Mark Twain’s quote “God created war so that Americans would learn Geography” humorously depict the levels of American involvement with other countries at that time. Twain lived during the late 19th century when America was repeatedly involved in different wars, for instance, Red Cloud’s War, Mexican-American War, Great Sioux War, and Persian Gulf War, among many others (Sotirović 57). Twain asserts his message precisely regardless of what the public perceives about wars. Furthermore, he specifically used the quote to enable different generations of America and the world to understand the history of American involvement in world matters.
Notably, the quote servers as a building block to the famous American national belief of putting the state first at the expense of individual interest. America has continuously been involved in a war with other countries trying to fuel its economy since the war majorly makes the United States economy recession-proof. For example, America has been at the center of the Middle East war following the interest in the flow of oil within those countries.
The war has seen America deploying the troops in Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan in an attempt to help stabilize those countries for a peaceful environment that would fever the economic growth. Moreover, the quote would be interpreted from the view that with the peace in the world, America would be woefully ignorant to the rest of the countries as there would be nothing much to draw their attention to world status.
Honestly, I agree with Mark Twain’s quote. America, as many other countries of the world, has in one way or another involved in different types of war, running from ideological, economic, political, and social. Politically, America has engaged in a war with other countries from different geographical locations either in trying to defend their territorial integrity, citizens, or countries’ interest.
America for a long time had a history of non-interventionist tendency, where they usually sought to maintain neutrality in world issues. However, they were pushed to join World War 1 in 1915 following the death of over a hundred American citizens when German sunk the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania (Jensen 159). The serving American president by then Woodrow Wilson did warn that the United States by any chance would not tolerate further violation of international law targeting his country people (Jensen 159). Remarkably, the attack precisely brought to the attention of Americans of the existence of different geography continent-Europe and specifically German nation that they had a sower relationship with during World War 1. Additionally, the United States for long has been engaged in Border War with Mexico.
For instance, the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920, commonly known as the ‘Border Campaign,’ was caused by the threat of territorial expansion by the respective countries. American generations would live to understand the geographical differences between the two countries succeeding the standing history of Border wrangle between the countries.
The economic strength quest by the United States has seen her getting involved in different types of wars, including the industrial revolution and slavery, among many others. The industrial revolution marked a period of development that began in the late 18th century seeing the transformation from handcraft and agrarian economy in both Europe and America into machine manufacturing and industry. It was triggered by the need for more efficient methods of productions to supply the basic needs of the rising population. Every country was competing to outway others in both production and market power that they were exploring from other continents such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America countries.
As the American industries were sourcing foreign markets for their products, Americans got to engage and understand the other geographical locations of the world, thus the relevance of the quote by Mark Twain “God created war so that Americans would learn Geography” as they were expected to sail and interact with other continents population in search of the market and raw materials for their industries.
The slave trade witnessed in America was also a result of the industrial revolution. Countries after developing industries needed cheap labor to help them run the industry and maximizes profit, and this could only be acquired from Africa and Asia hence geographical learning. The demands for labor show the shipping of millions of African and Asians who are today referred to as immigrants’ communities in the United States. The slave trade war was noticed among European countries trying to suppress each other in terms of the number of slaves that were ship to their American colonies (Fishman 107).
Moreover, the racial war has continuously been recorded in the US as races fight for equality in rights and treatment more so the block immigrant community who are feeling more discriminated against and segregated along with their dark skin color. The difference in race among the American population has enabled people to understand the geographical variation as many immigrants ail from different continents.
Ideologically, America has found herself at the center of a war with other countries trying to champion their concepts, interest, and ideas abroad, thus geographical knowledge. In most cases, the battlespace for this conflict is the population’s minds and hearts. At the same time, the major weapons involved are the social medias such as TV programs, newspapers, government policies, the internet, and public diplomacy that can bit geographical barriers (Kinder and Kalmoe 109). For example, the Cold War that began in the early 90s was essentially a completion between the Soviet Union and the United States in terms of ideology.
The Soviet Union was a pro-communist nation comprising countries of Eastern Europe and Asia majorly, and believing in the principles of collectivism, whereas the United States was championing for economic spectrum and supported by Eastern Europe nations fitting the Mark Twain quote of “God created war so that Americans would learn Geography.” Additionally, there is also arms race where several countries fight to increase their military resources size and quality in order to gain political and military superiority over one another, thus the geographical knowledge to the Americans.
Mark Twain’s quote “God created war so that Americans would learn Geography” appears relevant to today’s American society. It gives a clear understanding of the nature of engagements that America involved in currently with other states from different geographical locations (Sotirović 57). The ideological, political, and economic war between states is a “living “creature within the United States system.
Notably, it is the responsibility of America to protect the territorial borders against inversion, championing for the ideology and fighting to strengthen the economy that makes America be in a constant geographical war with other countries of the world that they compete against. Furthermore, the American culture has been in continuous war with itself following the civil, slavery, and racial war that is constantly witnessed in the country. The war directly affects the nature of humanity within the states as people always fight for equality of all human kinds and races within the culture.
In conclusion, war and man are inseparable; thus, countries would always engage in a wrangle with each other. All nations would fight for the economical, political and ideological supremacy in the world and are always ready to go the extra mile of getting physical with one another in order to attain power over other countries of the world.
Works Cited
Fishman, Edward. “Even Smarter Sanctions: How to Fight in the Era of Economic Warfare.” Foreign Affairs, 2017, pp. 102-110.
Jensen, Benjamin. “The Cyber Character of Political Warfare.” The Brown Journal of World Affairs, vol. 24, no. 1, 2017, pp. 159-171.
Kinder, Donald R., and Nathan P. Kalmoe. Neither Liberal nor Conservative: Ideological Innocence in the American Public. U of Chicago P, 2017.
Sotirović, Vladislav. “A Nature of the US snd the American Foreign Policy.” Vojno Delo, vol. 71, no. 5, 2019, pp. 54-62. Web.