Rachel's Ramblings

War

War is generally fought with the aim of achieving an objective using force.

War – a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations

– Merriam-Webster

War can be fought by a country or group of countries or within a country. Wars have been a part of our history for a very long time, and with the advancing industrialisation and technologies wars have become increasingly destructive.

There is hardly ever a single and clear cause of war. There are normally numerous reasons, that are intertwined in complex ways, for conflict. However, there are eight causes of war: economic gain, territorial gain, religion, nationalism, revenge, civil war, revolutionary war and defensive war.

Firstly, there is economic gain. This is often the cause as greed is a trait that all humans have. A country's wish to take control over another's wealth. There may be other reasons for a war, however there is almost always an underlying economic motive, even if the stated aim of the war is presented as something more noble.

It began, pre-industrial times, with the desire to gain precious materials such as gold, silver or livestock (cattle and horses). Then, in modern times, the resources hoped to be gained from war were oil, minerals or manufacturing materials. It is believed wars will be fought over food and water in the future.

One example of a war that was fought for economic gain is the Finnish-Soviet War also known as The Winter War (1930 – 1940). In this war Stalin and his Soviet Army wanted to mine nickel in Finland, but the Soviet Union waged war when the Finnish refused.

Secondly there is territorial gain. This is when a country goes to war over land, either for living space, agricultural use or other purposes. Territory can also be used as buffer zones between hostile enemies. Buffer zones also relate to proxy wars. These are wars that are indirectly fought between opposing powers in a third country. Each power supports the side which best suits their logistical, military and economic interests. The Cold War is a great example of a proxy war.

The Arab-Israeli War also known as Six Day War (1967 – 1988) is an example of a war that was fought for territorial gain. During that war the Israeli forces took the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, from Jordan.

Thirdly there is Religion. Conflict based on religion often have deep roots, they can lie dormant for decades before re-emerging later. Religious wars can often be tied to other reasons for conflict, such as nationalism or revenge for a perceived historical slight in the past. Normally these wars are as a result of one religion believing they are better than another or the best religion.

The Second Sudanese Civil War (1983 – 2005) is an example of a war fought for religion. This ethno-religious [an ethnic group whose members are also unified by a common religious background.] war was caused by the Muslim central governments choice to impose sharia law on non-Muslim southerners.

Fourthly there is nationalism. Nationalism is the attempt to prove that your country is superior to another by violent overthrow. This often takes the form of invasion. Imperialism and racism can be linked to nationalism. Imperialism is the idea that conquering other countries is glorious and brings honour and esteem to the conqueror. One can see how racism links to nationalism when viewing Hitlers Germany. Hitler went to war with Russia partly because the Russians were believed to be an inferior race by the Nazis.

World War I (1914 – 1918) is an example of a nationalism war. This is because of the extreme loyalty and patriotism caused many countries to become involved in the first world war. Many pre-war Europeans believed in the cultural, economic and military reign of their nation.

Fifthly there is revenge. The seeking to punish, redress a grievance or strike back for perceived slight often can be a factor in waging a war. Revenge can also be linked to nationalism as people who have been wronged are motivated to fight back by pride and spirit.

World War II (1939 – 1945) is an example of a war fought for revenge. The rise of the Nazi Socialist Party and Germanys eventual domination of the European continent were direct results of the Treaty of Versailles, which imposed strict punishments on Germany.

Sixthly there is civil war. Typically, these take place when there is a sharp internal disagreement within a country. These internal gaps often turn into craters that result in violent conflicts between two or more opposing groups.

The Korean War (1950 – 1953) is an example of a civil war. This war was fought between North Korea – supported by China – and South Korea – supported primarily by the US.

Seventhly there is revolutionary war. These types occur when a large portion of the population of a country revolts against the individual or group that rules the country as a result of dissatisfaction with their leadership. Revolutionary wars can easily descend into civil wars.

The French Revolution (1789 – 1799) is an example of a revolutionary war. It was a battle that represented the rise of the bourgeoisie and the downfall of the aristocracy in France.

Lastly there is defensive war. Now a days, military aggression is more widely questioned, countries will often argue that they are fighting in a purely defensive capacity, and that their war is therefore a just war. Defensive wars can be particularly controversial.