I don’t think it’s unique in that. Before oil, we fought over land, food, spices, tea, steel, gold, and silver.
Recall that the modern nation state came out of the Peace of Westphalia that followed the Thirty Years’ War. Just over 2 centuries before that was the Hundred Years’ War.
Think of all the wars Romans fought trying to colonize and subjugate everyone. As well all the wars trying to defend themselves from the Carthaginians and the Persians and even the many uprisings of their slaves.
Let’s not forget all the wars in Asia! The Warring States period of Chinese history lasted over 250 years. The Sengoku period of Japan was also marked by over a century of frequent warfare.
The Egyptians and their many wars against the Nubians. The Zulu Empire of Shaka. The Aztecs and their wars to obtain sacrificial victims. The Mongolian Empire. The Comanche Empire. The Inca Empire. The Babylonian Empires. The Assyrian Empires.
On and on and on and on it goes. Empires and wars all the way back to the beginning of organized society (even before agriculture). Humans fight. It’s why we form gangs and get visceral thrills from violence. Violence is taboo in modern society for a reason: it’s not just dangerous and damaging to social order, it’s addictive.
I don’t think it’s unique in that. Before oil, we fought over land, food, spices, tea, steel, gold, and silver.
Recall that the modern nation state came out of the Peace of Westphalia that followed the Thirty Years’ War. Just over 2 centuries before that was the Hundred Years’ War.
Think of all the wars Romans fought trying to colonize and subjugate everyone. As well all the wars trying to defend themselves from the Carthaginians and the Persians and even the many uprisings of their slaves.
Let’s not forget all the wars in Asia! The Warring States period of Chinese history lasted over 250 years. The Sengoku period of Japan was also marked by over a century of frequent warfare.
The Egyptians and their many wars against the Nubians. The Zulu Empire of Shaka. The Aztecs and their wars to obtain sacrificial victims. The Mongolian Empire. The Comanche Empire. The Inca Empire. The Babylonian Empires. The Assyrian Empires.
On and on and on and on it goes. Empires and wars all the way back to the beginning of organized society (even before agriculture). Humans fight. It’s why we form gangs and get visceral thrills from violence. Violence is taboo in modern society for a reason: it’s not just dangerous and damaging to social order, it’s addictive.