Decline in Violence
The Tide Of War Is Receding
Violence
Reading the newspaper isn’t always a peaceful activity in the 21st century. Preceding articles discussing scientific and technological milestones or in-depth analyses of archeological discoveries from Biblical times, one will find roaring headlines that announce violence and more violence: from the terrorism attack on the twin towers, to Joseph Kony’s militia that has kidnapped thousands of children in Africa and to Iran’s nuclear threat. Yet in spite of these explosive events, beginning in the second half of the 20th century, violence has been reduced on a significant scale. In fact, we may be living in the most peaceful era of human civilization. This paper attempts to illustrate, using statistics and analysis, the magnitude of violence in the 20th century and its decreased intensity up to modern times. To analyze this trend of change in violence, we need to first determine the modern perception of violence. Throughout this paper, I will branch the term “violence” into three subcategories; inter-state wars, civil wars, and homicides and assaults. The goal of the paper is to help the reader develop an understanding of and an appreciation for the lessened degree of violence in modern times as compared to the terror of the 20th century.
Why The World Feels Like A More Violent Place Now
Before I plunge into my comparison of different forms of violence over time, I would like to explain why people falsely assume that the world today is more violent than ever before. One main reason is the effective manipulation of the media (Goldstein). Today, one has access to infinite media sources, which makes it very hard to miss out on major news. It is important to note that this large-scale exposure leads to more detailed information about violence, but does not mean there is more violence (Goldstein). Furthermore, advanced technology in the last two decades has enriched the forms of media in which news is delivered, including
Violence
Reading the newspaper isn’t always a peaceful activity in the 21st century. Preceding articles discussing scientific and technological milestones or in-depth analyses of archeological discoveries from Biblical times, one will find roaring headlines that announce violence and more violence: from the terrorism attack on the twin towers, to Joseph Kony’s militia that has kidnapped thousands of children in Africa and to Iran’s nuclear threat. Yet in spite of these explosive events, beginning in the second half of the 20th century, violence has been reduced on a significant scale. In fact, we may be living in the most peaceful era of human civilization. This paper attempts to illustrate, using statistics and analysis, the magnitude of violence in the 20th century and its decreased intensity up to modern times. To analyze this trend of change in violence, we need to first determine the modern perception of violence. Throughout this paper, I will branch the term “violence” into three subcategories; inter-state wars, civil wars, and homicides and assaults. The goal of the paper is to help the reader develop an understanding of and an appreciation for the lessened degree of violence in modern times as compared to the terror of the 20th century.
Why The World Feels Like A More Violent Place Now
Before I plunge into my comparison of different forms of violence over time, I would like to explain why people falsely assume that the world today is more violent than ever before. One main reason is the effective manipulation of the media (Goldstein). Today, one has access to infinite media sources, which makes it very hard to miss out on major news. It is important to note that this large-scale exposure leads to more detailed information about violence, but does not mean there is more violence (Goldstein). Furthermore, advanced technology in the last two decades has enriched the forms of media in which news is delivered, including