The essay by John Steele Gordon, titled “What We Lost in the Great War” and published in the American Heritage in 1992 is lauded by some to be provocative, insightful, and challenging when it is anything but. It preaches the same old cliches that have been dominating the Western society for at least a century, lamenting the loss of prestige of the West in the 19th century, parading its achievements while largely disregarding the prices paid for progress through slavery, violence, and colonialism (Gordon 5). It claims the World War to have been caused by a set of unfortunate circumstances and predatory politicians trying to benefit in the spur of the moment, not considering that violence on such a scale was a systemic issue (Gordon 2).
Gordon then describes the rise of Nazism in Germany and Communism in Russia as tragedies brought by circumstances and madmen with flawed ideologies, and not as the result of Western systemic actions (7). Finally, the essay expresses gratitude that the war was fought when it was fought, saying that had it been fought later, the world would have not survived (Gordon 10). This would be the most insightful element in an otherwise deeply flawed train of thought.
The world before World War I was different and yet the same. One of the reasons for the inevitability of it was that the world was going through the Industrial Revolution while maintaining a colonialist model. Resources from territories that could be sent to Europe to state its desire for growth were finite. All of the Great Nations that fought in the war had colonies, and spheres of influence and planned to expand them. Though Gordon cites several agreements between these nations on smaller issues as a sign that peace was an option, none of these solved the fundamental conflict of interest that the colonial system placed upon the world (1).
The dramatic changes since World War I were largely related to the fall from grace of some of the old powers and the rise of Nazism and Communism in Germany and Russia (Gordon 7). Yet the roots of these developments were not simply in the war, as it was merely a catalyst. Nazism had roots in German nationalism that had been present in the West’s philosophical thought since the 18th century, whereas Marx’s ideas accurately reflected the plight of millions of upheaved peasants displaced by the Industrial Revolution to man and feed giant factories for the sake of profit.
Finally, the collective West was responsible for causing World War II, as, despite the great losses and sacrifices that World War I forced upon the world, it did not solve the underlying issues behind it – nationalism, territorial disputes, the need for natural resources. It only added to them through what was done to Germany and other nations. Coal was replaced with oil, and nationalism was changed into Nazism. World War I was sought after by all nations, which is why they jumped at the chance so eagerly. Until the West stops viewing wars, whether big or small, as acceptable means of achieving their economic and geopolitical goals, history is bound to repeat itself. All of the signs are on the wall again, from the system of defensive alliances (NATO) to ideological, economic, and geopolitical issues with Russia and China. It only needs a spark – another man of feathers.
Work Cited
Gordon, John Steele. “What We Lost in the Great War.” American Heritage, vol. 43, no. 4, 1992, pp. 1-10.