War: The Role Of Peace In War

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The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines peace as, “a state of tranquility or quiet: such as...freedom from civil disturbance” or ,” a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom.” In the 4th Century AD, the Roman writer Vegetius stated, “If you want peace, prepare for war.” Although this statement appears to contradict itself, it is still ethically sensible because when peace is interrupted, action must be taken to restore it, and that action might have to be war. There are several stories throughout History such as: Henry V, the American Revolutionary War, The Spanish American war, The Rwandan Genocide, and World War 2, that all show several occasions where war was necessary to retain peace. The statement …show more content…

Personal freedom includes one’s ability to believe, think, and act how they choose without being punished for it. During The American Revolutionary War, the peace of the colonists was being interfered with when Great Britain was issuing overbearing taxes and controlling their lives. After civil objections, “many Americans perceived war and independence as a last resort,”(Overview of the American Revolutionary War, Civilwar.org). The American colonists fought for independence from Great Britain as a means to achieve the peace they had been deprived of. As the war came to an end, “...peace negotiations took place in Paris... large-scale fighting had ended. At the time that the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783,” (Overview of the American Revolutionary War, Civilwar.org). The American Revolutionary war helps show that in the case of ethically sensible to prepare for war if you want peace because after negotiations fail, aggression is necessary to claim the personal freedom that every person is entitled to. In this case, the American colonists had to fight for the peace they desired by breaking free from an over controlling …show more content…

One of their reasonings was unethical and fatalistic, and the other was ethical and prudent. Hungry for power and land, Henry V declared war on France, believing that the war was inevitable because he was a divine ruler set to control France. It was unethical for him to declare war due to the fact that his intent was not peace, but instead power. The King of France declared war based on a need to protect the peace among the people of his nation. Prior to the war, France was in a state of peace, until the English Kingdom disrupted it. Knowing he could not sit around doing nothing while innocent lives were being taken, the King of France declared war as a means to obtain peace once again. This was ethical because he took into account his people, and after an attempt at peaceful negotiation, the King of France had to declare war. When a ruler thinks prudently about the well being of their nation and suddenly that well being is endangered, after peaceful negotiation, it is ethical to go to war to replenish that tranquility among the

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