The Causes of World War III - Essay Example

? The Causes of World War III Lecturer The third world war is a hypothetical conflict denoting the successor to the Second World War. The conflict has been on a global scale with specific speculation that is probably a nuclear war which is devastating in nature. There has been broad speculation of the next war globally due to the nature of the past wars that the world experienced. For instance, the wake of World War I and World War II showed possibility of World War III. The use and testing of nuclear weapons and the commencement of Cold War as well as its development was enough evidence that there could be a possible World War III. This war was planned after anticipation by the civil authorities and military who explored in fiction in various countries. There were ranging concepts of destruction of the planet and even use of atomic weapons. Other leaders such as Podhoretz Norman has suggested that Cold War could be associated with World War III since it was fought on a global scale with United States, NATO, Warsaw Pact, and Soviet Union countries who provided military, political and economic support. However, World War III is today a popular culture and those who could start it forms perennial topics of discussion. Authors have talked about possible causes of the World War III while others have strongly disagreed and criticized. This paper therefore seeks to discuss why Wright Mills thought there could be World War III and the reason why under, military industrial complex that created elite in the United States trying to take power over, Ted Goertzel does not agree with Mill on his concept of the causes of the Third World War. According to Wright Mills, there were dire warnings on the imminence of the Third World War in the 1950s. As the world faces the nuclear weapons introduction, other critical authors as well as Wright Mills have exaggerated the weaknesses of the social civilian forces and the military power in the American society as the major anticipated causes of World War III. Since thirty years after Wright Mills published his book on the causes of the Third World War, there has been assertion of the mass society and the non nuclear conflicts which have remained the primary threats to the peace of the world. Wright Mills thinks in his book that the Third World War may be cause by the likely hood of militarism, arms race, nuclear war, and the industrial military complex. Peace movements have however made attempts to calm the fears of emergence of World War III. Wright Mills goes ahead to warn that in the history of our instantaneous epoch, there is a likely hood of World War III emerging in the world. Mills believed in the imminence of nuclear catastrophe. In addition, other nuclear pacifists have also predicted occurrence of disaster for quite a long time. There were predictions of short time remaining just before a nuclear night comes to surface. According to Wright Mills, the explosion of the Soviet Union bomb is a likely indication that World War III may take place. He also thinks that the power elites of the Soviet Union and the United states back in the 1950s were thrusting relentlessly and mindlessly drifting towards war. He also developed the analysis’ implications on the survival of the planet and asserting that the power elite of the United States and their counterparts in Kremlin led the media manipulated and indifferent masses down the Armageddon through the primrose path (Ted, 1989). According Wright Mills, the industrial military complex increasingly dominated American life and should be seen in the indicators of the economy. The intervals of military that buildup in the last thirty years such as the Reagan and the Vietnam War years were exceptional and likely to suggest the emergence of the Third World War. Mill says that these two exceptional wars were as a result of political civilian forces. These were associated with ideological and political reasons and not at the military urging. The overwhelming pressure by the public against the military increasing spending may be associated with causes of World War III. The existence of industrial and military complex in America and other nations is not as a strong force of politics than most of other groups. Increased spending on Med-care and social security among other programs that support the elderly has seen a steady growth over the last thirty years. This is also exceeding the rate at which the military spending grows. This means an increasing aging population. If we look at expense made on the youth especially education, there is a significant gap. As stated by Wright Mills, 8.5% of GNP is spent on military while only 3.6% goes to the education docket as at 1958. This makes the war lords enjoy the brief periods they have in the fiscal sun as educators hold to the nation’s share of the fiscal pie. This means much is spent on defense; it is hence doubtless that there is a perceived threat or crisis. It is therefore probable that there is a possibility of a Third World war resulting. The view of Wright Mills was not on the wastefulness of resources on war, but on the wild warlords’ power. The balance of war among the super powers was also likely to cause the Third world War. Mill also thought that the greed for power in the part of the civilian political default power would result into the World War III (Ted, 1989). Ted Goertzel however disagrees with Wright Mill on his arguments on the causes of World War III. He says that no change in the balance of pace or the arms race direction would make significant difference in the risk of damage or nuclear war should one happen. According to Ted Goertzel, the government is wrapping up its involvement in attacks which supports the ideas that it is hiding extraterrestrial contact evidence. Ted Goertzel fails to agree with the argument of Wright Mill on the causes of the Third World War. Ted Goertzel says that studies of Wright Mill provide a partial and intriguing look at the internal workings of the conspiracy thinking. He claims that Wright Mill depends on selective skepticism and that the believers of conspiracy are highly doubtful on the information provided by government and other sources. In the absence of criticism, the believers may just accept any particular source supporting their preconceived opinions. Ted Goertzel also asserts in his argument against Wright Mills that the arguments that are advanced by theorists of conspiracy only says much about the believer than it does about an event. Ted Goertzel goes ahead and argues that most observers and researchers of the social dynamics trace their beliefs from the theories of conspiracy to the feelings of powerlessness, diminished faith in government actions, and efforts to bolster self esteem. Such beliefs are what concoct the belief that there may be a World War III. In addition, from various studies conducted by scholars, participants have expressed little or no support for the conspiracy beliefs about the Third World War. Ted Goertzel adds that the theories of conspiracy beliefs are stronger among individuals with a combined personality of antagonism and suspicion towards others with active imagination and intellectual curiosity. Hence, that's the basis of Ted Goertzel's disagreement with Wright Mills on the causes of World War III. In another argument, Ted Goertzel states that the arguments of Wright Mills on the causes of World War III are only characterized by a bludgeoning style and an inexorable thrust of assertion, which is neither, affected much by the complexity of thoroughness of evidence or argument. Ted Goertzel thinks Mills was too quick having careful analysis substituted with impassioned description and very easy on the Soviet Union (Ted, 1989). In summary, there is an existence of broad speculation of the third world war globally due to the nature of the past wars that experienced by the world. For instance, as stated in the paragraphs above, the wake of World War I and World War II showed possibility of World War III. Some other evidences that there might be another world war are the use and testing of nuclear weapons and the commencement of Cold War which was planned after anticipation by the civil authorities and military who explored in fiction in various countries. Concepts of destruction of the planet as well as the use of atomic weapons characterized the anticipations of the third world war. As stated earlier, Podhoretz Norman asserted that Cold War could be associated with World War III due to its global scale in which the United States, NATO, Warsaw Pact, and Soviet Union countries offered military, political and economic support. Wright Mills however stated that industrial military complex dominated American life increasingly and hence forms the indicator of the economy. He also stated that the emergence of the third world war would be suggested by the intervals of military that buildup in the last thirty years such as the Reagan and the Vietnam War years. Mill in his argument has concluded that the mentioned wars were as a result of political civilian forces which were associated with ideological and political reasons. His other reasonable cause of the third world war would be the overwhelming pressure by the public against the military increasing spending which Ted Goertzel disagrees as mentined in the above paragraphs. References Ted Goertzel. (1989). "The Causes of World War III": Thirty Years Later. Social Forum, 4 (2) 241-246. Read More