War

War in Global History

Understood as the violent conflict between territorial authorities, wars have been arguably the most important factor in the creation of the contemporary global order. In the millennia-long process of their development, wars have evolved in ways that have rewarded certain forms of social organization and particular means of violence. One may trace the advancing social sophistication of human [Page 1756]organization through the increasing lethality of war, and one may trace the distribution of global power through the capacity of some societies to more effectively use the political means of destruction. War and global civilization go hand in hand.

The origins of war are the subject of considerable dispute. On the one hand, some argue that war is a universal characteristic of social groups beyond a minimum level of social complexity. On the other hand, some argue that war arises only in particular social, historical, and geographical settings. By consensus, however, we see indication of activities we may call war as early as 10,000 BCE and the concurrent development of urban centers, or ones allowing for the coexistence and coordination of thousands of people. Sidestepping the irresolvable question of how “natural” war may be for human beings, we may note that wherever we see the rise of political units beyond the level of tribal organization, we see war. Whatever the causal order involved, political authority and war are intrinsically linked. The social phenomenon of war helped define the rooting of political authority in control over territory and its fundamental expression in the use of violence. More broadly, the architecture of cities, the rise of monotheistic religion, the hierarchy of gender, and the centrality of private property, to name a few base institutions, are all linked to war.

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