Raul Peck says in his work that a large chapter of the world story has been told from a biased Eurocentric point of view. This approach cannot be accurate and proper since one of the greatest sins, genocide, remains out of sight (Peck, 2021). It applies to such complex topics as colonization, genocide, militarization, and labor exploitation. His mini-series Exterminate All the Brutes combines documentary archival footage with action scenes and profound analysis of 600 years of European colonization.
At all times, war was considered a costly and risky undertaking. The outcomes of the confrontation to resolve issues of power, territory, and resources have always depended on what weapons they have. The development of technology and social organization always went side by side with the war and significantly influenced its appearance. When progress reached the use of industrial steel, the arms race began to gain rapid intensity with new types of weapons and troop movements (Chin, 2019). The prompt collection of supplies and transfer of large troops changed army mobilization speed. A country with a network of railways could transfer an army with the necessary reserve of resources in a few weeks, which was considered a significant speed and distance.
The author speaks about the impact of public opinion on historical facts and rethinks how the world’s record is written and comprehended. Peck analyzes the endless cycle of militarization throughout the centuries: from George Washington’s measures to jumpstart American arms manufacturing to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki catastrophe. He states that exploitation and militarization were the only way to solve state affairs for many centuries (Peck, 2021). All the horrors of war have long been taken for granted and heroic despite the terrifying outcomes.
References
Chin, W. (2019). Technology, war and the state: Past, present and future. International Affairs, (95)4, 765–783. Web.
Peck, Raul. (2021). Exterminate all brutes – Episode 3 [Film]. HBO Documentary Films; Velvet Films.