War: Causes & types

What Is a War?
A war is typically fought by a country or group of countries against an opposing
country or group with the aim of achieving an objective through the use of force.
Wars can also be fought within a country in the form of a civil or revolutionary war.
Wars have been a part of human history for thousands of years and have become
increasingly destructive as industrialization and technology have advanced. There is
rarely one single, clear cause of conflict and, ultimately, war. The causes of a war
are usually numerous and can often be intertwined in a complicated way. Many
theories have been put forth over the years as to why wars happen, and some of the
greatest minds have offered their take on the subject.
In the write-up below, I'll provide a general overview of the six main reasons for
war. Given the many potential causes for conflict, the list does not attempt to be
exhaustive, but does intend to give the most common reasons.
Six Main Causes of War
1. Economic Gain
2. Territorial Gain
3. Religion
4. Nationalism
5. Revenge
6. Military aggression

1. Economic Gain
Often wars are caused by one country's wish to take control of another country's
wealth. Whatever the other reasons for a war may be, there is very often an
economic motive underlying most conflicts, even if the stated aim of the war is
presented to the public as something more noble.
In pre-industrial times, the gains desired by a warring country might be precious
materials such as gold and silver, or livestock such as cattle and horses. In modern
times, the resources that are hoped to be gained from war take the form of things
like oil, minerals, or materials used in manufacturing.
Some experts believe that as the world’s population increases and basic resources
become scarce, wars will be fought more often over fundamental essentials, such as
water and food.

Historical examples of wars fought for economic gain

∙ Anglo-Indian Wars (1766-1849) – The Anglo-Indian wars were a series of
wars fought between the British East India Company and different Indian
states. These wars led to the establishment of British colonial rule in India,
which gave Britain unrestricted access to exotic and valuable resources native
to the Indian continent.
∙ Opium Wars (1839-1860) - Two wars were fought between the Qing dynasty
and Western powers in the 19th century. Britain wanted to access trade with
China, whereas China wished to remain independent and essentially isolated.
∙ Japanese Invasion of Manchuria (1931-1932) - Critically short of raw
materials to supply its industrial growth, Japan launched an invasion of the
Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931. Following the successful conquest,
the Japanese established the puppet state of Manchukuo.

2. Territorial Gain
A country might decide that it needs more land, either for living space, agricultural
use, or other purposes. Territory can also be used as “buffer zones” between two
hostile enemies.
Related to buffer zones are proxy wars. These are conflicts that are fought indirectly
between opposing powers in a third country. Each power supports the side which
best suits their logistical, military, and economic interests.
Proxy wars were particularly common during the Cold War.

Historical examples of wars fought for territorial gain

∙ Roman Conquest of Britain (Beginning AD 43) - Motivated in part by the
glory of conquest and wishing to make the Roman Empire as large as
possible, the Emperor Claudius landed an invasion force on the beaches of
Kent in AD43. This set off battles with the British Celtic tribes who lived on
the island.
∙ Mexican-American War (1846-1848) – This war was fought following the
annexation of Texas, with Mexico claiming the land as their own. The U.S.
eventually won and Texas went on to be incorporated as a state.
∙ Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885-1886) – This was a border dispute that broke out
between Bulgaria and Serbia over the territory of Eastern Rumelia.

3. Religion
Religious conflicts often have very deep roots. They can lie dormant for decades,
only to re-emerge in a flash at a later date.
Religious wars can often be tied to other reasons for conflict, such as nationalism or
revenge for a perceived historical slight in the past.
While different religions fighting against each other can be a cause of war, different
sects within a religion (for example, Protestant and Catholic, or Sunni and Shiite)
battling against one another can also instigate war.
Historical examples of wars fought for religion
 ∙ The Crusades in the Holy Land (1095-1291) – These were a series of
religious wars encouraged by the Latin Church during the medieval age. The
aim of the crusaders was to overthrow Islamic rule and achieve Christian
dominance of the region.
∙ Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) - Fought by Greek revolutionaries
against the Ottoman Empire, this war had a large religious element. This was
particularly evident early on, with many Christian Greeks seeing the conflict
against the Muslim Turks as a holy war.
∙ Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) – The Lebanese Civil War developed out of
socioeconomic and political tensions, which manifested as a power conflict
between the Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim and Christian Lebanese
populations.

