What Percentage of wars in history have a "nationalism" based cause?

[LSK]

In response to the religion and wars poll.

[Hugin]

1. How do you separate wars between countries with a national religion?

?

[mom cat]

2. The stated cause or the real cause?

[bryant69]

4. That's the $64,000 question

Isn't it?

I mean you can find 10 different reasons the Civil War was fought, and all of them are valid from a specific point of view or referring to specific individuals.

A young man marching into the army has an idealistic reason, an archbishop argues for war in the service of God, a young noble sees the opportunity for self angrandizement and glory, a rich merchant sees the possibility of profiteering, and an old king sees a good way to keep his subjects distracted. What's the real reason?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Finder]

9. Good points...

I look at who declares the war and for what reason. Both parties in a conflict most likely have different reasons. For example a country invaded is fighting out of self-defense or in the name of nationalism but if the reason the other country invaded it was for religious or ethnic purposes then the cause was not nationalism.

[bryant69]

11. That's the way i look at it as well

As mad as the people might get, or as hopped up on nationalistic or religious fervor, the war won't actually start until the leaders agree. That's why I believe it's fair to say that the south fought the civil war to preserve slavery - yeah I understand individual troops didn't own slaves and saw it as a defensive troops, but the leaders who pushed the south to attack the north were definitely fighting to preserve their freedom to own other human beings.

I suspect that most wars are not started for idealistic reasons, whether those ideals are religiously or nationally based.

Bryant

[LSK]

6. stated by whom???

By the countries going to war at the time?

By historians afterwards?

By someone elses opinion?

[mom cat]

17. By ME of course. I am the decider!

Oops! That has already been taken.

[Jed Dilligan]

3. Percentage of wars?

Does this mean that the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-8 and World War II each count for the same percentage (1:however many discrete wars there have been) or is it by number of casualties?

[Finder]

5. Most wars in history were between Empires...

which were religion based before the advent of the nation state. Wars of independence could be considered nationalism in most cases.

[LSK]

7. so then there are 2 eras of warfare??

Pre nation-state and post nation-state?

[MrPrax]

8. Yup n/t

[LSK]

10. it looks like the formation of the EU might lead to a 3rd era

Hopefully with no wars.

[Finder]

12. Depends where you begin tracking.lol

I think we are entering an era of coalitions and/or unions.

Tribes, Kingdoms, Empires, Nation States, Coalitions/Unions....who knows what the future will bring.

[Finder]

13. Also, Global Corps could replace organized religion as the driving...

factor behind wars in the future if we are not careful.

[intaglio]

14. IIRC historians argue that Nationalism

and the concept of the nation state did not appear until the end of the 18th century and played little part in the resto f the world until the mid 19th.

[Jed Dilligan]

15. During which period, wars probably claimed more lives

than all wars prior to that period combined.

See my post above asking for clarity on what "percentage of wars" means.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. One of many excuses by the bosses who crave power.

All of which are based on fear.