Gestaltungskraft Krieg. Europas Wege in die Gegenwart. Ein Essay

Why were people always willing to go to war if they wanted to realize ‘progress’? Without war (almost) no nation state, without successful war no successful revolution; without war no colonial empire and no decolonization. These serious historical facts are discussed here in the context of revolution and war in Europe. The second part examines why wars between states in Europe were conducted differently than colonial wars. Surely, racism was important. But the colonial war did not depend on racism. It was an asymmetric warfare against the entire population. In Europe, on the other hand, the model of ‘civilized war’ prevailed after 1815:War between armies on the battlefield, war between soldiers, not against civilians. It was a European “Sonderweg” of war. But also in Europe, it ended with the two world wars. Outside of Europe, Europeans have always waged other wars. Historically, wars against the population have always been the ‘normal war’, and it still is today. To ‘civilize’ it to a war between soldiers, if war should be unavoidable, is an ongoing task.