war justified?  Work with the people beside you or individually to compile a list of reasons war is either justified or not.  Class will have a brief debate discussions about war being justified or not.

HW  For the next class please write a short response arguing if and when war is justified. At least a half page.