Michael Doyle - Schumpeter: "Liberal Pacifism"
In Liberalism and World Politics, Michael Doyle traces three strains of liberal intellectual tradition. (Michael Doyle, “Liberalism and World Politics”. American Political Science Review; vol. 80 no. 4, December 1986. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1960861 (accessed 2/26/2014). )The first comes from Joseph Schumpeter. For Joseph Schumpeter, all war in the modern world can be seen as imperialistic. Warlike behavior is caused by specific habits which can be negated by a strong dose of Liberalism, by which Schumpeter means the combination of Democracy and Capitalism. (Doyle, pg 1152 - 1154)
Causes Of War
I - "War Machine" - The tendency of war-making to perpetuate itself. Military mobilization carries a momentum with it that can generate war of its own accord. II - "Warlike Instincts" - A cultural tendency towards war, either acquired through sustained aggression or inherent in the culture. These instincts are often tied to a war machine. III - "Export Monopolism" - The use of tariffs and force to close markets against competition. |
Liberal Solutions To War - How Democracy And Capitalism Help Us Kick The Habit
- Life in capitalist democracy creates a society that is "democratized, individualized, rationalized". These traits negate warlike instincts. A rational, subjective person would always prefer industry to war, and in a democracy the rational people get the chance to make that choice. - Democracy undermines the war machine because the success of the machine is based on the undue influence of specific groups that benefit from war. In Democracy, the interests of the whole are represented instead. - Capitalism destroys the temptation of export monopolism through the extraordinary benefits of competition. |