War is Unjustified

Since the beginning of human history, war has been an ugly yet omnipresent facet of human existence. The reasons are as innumerable and complex as human nature itself. Nonetheless, after thousands have died, the battlegrounds are decimated, and soldiers and civilians alike are irrevocably changed for the worse, the profits from the war hardly justify the damage that has been done. War cannot be justified because the negative effects on people and the environment far outweigh any advantages gained from war.

No matter the conflict, from the Peloponnesian War to the recent Israeli conflict, thousands of people are needlessly killed. Over the course of six years in World War II, 25 million men, most between the ages of 18 and 25, lost their lives to the treacheries of war. Some were pressed into service by their government, and others fought only as a desperate last resort. This unwillingness to fight is much more evident in such cases as the Vietnam War, during which war protests, draft dodging, and lackadaisical soldiers were common.

Civilians as well as soldiers are almost always additional victims. War time accidents occur, such as stray bullets or misfired grenades, killing innocent bystanders. Sometimes the deaths of the innocent are deliberate. Incidents such as the My Lai massacre, where entire villages were executed for little more than a fleeting suspicion, were common during the Vietnam War. On a much larger scale, more than five million innocent Jews were slaughtered at Hitler's command in World War II, and more than 200,000 people died as a result of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So many people died for little reason more than being citizens of the enemy country.

The environment also suffers as a result of war. As countries step up the mass production of wartime weapons, the earth's deposits of ore must be plundered to meet the increasing demand for metal. The factories charged with the weapons' creation produce an abundance of byproducts, polluting the air and surrounding area. As armies pass through the battlefields, they leave a wake of destruction in their paths. Trenches and discarded weaponry disfigure the land, and the plant life is destroyed by bombs and bullets. Towns are completely leveled, leaving but a pile of rubble in the wake of the advancing troops.

At times, the destruction was deliberate on the parts of the leaders. As General Sherman marched from Atlanta to Savannah during the Civil War, he made a special point to burn and pillage all the towns and cities he encountered. Military resources were especially targeted, but farms and other machinery were not exempt from his devastation. Through his efforts and other effects of the war, the South lost more than two thirds of its former wealth. Later, in World War Two, the targets of the atomic bombs were chosen because "(1) they [were] important targets in a large urban area of more than three miles in diameter, (2) they [were] capable of being damaged effectively by a blast, and (3) they [were] unlikely to be attacked by … August [1945]" . Thus, although the leaders in World War II were careful to choose a city that included a military target, in both that war and the Civil War the military leaders made certain to destroy whole cities for the psychological and economic effects it would have on the opposing side.

War causes a great strain upon all the resources of a nation. The monetary burdens alone, both for preparations and reparations, can cripple a nation for years after the war, as can be seen in the example of post-World War I Germany. In any war, the agricultural production is directed toward feeding the soldiers, so civilians on the home front must deal with rations and shortages. The metal, rubber, and other materials used for weapons are taken out of the nation's economy, driving up the price during and after the war. Combining these influences can cause inflation and shortages well after the war's end.

War does not only produce negative effects on the economy. Many economies are stimulated as a result of the wartime advances in technology. For instance, satellite and space technology developed during the Cold War served as a base for future advancements in the space industry, However, as productive as war might seem in this aspect, pervasive inventions such as the automobile, radio, television, telephone, computer, airplane, vacuum cleaner, and typewriter were not invented as part of war. They were instead the product of simple curiosity and ingenuity.

Another argument in this respect could be that the increased production of goods during World War II brought the United States out of the depression and helped the economy develop into one of the most productive eras the country has known. However, when a similar crash known as Black Monday occurred in 1987, the market was back on its feet within two years. The next war did not start until nearly three years after the crash. Thus, although war helped the economy following the thirties, war is not always necessary for correcting a national recession.

Many of the effects of war last far beyond the time when the fighting ends. The Southern educational system lags behind the rest of the country even 140 years after the Civil War, partially as a result of the damage that delayed development in the region. Also, as the Reconstruction was implemented to help rebuild the South's economy, many corrupt politicians took advantage of the South's weakened position for their own gain. This pattern of extreme corruption in government did not end until nearly thirty years later when the Progressive movement began. Also, many stereotypes are formed and still exist based on a certain country's actions in a war. For instance, although the Cold War finished almost ten years ago, Russians are still generally portrayed as spies in the popular media. Germans still are perceived by some as Nazis, and Asians of all stocks are still subject to discrimination.

There are, however, situations in which countries need to engage in war to protect their rights and liberties. When other countries are making advances towards them, they need to take up arms to protect what is rightfully theirs. There are many people who are willing to sacrifice their time and their lives to defend their families and what they believe to be morally right. However, those making the offensive advances are seldom justifiable in their actions. Most often, the offensive is a result of a desire for power or land, or the belief that the land is rightfully theirs. When the offensive is made to protect the inhabitants of a different country or to aid an ally in the struggle, it is not a true offensive because some sort of conflict must already have been taking place.

Wars are not the only way to resolve conflicts. There are many cases where countries go directly to war without making negotiations. The war is not resolved until a treaty is eventually agreed upon; thus, agreeing on terms before a conflict begins can save lives, resources, and the environment. There are times, unfortunately, when negotiations do not provide the solution. Even though treaties are signed, some leaders do not adhere to the outlined condition. However, after the conflict plays out and thousands die, the leaders are still forced to the negotiation table. The only difference is the amount of human suffering.

When the soldiers returned from war, there were many physiological and psychological aftereffects that they had to deal with. Many soldiers from all eras have returned home missing one or more limbs. In the modern era of chemical warfare, the damages are sometimes much more deadly. Veterans from the Vietnam War have contracted Hodgkin's disease, liver disorders and lymphoma as a result of their exposure to Agent Orange. Gulf War veterans have been ill, some even incapacitated, as a result of their exposure to Iraqi nerve gas during the war. The effects of the wars have prevented many veterans from being fully-functional members of American society.

The psychological effects of war are almost as debilitating as the physiological ones. Many soldiers return home from war traumatized by their repeated exposure to violent scenes of carnage and death. Many find it difficult to cope with everyday situations, and many carry the guilt of having killed another human being. This is especially prevalent following the Vietnam War, where the average age of a soldier was 19. Having been exposed to such horrors while still in their developmental years has stunted the emotional growth of these men and oftentimes has led to lack of ambition and drug addiction.

The destruction of lives that war causes far outweighs any possible benefit it could bring. So many civilizations have crumbled, landscapes decimated, and lives destroyed as a result. So many widows have been made and children orphaned because of a battle in which their husbands or fathers were deemed expendable. So many soldiers have returned to find themselves unemployable, whether through loss of limb, disease, or psychological trauma. Even when the war is fought for noble causes, so many lives are disrupted. In modern times, where the scale of war is thousands or millions of times greater than that of ancient times, the destruction is even more glaring. These annihilating means by which war is accomplished cannot justify its ends.

This paper was written 14 November 2000 by Beth Siler. Please do not use without permission.

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