4. Nationalism
Nationalism in this context essentially means attempting to prove that your country
is superior to another by violent subjugation. This often takes the form of an
invasion.
Related to nationalism is imperialism, which is built on the idea that conquering
other countries is glorious and brings honor and esteem to the conqueror. Racism
can also be linked to nationalism, as can be seen in Hitler’s Germany. Adolf Hitler
went to war with Russia partly because the Russians (and eastern Europeans in
general) were seen as Slavs, or a group of people who the Nazis believed to be an
inferior race.
Historical examples of wars fought for nationalism
∙ Yugoslav Wars (1991 to 2001) – During the breakup of Yugoslavia, various
nationalist groups, such as Serbs, Croatians and Bosnians, fought each other,
 often fueled by historic ethnic and cultural tensions.
∙ World War I (1914-1918) – Loyalty and patriotism drew many countries into
this conflict, which was the largest conflict that the world had ever known at
the time. Many Europeans believed in the cultural, economic and military
supremacy of their nation and this played a major role in the war beginning
and continuing.
∙ Italo-Ethiopian War, (1935–36) – Benito Mussolini rose to power in Italy on
the promise that he would restore national pride to Italy. Seeking to salvage
Italian prestige after a previous defeat in Ethiopia, Mussolini's troops gained
full domination of the Horn of Africa in 1936.

5. Revenge
Seeking to punish, redress a grievance, or simply strike back for a perceived slight
can often be a factor in the waging of war. Revenge also relates to nationalism, as
the people of a country which has been wronged are motivated to fight back by
pride and spirit.
Unfortunately, this can lead to an endless chain of retaliatory wars being set in
motion which is very difficult to stop. Any distinction between the victim and
aggressor can often become blurred, with all participants perceiving themselves as
fighting a just war to right historic wrongs.
Historically, revenge has been a factor in many European wars.

Historical examples of wars fought for revenge

∙ The Boudican Revolt – Following a failure by the Romans to honor an

 agreement made with her husband and the brutal rape of her daughters,
Boudicca, the warrior queen of the ancient British Celtic Iceni tribe launched
an all out war against the Roman occupiers. Following some initial successes
by the Britons, the revolt was eventually put down.
∙ World War II (1939–1945) – The rise of the Nazi Socialist Party and
Germany's eventual domination of the European continent occurred as a result
of the defeat in WWI and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles, which imposed
harsh punishments on Germany.
∙ War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) – This war could be seen as being partially
motivated by revenge with the US striking back at Al Qaeda for the
September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. The terrorist
group were being given safe haven by the Taliban government in
Afghanistan, which prompted an American-led NATO invasion.

6. Defensive War
In the modern world, where military aggression is more widely questioned,
countries will often argue that they are fighting in a purely defensive capacity
against an aggressor, or potential aggressor, and that their war is therefore a “just”
war. These defensive wars can be especially controversial when they are launched
preemptively, the argument essentially being that: “We are attacking them before
they inevitably attack us.”

Historical examples of defensive wars

∙ Gallic Wars - (58 BC–50 BC) – These were fought to make the Roman
Empire easier to defend. Gallic and Germanic tribes in the area had attacked
Rome on a number of occasions. Invading Gaul enabled Rome to use the
 Rhine River as a natural defensive border.
∙ Iraqi Conflict (2003–2011) – An international coalition, led by the US,
invaded Iraq on the grounds that the country's leader, Saddam Hussein, was
developing weapons of mass destruction, and therefore presented a threat to
surrounding countries and rest of the world. The war was controversial as the
allegations made about the weapons of mass destruction by the US and UK
were shown to lack substance.
∙ Russian Invasion of Ukraine (2022) – In February 2022, Russian troops
invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of a conflict that had begun in 2014.
Russia's leader Vladimir Putin argued that the military action was defensive
in nature, with the aim being to demilitarize Ukraine, stop the further
expansion of NATO, and prevent an attack on Russia. These claims have been
widely disputed.

