Conflict and cooperation are two opposing forces but have played equally significant roles in shaping the world as it is today. The term conflict and cooperation can be taken to mean many things depending on the context. For the purpose of this essay, the term conflict shall refer to international armed conflict, civil war, or cold wars that have had a significant impact on humanity. Wars and conflicts have been implicated in deciding political boundaries and have also led to the displacement of populations to new worlds, hence the transfer of cultures. Cooperation, on the other hand, contributes to global collective action against a common struggle. For example, the collective action against climate change has seen nations come together to safeguard the environment and in so doing, protect themselves from probable extinction. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate how conflict and cooperation in Europe shaped the world.
Interaction between Conflict and Cooperation
Warfare has been a key feature in European history. According to Dincecco and Onorato (2013), military conflict was a major contributor to the economic rise of Europe. Over 300 major wars have been fought in the last millennium, 80% of which have occurred in continental Europe. The researchers found concrete evidence that conflict exposure promoted urban population growth which in turn had key implications in the long term economic outcomes in Europe. World War II was the deadliest war ever fought in Europe. While most of the outcomes were adversely negative, there were positive outcomes as well. Most countries cooperated to become independent after the war. This is because European states lacked the necessary resources to support colonization. WW2 led to advancement in technology with several inventions such as space travel, nuclear fusion, computers, and the radar-based navigation system. The war also promoted gender equality as millions of women abandoned their domestic duties and joined the men in the war effort. The war created thousands of job opportunities for youth drafted in the war. Nepal gained more economic stability as a result of the war.
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Nearly all European nations were ruled by monarchial dynasties. People in Europe were dissatisfied with such transfer of power. This culminated to the 1848 revolutions against monarchies, which begun in Sicily, spread to Germany, France, and Italy. Lack of cooperation between the reformers led to an epic fail, particularly in Germany and France. Most of the reform leaders went into exile, and the quest for unified nations was lost. However, years later, the nationalist's objectives were achieved in most of these states. The rise of nationalism contributed greatly to the modern-day republic states as we know them today.
Conflict affects cooperation between people. For instance, ethnic or racial-based conflict hinders cooperation between people of different ethnicities and races. It is difficult to work or live in a place riddled with conflict that is why people immigrate to safer more harmonious places and develop them into new habitats. With regard to cooperation, immigration is a key component of economic growth. European migrants to developing countries have led to the economic growth of those countries. Cooperation between the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the European Commission aims at helping developing countries to design effective policies that leverage immigration (from European developed nations) to achieve positive development outcomes. Immigrants affect three key components of the developing economy, that is, the labor market, public finance and economic growth, which are key indicators to economic development (OECD, 2018).
From the above analysis, it can be concluded that conflict and cooperation have both significantly contributed to developing the world and not just European states. Some states gained independence through war. Cooperation, on the other hand, continues to contribute to the economic development of nations in Europe and the world.
References
Dincecco, M., & Onorato, M. G. (2013). Military conflict and the economic rise of urban Europe. Lucca: Institute for Advanced Studies. Working Paper , 7 , 2013.
Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques. (2018). How immigrants contribute to developing countries' economies . OECD Publishing.
