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10/7 Post

In this Zinn chapter, the role of war in a country’s success is analyzed.  It is hard for me to believe that a war is good for a country, but after reading this chapter I feel that I better understand why war is so prominent throughout history.  If a war is supported by a large proportion of people, then the war could be effective in uniting a country under one common goal.  Zinn’s argument behind Wilson trying to find a way to get into the war is very interesting.  The United States of America entered the war over something so irrelevant when looking at the impact of joining the war, so it definitely makes me wonder if Wilson used the minor German submarine attack as a way to start a war and save the American economy.  I also find it interesting how war has played a war in politics.  I believe a war decision should not have anything to do with politics, because political games should not be played when deciding whether or not millions of people need to die.

The crash course on World War I expresses the point that European countries found a sort of glory in going to war.  I believe this connects very well to our in class discussion about exceptionalism.  People of a country would definitely feel stronger about participating in a war if they thought their country was the best.  This leads me to believe exceptionalism can be very dangerous.  A government would feel more inclined to go to war if it was known that the people would fight for the cause no matter what.  This can prove to be detrimental to society, because of the excessive amount of wars that would be started.  I also find it very interesting how wars can be traced back thousands of years.  There is a cause and effect to everything that is done throughout history, so it is difficult to truly blame one person or country.

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3 Comments

  1. Christopher Wilson Christopher Wilson

    I found it interesting how President Wilson and the rest of the federal government reacted to the American people when they refused to support America’s involvement in WWI. To hear of the legislation that Congress passed and the organizations founded to punish those who did not want to contribute to the war effort was disheartening. In a way, it made me think: Are we no better than the German Nazis who also punished and persecuted non-Jewish Germans, some of whom ultimately opposed German sentiment against Jewish people?

  2. William Coben William Coben

    I believe the german military attack a United States’ ship is worthy of war because that is an attack on the safety and well being of American citizens. Secondly, I respect and hear your point about the separation of war and politics, but I simply don’t believe that is possible as the people declaring war are the same ones that run governments around the world and have to factor in politics into their decision making.

  3. Christina Glynn Christina Glynn

    I found it shocking the different political games that were being played that resulted in the death of millions of people. I think it is hard to point fingers and to blame one person for the lives of millions of people. Many different people and motives contribute to the start and continuation of war.

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