Жолбов. Английский билеты. 4-5 курс / Can war be conducive

Can War Be Conducive to the Development of Society?

It is common knowledge that war is one of the oldest phenomena of human life. Throughout human history, nations have fought with each other due to different reasons. Undoubtedly, nowadays they talk a lot about the causes and implications of this phenomenon, but still there is one more interesting question: can war be conducive to the development of society? We have got used to looking at it as a destructive force and now let’s try to see if there are any positive effects of war.

One the one hand, it seems obvious that war can bring nothing but great sufferings for civilians. It causes destruction of all spheres of human life: economic, social, political, etc / and so on / and so forth. It goes without saying that this process is a great shock to peace-loving people but, generally speaking, it’s one of the most popular ways to achieve some political aims, to get some benefits.

On the other hand, it is impossible to ignore post-war changes in human life, which do not always have negative effects. On the contrary, they can lead to a better future. For example, technological development often follows military necessity in wartime and new technologies, which were created for war and used for military purposes, sometimes can find civilian uses – they may be the beginning of rapid technological progress. Also, the need for medicines in the military leads to the development of medicines used in the civilian world. By the way, war sometimes clears away outdated infrastructure and allows economy-wide rebuilding, generating long-term benefits.

In addition, it is necessary to underline / emphasize / stress that war helps people to re-examine their relationship with each other, to reconsider their system of values, their attitude towards other nations. Besides, this situation stimulates people to search for new ways of settling / resolving / solving conflicts and preventing wars.

In conclusion, I’d like to say that, like any other phenomenon connected with human life and behaviour, war has two sides and it has to be examined from different points of view.