5 minutes

Europe's wars don't stop

Abdullah Al Qamzi

Abdulla.AlQamzi@emaratalyoum.com

March 14, 2022

Two world wars broke out in Europe in the 20th century due to the imbalance of power and the lack of a guarantor of peace.

In the two wars, the countries on the periphery fought Britain, Russia and France, the German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Central Powers.

Washington's entry settled the two wars and effectively ended them.

The two wars covered 31 years from 1914 to 1945. 45 years after the end of World War II broke out, the Balkan War broke out, which lasted throughout the nineties until former President Bill Clinton resolved it by bombing Belgrade.

Go back to before the First World War and you will find another Balkan war.

These wars spanned 90 years.

If we look at the nineteenth century, we find the Napoleonic Wars in its infancy, and this was a world war in the logic of that century.

Then a group of small wars, then the Crimean War in the middle of the century, followed by the Austro-Prussian War (Prussia means today's Germany), then the French-Prussian, which ended with the defeat of Napoleon III and the siege of Paris.

Then the wars of the Ottoman Empire against its neighbors from 1876 to the end of the century.

These wars covered the entire century.

After the Napoleonic wars, a period of relative peace prevailed in the European continent for 99 years, and this means that the great powers do not fight, but may find small or medium wars between two countries only and extending for a year or two.

In a period of relative peace in the 19th century, Britain ruled the world for a century because there was no real rival.

World War I ended the relative peace in the 19th century, and the Germans emerged as rivals to the English, and a grinding war took place, resulting in the fall of the four empires of Europe.

The imbalance of power in Europe and the marginalization and exaggeration of Germany continued until Adolf Hitler came to power specifically to take revenge on France and the outbreak of World War II.

The two world wars that lasted 31 years contributed to Britain's decline as a global superpower and the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union in its place, and the United States was forced into the two wars and did not cause them.

Attitude

Russia's war on Ukraine ended the period of relative peace in Europe from World War II to today, and was the reason for German Chancellor Olaf Schulz to enter history when he announced the building of a strong German army to protect his country's national security.

100 years ago such a declaration was the cause of the Second World War.

150 years ago, the Prussian - meaning German - chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, was waiting for an attack from France to declare war on it, and he vehemently refused to start it.

He was convinced that Napoleon III would not find a single ally, because France was the aggressor and the cause of instability in Europe.

Compare Bismarck's words about France in the 19th century and France's words about Germany in the 20th century after the two world wars, when she described her as the "aggressor" and as the cause of instability in Europe.

It's amazing how history repeats itself over and over again and people don't learn.

Wars are similar in causes, destruction, and countries with the same names, even if their systems change, but the faces change.

• After the Napoleonic wars, a period of relative peace prevailed in the European continent for 99 years.

Abdulla.AlQamzi@emaratalyoum.com

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Abdulla.AlQamzi@emaratalyoum.com