World Wars and Culture

Wayne Lee on Cultural Perceptions of Violence

Wayne Lee asserts that cultural perceptions of violence pose a greater danger than any brand-new weapons. What makes him believe that? To bolster your response, use at least two instances from Lee’s chapter on warfare and culture.

German Strategic Culture

Some nations had created a strategic mindset that was violent and life-threatening. German strategic culture was considered dangerous because it was linked to the institution thread of the army. The Germans’ culture drove them to carry out their military activities even after they were labeled as dysfunctional. (Lee 6).

US Strategic Culture

The strategic mindset prevalent in the US has also increased the danger of violence. Lee (5) acknowledges that the US strategic culture contributed to the establishment of operational trends that had been applied in the military. This led to ultimate violence.

Cultural Consequences of Neurasthenia (Shell Shock)

What were some of the cultural consequences of neurasthenia (shell shock)?

The shell shocks greatly dismantled the ability of soldiers at war. At the initial stages, the disease was not recognized, and many of the soldiers suffered silently to the point of death. Shellshock made most of the soldiers be removed from the battlefield. Other soldiers were found exhibiting great tremor and their ability to fight had dwindled. These victims suffered traumatically, and they were weakened by every shell that could be thrown. The research by medicals found that some of the soldiers encountered shell shock directly and while others were controlled by great fear since they lacked batter field experience (Marlowe).

Eksteins on World War I as a “Single Most Significant Event”

Why does Eksteins feel that World War I was the “single most significant event” in the development of our life in the fast lane?

The World War 1 greatly changed the western culture style of living and impacted heavily on the culture of most countries. Eksteins (68) argues that Britain and Germany nearly controlled the world economically and militarily. German was militarily powerful and was ranked as world class. However, the First World War disrupted the scalability of the Western countries and led to the introduction of centralized governments. The USA emerged powerful over the Western countries that had dominated the world with additional power and threats. The communism greatly dwindled from the majority of the Western nations, and the spirit of self-determination was installed across countries.

Germany’s Militaristic Nature in World War I

Germany is often called the most militaristic of the belligerents in World War I. What elements of their society might explain this?

German had adopted the total war strategy where they used their advanced technology to strengthen their fight (Eksteins 156). The German engaged the civilians, belligerents, and even the neutrals in the fight (Eksteins 167). Germans had a spectacular style of arranging its soldiers in different western fronts, and this gave them an added advantage over their rivals. The great invention of using the flamethrowers and skilled operations in handling the marine warfare favored the German side (Eksteins 157). These were rare inventions adopted by other countries, making Germany compelling. In essence, the brutal fight by Germany has been regarded as a total fight.

John Keegan on the Mystery of World War I

John Keegan makes the following statement: “The First World War is a mystery. Its origins are mysterious. So is its course. Why did a prosperous continent, at the height of its success as a source and agent of global wealth and power and at one of the peaks of its intellectual and cultural achievement, choose to risk all it had won for itself and all it offered to the world in the lottery of a vicious and internecine conflict?” Comment on his statement.

The First World War mainly broke from Europe. The continent, as noted above, was full of global wealth. However, there were disagreements between these European countries. While Britain had a great output of sulfuric acid, Germany had increased output of dyestuffs (Eksteins 68). The German could be termed as a rival since it wanted to control everything and emerge as the country with the greatest outputs across all sectors. After some time, Germany was able to defeat Britain in the production of sulfuric acid. The great pride of Germany to dominate Europe led to the introduction of the First World War. Other European countries were angered by the increasing power of Germany, hence the plot for the war. Unfortunately, the war later plundered the European economy.

Positive Cultural Changes from Wars

It is easy to see death and misery in this class and miss some of the positive cultural changes that come from the wars we discussed. Briefly, discuss some of the positive changes.

The French physicians were among the first to discredit the misunderstood concept of shell shocks. They recognized it as a traumatic experience that required treatment (Marlowe). Previously, it had been termed as an individual’s self-grown incapability to fight, but it was later recognized as a dangerous disease. There also has been the introduction of technology that has made the fighting more efficient. The art of war has greatly improved due to the improved technology. The wars have abolished the unnecessary scalability of certain countries that might cause tension and fear to the world.

Works Cited

Eksteins, Modris. Rites of Spring the Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 2000

Lee, Wayne E. Warfare and Culture in World History. New York, New York University Press, 2011

Marlowe, H. David. Psychological and Psychosocial Consequences of Combat and Deployment with Special Emphasis on the Gulf War. RAND, 2000