The past and our
present
A long story
When we see or read international
news, they often describe violent acts committed by a group of people against
another group in some part of the planet. These actions provoke strong
reactions among us: sometimes of horror, of indignation, of incomprehension. In
any case, the images of war, explosions, acts of violence, men and women
beloved or armies of children are spread throughout the globe and cause great
embarrassment in many people.
But
war is not a matter only of the present. In our schools, in our history classes,
we learn about the wars of the past and their repercussions on the history of
nations and the world. Without going very far: Mexico would not be an
independent nation had it not started a war against Spain; likewise the
revolutionary struggle of 1910 was also a bloody warlike confrontation that
claimed the lives of many Mexicans. For some countries, warlike confrontations
are the main theme of their history as a nation.
War
has existed for thousands of years; there are even some who maintain that it is
inherent in humanity. According to these arguments, human beings (particularly
younger men) have ties to violence and aggression. These have been organized
socially in an organized way.
The war represented with an Assyrian warrior |
Villages
with simple social organizations attacked their neighbors to take prisoners and/or
to avenge the death of the members of their communities. The best warriors
gained prestige and fame, so all the young people aspired to imitate them.
Frequently war is associated with power, heroism and nationalism. For 5000
years we have had historical testimonies of the battles between armies of
different empires and the conquests carried out by powerful sovereigns. The
representations of these wars have been reflected in art. In engravings,
sculptures and paintings it was common to portray kings and sovereigns with the
different attributes of power: sword,
armor, horse and crown.
Heroism
is another element that is linked to war, principally with soldiers, generals and
commanders. An example could be the Native American chief warriors Crazy Horse or Sitting Bull, both this men won important battles in favor of their
peoples against the armed forces of the nation that we now know as the U.S.
Many of the heroes of our own country fought against Spain to achieve
independence and that is the reason we respect and honor them.
Usually,
we celebrate the heroism of soldiers or warriors who go to war and are willing
to risk their lives for their country or for a cause they consider fair for
their people. Often, the admiration we feel for them is fueled by the memory of
past wars or by nationalism.
War
and power
Countries that
declared more wars between 1945 and 2005
|
|
Country
|
Number of wars
|
United Kingdom
|
22
|
France
|
19
|
The United States of
America
|
17
|
In the 21st century, war is still
associated with power; therefore, the most powerful countries in the world are
the ones that do the most wars.
Contemporary
wars, like those of the last centuries, have had two main objectives: to
dominate other people in their towns or countries and to conquer new territories.
These two elements are also the fundamental objectives of political groups of
many nations. That is why a famous war theorist, the German soldier and writer Carl von Clausewitz, wrote in his book On War (1816-1830) that "war is politics continued by other means".
Countries with the highest military spending in 2016
|
||
Country
|
Billions of dollars expenses
|
% of world spending
|
United States of America
|
611
|
36%
|
China
|
215
|
13%
|
Russia
|
69
|
4%
|
Saudi Arabia
|
64
|
4%
|
India
|
56
|
3%
|
In
the 21st century, for example, the United States is the most
powerful country on the planet because it is capable of imposing its will on
the entire world through the means of weapons. Only this country spends 36% of
all the money that goes to the acquisition/construction of weapons and armies
in the world.
Their troops
are active in 170 countries stationed in military bases and check points around
the world. In one way or another, this country has been involved in all the
major international conflicts of recent years.
US
ships navigate the world’s oceans, ensuring that the trade and military routes
essential to their economy are kept open for them. They also dominate the air
and near-Earth space, where their spy and communication satellites are the most
numerous and powerful.
Other
global powers, such as Russia, China, also spend immense amounts of money to
maintain and build their armies. Thus they hope to defend their power in the
world and counteract that of the United States in the process.
The types of wars
In summary, we can define war as a
violent and prolonged confrontation between two sides or armies in which one
seeks to defeat and dominate the other; sometimes, even, exterminate them.
Within this definition, however, several types of war can be distinguished.
In decreasing order of magnitude
are:
- · The world wars that faced great alliances of countries all over the world, or that confronted powerful empires with their enemies.
- · International wars between independent nations.
- · Civil wars between political parties or human groups within a nation.
- · The wars between nations and smaller populations that live in their territory as can be conflicts with the indigenous population.
- · Local wars between human groups or small groups
War and Peace
Another way to define war is as the opposite of peace. In turn, we can understand peace as a state in which people and groups within a country do not use violence to resolve their disagreements, and in which countries do not resort to it to resolve them.
In theory, the difference between war and peace is absolute. When two nations decide to wage war, they must declare it legally. After this the fighting starts. Then, when the conflict ends because one of the two parties has triumphed over the other, or both agree to stop the hostilities. Ideally, there is a peace treaty that restores calm between both parties and resolves the conflict that provoked it.
In peace there are no conflicts or differences, but these are resolved differently: through law and dialogue. Throughout history there have been great international meetings whose objective has been to create peace agreements; These, through international law, have put an end to the great wars and have laid the foundations to maintain the status quo (or the original state) of modern nations. However, many powerful countries continue to produce countless weapons in the event of a war coming.
When there is a state of war between
two countries, they use the greatest force they have to defeat their enemies.
In warlike conflicts, the one that has more soldiers wins, but especially the
one that can use more lethal weapons. Thus, the history of war is also the
history of progress.
Countries with nuclear weapons
in 2017
|
|
Country
|
Number of estimate weapons
|
Russia
|
7000
|
The United States
|
6800
|
France
|
300
|
United Kingdom
|
215
|
Pakistan
|
140
|
India
|
130
|
Israel
|
80
|
North Korea
|
10
|
From the nineteenth century and
especially in the twentieth century, this arms race reached its maximum
development. In the Civil War of the United States (1861-1865) new weapons were
used as powerful cannons and submarines. In addition, the combatant armies
attacked the civilian population in the first "total war", which
involved some and others. In the First World War (1914-1918) combat aircraft,
tanks and chemical weapons (mainly poisonous gases) were used. In the Second
World War (1939-1945) massive city bombers, rockets and the atomic bomb were
used.
This last instrument, the first
capable of destroying all of humanity, set the limit of armament, because it was
difficult to invent something worse. it also reduced the number of wars,
because the danger of any confrontation ending in a nonclear combat was too
high.
Therefore, during the Cold War
(1948-1989), the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR) never fought directly. However, the threat that the war between these
countries could produce the total destruction of humanity caused fear among the
inhabitants of the planet
-
Federico Navarrete, Eulalio Rubio, Álvaro Vázquez, Edith Llamas, Secundaria Infinita Historia 1, Ediciones Castillo, México, 2017. pp. 32-36.
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