FREE Greed, Power and the Causes of War Essay (original) (raw)
In my assignment, I studied the causes of many different wars. These included World War One, the Russian Revolution, the Yugoslavian war, the Arab/Israeli Wars and the Gulf War. At the end of my research I came to the conclusion that, if a war hadn't been caused by it, then the human hunger for greed and power would certainly be a major building block in the foundation. In my efforts to portray this conclusion, I will explain the main causes for each of war I mentioned earlier. The sheet I have given you contains subheadings of the different wars that I will be talking about. There are a few main points for each one. Please remember, while I speak, that the information that you hear can at times be quite subjective as it is my translation of the research I have done. Please, if you do not agree with anything I have said or your conclusion is different to the one I have drawn, then fell free to write it at the bottom, and explain why you don't agree.
World War One originated from many different sources, four main ones. These were the spreading of nationalism through European countries; the build up of military strength, especially in Germany; the fight for colonies in countries such as Africa and Asia; and the different military alliances that formed before the war, such as the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance. The Russian Revolution however, was a perfect example of how people will take advantage of the collapsing of an Empire. There were many economic problems occurring in Russia, as well the mistreatment of the peasant class. These peasants did not receive what was entitled to them, and therefore revolted. The conflict was enhanced when single parties strove for personal gain, in a situation were it involved a whole society. The Yugoslavian War (Serbian/Croatian) was caused by a variance in religious beliefs. This caused conflict within the mixed populations of Yugoslavia. There was also a great economic downfall, hence leaving the leaders scraping for power and independence.
Essays Related to Greed, Power and the Causes of War
1. The Causes and the Fall of the
The causes of the fall and the decline of the "Golden Age" of Athens were the Peloponnesian War, Athens" greed for power, and the bad decisions made by Alcibiades. The Peloponnesian War was a major cause of the fall of the "Golden Age" of Athens because Athens lost its power to Sparta in the war. ... Thucydides believed this greed for power was a fundamental characteristic of some men. ... Athens" greed for power caused Sparta to attack them, beginning the war. The two enemies greed for power and wanting to become the ruler of the Greek world prolonged the war. ...
- Word Count: 969
- Approx Pages: 4
- Has Bibliography
- Grade Level: High School
2. Civil Wars, Greed and Grievance
Introduction The concrete reason that motivated civil war can only be traced to the motivation between greed and grievance. ... Greed and grievance are an important element that is inseparable in explaining conflicts that escalate to Civil War. ... However, British intervention through their military in Sierra Leone has helped to curtail the power of the rebels. ... The various explanation on greed and grievances by scholars above explains the cause for civil war that can prevail in a country, thus, this can be explained better with the historical account of conflicts in developing countrie...
- Word Count: 2930
- Approx Pages: 12
- Has Bibliography
- Grade Level: Undergraduate
3. Cold war
The cold war started before the World War had ended. ... This started territorial disputes and caused loans to go unpaid. ... The system gave all the power to a select few at the top and ruled its people with an iron fist. ... The main causes of the cold war were fear and greed. ... When the greed for money and land becomes so great that it leads to violence it has dire consequences. ...
- Word Count: 507
- Approx Pages: 2
- Grade Level: High School
4. The Need for Greed - Informal essay
Greed is a negative attribute that people carry inside; we are all guilty of committing greed even I myself have indulged in the desire for power and need. ... Corporative greed is very common mostly dealing with the power for money and success. ... Is in it funny how greed and power can cause people to do ridiculous things that only affect themselves in return? ... But doesn't wealth and power share the same meaning? ... Greed is a corruptive sin that often leads people to be power-hungry and seek wealth off of others. ...
- Word Count: 1091
- Approx Pages: 4
- Grade Level: High School
5. The Causes of War
Over time, there have been many theories proposed to help us understand what actually causes wars. ... In Kenneth Waltz's writing in "Man, the State and War", he sets out three interconnected images of what causes wars. ... I provided an outline on each and then explained the theory's view of what causes wars. I have now come to the conclusion that even though there are many explanations of what causes wars, the analysis of Marxism provided me with the best answer of what causes wars. This analysis implores that wars are caused by capitalist economic system that exists in t...
- Word Count: 1144
- Approx Pages: 5
- Has Bibliography
- Grade Level: Undergraduate
6. Cold war
The Cold War was a war that literally wasn't your typical war. ... This war causes a bipolar system in the world where there were two dominant powers fighting to become the dominant power. ... The two clashes of ideologist cause a war of competition between the two countries. The Cold War caused a split between East and West and the United States and Russia competed with each other in every single aspect of life from Space Exploration to Sports. ... During World War II the Soviets and the US were fight together to stop another country from becoming a dominant power, but in life money...
- Word Count: 1048
- Approx Pages: 4
- Has Bibliography
- Grade Level: Undergraduate
7. Analyzing the First Chechen War
The research question this essay will be trying to answer is, what were the causes of this war, and was violence necessary? ... With territory slipping, rebels resorted to mass-hostage takings in Russia to use as bargaining power (Goldstein). ... There are several underpinnings that can explain the cause of this war. ... The correlation between this historic line of conflict and the first Chechen war can be explained using the theory of greed versus grievance. This theory explains the cause of civil war through two pinnacles; greed and grievance. ...
- Word Count: 2137
- Approx Pages: 9
- Has Bibliography
- Grade Level: Undergraduate
8. German Militarism and World War I
In addition it was the greed for power that dragged Germany into the World War 1. ... Franco-Prussian war in 1870 was one of the major causes of World War 1, resulting in France being overthrown, humiliated and isolated. ... At this point they had lost their trust from every other great power of Europe. ... Germany did not withdrew their forces up until Russians did, this caused tension and unwillingly provoked the First World War. ... These minor events are also on par with being some of the other causes of World War 1. ...
- Word Count: 1028
- Approx Pages: 4
- Grade Level: Undergraduate
9. Macbeth: Blood Imagery
Blood also shows how a person's greed can cause one to lose control and ultimately perish because of his ambition. ... He even takes his thirst of power to another level by going to war against England in order to protect his kingship. ... After gaining all his power, it's his ambition and greed that leads to Macbeth's Patel 4 downfall. ... His thirst for power causes him to shed more blood and kill more people. ... The audience watches Macbeth's thirst for power and how it causes lives to be lost. ...
- Word Count: 1733
- Approx Pages: 7
- Has Bibliography
- Grade Level: High School
Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question