Resolving Conflict: War Versus Peace
Throughout history, mankind has struggled to maintain a balance between war and peace. Individuals are continuously attempting to maintain peace, yet they struggle with the prominent reality of conflict and war. Historically, English thinkers have surmised that conflict is an inert quality, yet some think otherwise. Additionally, many people question whether peace or war is more effective in dealing with conflict. More recently, the Modernists—especially George Orwell—have focused their attention on the debate of violence versus peace through the examination of historical events, such as World War I and The Cold War. However, most humans can agree on the fact that peace triumphs over war; all people …show more content…
In his book 1984, the protagonist, Winston, lives in a society controlled by conflict and the inescapable shadow of violence. In Orwell’s fictional, futuristic community, the leaders of society—The Party—convince the public that the country is at war. Whether or not this is true, the Party employs this tactic of never-ending violence to “provide safety” to its citizens. The Party believes that concentrated violence will result in the safety of the majority. In light of the recent wars, Modernists shared this novel belief that conflict would provide safety. Like Thomas Hobbes, Modernists believed in the importance of security of their own over the safety of …show more content…
During this war, “the world underwent what at the time and afterwards has been seen as ‘paradigm change’” (Dedring). The main theme of the war was: resolving violent conflicts by peaceful means. In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev took the reins of power in the Soviet Union and fought for the end of communism, the end of global imperialism, the end of European conflict, and independence for Soviet republics. The end of the Cold War saw the liberation of all of Eastern Europe, thus expediting the integration of nations. Once the battle had ceased, military confrontation between the global “superpowers” dissipated, removing the threat of nuclear annihilation. This international liberation freed all of mankind of a major psychic and physical menace (Dedring). Ever since the First World War, Europe had been traumatized by the fear of war. Some Europeans—mainly the Modernists—became more cynical about resolution, and saw unethical violence as a path to safety. However, the Cold War transformed the nation’s views. Thousands were relieved after decades of paralyzing fear, renewing hope for a more peaceful future. After the Cold War, several nations saw peaceful negotiations as a possibility to resolve conflicts. This revolution of 1989 envisioned a more harmonious and stable global community. In order to resolve international affairs, this newly found unanimity opened the door for peaceful interstate
Throughout history, mankind has struggled to maintain a balance between war and peace. Individuals are continuously attempting to maintain peace, yet they struggle with the prominent reality of conflict and war. Historically, English thinkers have surmised that conflict is an inert quality, yet some think otherwise. Additionally, many people question whether peace or war is more effective in dealing with conflict. More recently, the Modernists—especially George Orwell—have focused their attention on the debate of violence versus peace through the examination of historical events, such as World War I and The Cold War. However, most humans can agree on the fact that peace triumphs over war; all people …show more content…
In his book 1984, the protagonist, Winston, lives in a society controlled by conflict and the inescapable shadow of violence. In Orwell’s fictional, futuristic community, the leaders of society—The Party—convince the public that the country is at war. Whether or not this is true, the Party employs this tactic of never-ending violence to “provide safety” to its citizens. The Party believes that concentrated violence will result in the safety of the majority. In light of the recent wars, Modernists shared this novel belief that conflict would provide safety. Like Thomas Hobbes, Modernists believed in the importance of security of their own over the safety of …show more content…
During this war, “the world underwent what at the time and afterwards has been seen as ‘paradigm change’” (Dedring). The main theme of the war was: resolving violent conflicts by peaceful means. In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev took the reins of power in the Soviet Union and fought for the end of communism, the end of global imperialism, the end of European conflict, and independence for Soviet republics. The end of the Cold War saw the liberation of all of Eastern Europe, thus expediting the integration of nations. Once the battle had ceased, military confrontation between the global “superpowers” dissipated, removing the threat of nuclear annihilation. This international liberation freed all of mankind of a major psychic and physical menace (Dedring). Ever since the First World War, Europe had been traumatized by the fear of war. Some Europeans—mainly the Modernists—became more cynical about resolution, and saw unethical violence as a path to safety. However, the Cold War transformed the nation’s views. Thousands were relieved after decades of paralyzing fear, renewing hope for a more peaceful future. After the Cold War, several nations saw peaceful negotiations as a possibility to resolve conflicts. This revolution of 1989 envisioned a more harmonious and stable global community. In order to resolve international affairs, this newly found unanimity opened the door for peaceful interstate