Violence and Modernity: War 2. Social costs and scars of war (achievements?)
As we have already seen the costs, scars and consequences of war are inseparable from its other aspects. We have been looking, for example at its interaction with the modern state. War is at the core of modern citizenship and the developing ideologies – especially nationalism – are geared to uniting people to fight. War is a, arguably the, main raison d’etre of the modern state.
Impacts associated with war economic development Technological, medical and scientific development Cultural/psychological impact Political manipulation Social change (gender roles; weakens class) Engenders revolutions Destroys empires and economies
Impacts 1 Economic Development Victory can strengthen a country’s economic grip by defeating a rival – classic example is Britain vs France Seven Years’ War and beyond Imperialism and imperial state War makes state a leading investor and/or customer War (and space) spending has a ‘Keynesian’ effect on economy ‘Military-industrial complex,
Impacts 2 Technological, medical and scientific development
Impacts 3 Cultural/psychological impact Enormous impact of war on culture high and low Goya and war painting from Napoleonic period From figurative to abstract art – music Tchaikovsky to Stravinsky – Painting - Kandinsky
Goya – Executions of the Third of May 1808
Goya Il Colosso
Goya from The Disasters of War
Salvador Dali Soft Construction
Robert Capa Death of a Loyalist Soldier 1936
Impacts 3 Cultural/psychological impact Enormous impact of war on culture high and low Goya and war painting from Napoleonic period From figurative to abstract art – music Tchaikovsky to Stravinsky – Painting - Kandinsky
Kandinsky 1908
Kandinsky 1912
Kandinsky 1919
Kandinsky 1923
War Movies kI kI
Political Manipulation Chauvinistic military campaigns to influence elections (Falklands factor) French imperialism in N.Africa Bismarck
Social change gender roles; in mass warfare women move into ‘male’ civilian roles at work (what happens when the surviving men come back?) weakens class – ‘all in it together’
Rosie the Riveter (US WWII)
Ministry of Labour/ RoSPA UK 1943
British Women Workers WW2
Engenders Revolutions Russian Revolution Chinese Revolution – People’s Liberation Army, Long March, Yunan Period
Destroys Empires
Final Thought Wars rarely solve problems – They transform one set of problems into a new, and often unpredictable, new set of problems. 1 st WW nd WW 2 nd WW ---- Cold War ‘War on Terror’ ---- War on Radical Islam