Militarism

?
What is
Militarism?
 Definition
The belief that a country should maintain a strong military
capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend
or promote national interests.

“The hostility and militarism of the regime has not ebbed in

any perceptible manner"
 Values
Militarists value the extension of the military to influence
civilian social, political and economic spheres.

They prioritise the nation’s armed forces, and promote and

preserve them.
“ What do nations care about the cost
of war, if by spending a few hundred
millions in steel and gunpowder they
can gain a thousand millions in
diamonds and cocoa?
-W.E.B. DuBois
 What are
? some
examples?
 Militarism in WWI Germany
In WWI Germany began competing with the British to
have the largest army force in the world, as well as
developing brand new weapons such as poison gas and
submarines. This made Germany a militarist society, as they
were not afraid to develop and use their new weapons.
 Militarism in Ancient Sparta
A historical and very extreme example of a militaristic
society is ancient Sparta. The Spartan society was heavily
centered and structured around its military. It was so
extreme that If a newborn boy was deemed unfit for the
military in later life he would be left in the wild to die.
Spartan education also mainly focused on teaching young
boys how to wrestle and fight.
Good or
Bad?
Militarism has many factors
that determine it, some
good, some bad. If
executed well, it could
work, but history has
shown us that it almost
always turns sour.

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