Types of war
One must also make a difference between types of war as they have come to be
classified and the methodology used to fight them. The term revolutionary war or
civil war, for example, has over the years come to be classified as a type of war in
view of the political objectives that it carries.
Guerrilla war, terrorism, low intensity conflicts, proxy war, on the other hand, are
tools, means, or methods of conducting such a struggle. All of them are methods of
warfare used in revolutionary war or civil war. These methods, that is, guerrilla
warfare, terrorism and low intensity. This system of warfare that is a product of such
tools of violence is also called asymmetric warfare. Proxy war has an underlying
political motive. to it; it is generally associated with an indirect support given by any
country for a political struggle in another country or against another country.
1. Revolutionary War
A very simple definition of Revolutionary War would be a war that seeks to capture
political power through use of armed force. The struggle is usually not a short battle
but a prolonged struggle against the repressive rule.
These occur when a large section of the population of a country revolt against the
individual or group that rules the country because they are dissatisfied with their
leadership. Revolutions can begin for a variety of reasons, including economic
hardship amongst certain sections of the population or perceived injustices
committed by the ruling group. Other factors can contribute too, such as unpopular
wars with other countries.

Revolutionary wars can easily descend into civil wars.

Historical examples of revolutionary wars

∙ American Revolution (1775-1783) – The American Revolution gave the 13
North American colonies independence from British rule and established the
United States of America.
∙ French Revolution (1789-1799) – The French Revolution pitted the
bourgeoisie and peasantry against the aristocracy and resulted in the end of
the end of the ancien régime in France.
∙ Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) – The Haitian Revolution was a successful
slave rebellion that established Haiti as the first free black republic.

2. Civil War
These generally take place when there is sharp internal disagreement within a
country. The disagreement can be about who rules, how the country should be run
or the people's rights. These internal rifts often turn into chasms that result in violent
conflict between two or more opposing groups.
Civil wars can also be sparked by separatist groups who want to form their own,
independent country, or, as in the case of the American Civil War, states wanting to
secede from a larger union.

Historical examples of civil wars

∙ American Civil War (1861-1865) - The American Civil War was fought by
the Union army and the Confederate army as a result of the long-standing
controversy over slavery.
∙ Russian Civil War (1917-1923) – The Russian Civil War occurred in the
aftermath of the Russian Revolution, with the Red Army and the White Army
vying to determine Russia's political future.
∙ Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) – The Spanish Civil War was fought between
the Republicans, who were loyal to the left-leaning Second Spanish
Republic, and the Nationalists, a conservative group led by General Francisco
Franco.

An insurgency is a rebellion by an irregular armed force that raises up against an

established authority, govemment, administration or occupation. It is an organised
movement aimed at the overthrow of st constituted government through use of
subversion and armed conflict. Insurgency is an activity. Though some forms may
appear passive, insurgency is "action." An insurgency is usually directed at changing
the policies of the government, its personnel, or the governmental structure, by non
legitimate means.
Coup: The coup differs from revolution in that the power base of the country is not
destroyed, and generally is not even damaged. It is usually done by the take over of
the civilian authority by the military. Power in the society is simply transferred from
one group in the power structure to another group in the same structure. Some
scholars use the Samuel Huntington thesis of political order in post-colonial states
to explain this phenomenon. The central argument is that poverty, ethnic, regional
and linguistic conflicts, etc., do not by themselves create instability. Institutions are
weak to cope with the conflicts over scarce resources arising out of socio-political
mobilisation. It is the resultant gap between the . State and the Society that becomes
the basic cause or even pretext for military rule.

Guerrilla Warfare: Guerilla war is comprised of combat operations conducted in

enemy held territory by predominantly indigenous forces. The operations use
military or paramilitary methods and aim to reduce the combat effectiveness,
industrial capacity, and morale of the enemy. Guerrilla tactics consist of hit and run
tactics, avoiding pitched battles, eluding the enemy pursuit by hiding in hills or
forests or amongst the populace. These are simple tactics of conducting a
revolutionary war. Guerrilla targets are military personnel (or police) rather than
civilians. Guerrillas, by the nature of their offensive, must rely on significant popular
support for their activities.

Terrorism: Terrorism has been defined as a sub-state application of violence or the

threat to use violence with an intention to create panic in the society. US State
Department. defines terrorism as "premeditated, politically motivated violence
perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine
agents, usually intended to influence an audience".