Causation in Global Conflict
As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power,
war is inevitable.
—German-American Physicist Albert Einstein (1945)
Learning Objectives
- I: Explain the relative significance of the causes of global conflict in the period from 1900 to the present.
The 20th century saw significant changes to the global order. At the beginning
of the century, the West dominated the global political order. However, the First and Second World Wars resulted in a power shift within the Western political sphere from Western Europe to the United States. These global conflicts also resulted in the emergence of new states around the world as independence movements ended the colonial relationships that existed in the previous century.
The Ottoman, Russian, and Qing empires that had existed at the beginning of the century all collapsed due to internal decay and political revolutions. Other areas of the world also saw political upheaval as nations struggled with both economic depression and calls for greater democracy. Often, though, totalitarian governments emerged out of these political and economic crises.
Sections
Political Causes of Global Conflict in the 20th Century
Economic Causes of Global Conflict in the 20th Century
Effects of Global Conflict in the 20th Century
Reflect
REFLECT ON THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION
1. Causation: Relative Significance of Causes How can you determine which causes were more significant than others? First, recognize that a cause must be an event or set of conditions that make it more likely an outcome will occur. Then ask yourself these questions to rank the relative significance of causes—that is, which causes were most important in bringing about an outcome.
• Is it an underlying cause or one closer to the surface? (Either can be more important.)
• Was it one of several causes that had about an equal effect?
• Was it part of a chain of cause and effect in which the effect became a cause for another effect before the final effect was achieved?
Choose one of the causes of global conflict and evaluate its relative
significance in generating or producing conflict.
2. In one to three paragraphs, explain the relative significance of the causes of global conflict from 1900 to the present.