20th Century War

More than ever before, the 20th century was driven by frequent, long-lasting conflicts. While World War I fundamentally changed war itself, it did not change the reasons for war. The key factor for warfare was — and is — ideology. Paralleled with the emergence of many new ideologies, many conflicts occurred in the 20th century. Because of nationalism, zionism, and differences between capitalism and communism, the 20th century came to be defined by its recurring, enduring battles.
Nationalism was hardly a new phenomenon in the 20th century, stemming all the way back to the days of the Enlightenment. By the 1900s, though, it’s reach had captured the attention of the globe. By 1914, these feelings of superiority — while hardly new in Europe —
With Europe in dismay after suffering two world wars, the United States and Soviet Union emerged as the clear superpowers. Determined to spread its political and economic outlook of communism, the USSR began a spirited campaign to exert its influence over other nations. On the other hand, America took a more defensive stance by enacting a policy of containment, trying to stop communism’s spread to other countries. With the sharp, bitter divide between capitalism and communism, both superpowers engaged in frequent proxy wars. For example, in Korea, people were split between whether to adopt communism or capitalism. The north, supported by the USSR, attempted to capture the south, supported by the US. Despite years of conflict, the war ended in a virtual stalemate, illustrating the degree to which people were dedicated to their cause, a major factor for the length of the hot wars of the Cold War as well as the Cold War
Calls for an independent state for Jews — according to some, the only way to have stopped persecution — can be traced back to the early 1800s. The idea, though, only caught fire after WWII, with the memory of the Holocaust firmly engraved into the world’s memory. As a result, Britain agreed to set aside a plot of land in the Middle East, where Jews’ historical home was. An inconsequential decision at the time, the new state, which came to be named Israel, evolved into a frequent place of conflict; even today, that conflict continues. The disagreement resides over who is really the rightful owner to the land that Israel controls. Throughout the 20th century, Palestinians were increasingly developing a nationalistic mentality, feeling that they should have a nation for themselves. Viewing themselves as the rightful owners of the land that would become Israel, they were furious when it was partitioned to the Jewish population. This disagreement, originating from zionism, spurred the frequent conflicts between Israel and Palestine that have continued for dozens of years and show no signs of stopping anytime