Abstract
The Great War and the American civil war have had immense effects on the historical, political, social, and cultural context. The outcomes and the processes of the war have greatly influenced the development of the humanity discipline. These ideologies have then been spread over the world to other nations thereby stamping America as the most dominant nation in the world. Furthermore, there have been greater interdisciplinary relationships in humanity and new ideas have been developed. These ideas have gone a step further to enhance the streamlining of governance and social structures by incorporating people from diverse backgrounds.
Wars throughout history have always influenced and been influenced by the various disciplines. The Great War and the American civil war were the most influential periods of war for the American history. There were great developments and changes in disciplines such as literature, sociology, psychology, military and other humanity disciplines. These changes in one way or another, helped in transforming the infant US to the great nation that it is today. There were also various interdisciplinary outcomes of the wars, which helped forge stronger relationships. Furthermore, these relationships helped gel the various arms of the government and the diverse segments of the society to create a nation that was fully integrated in most of the humanity disciplines (Salmoni & Holmes-Eber 12). History in its own context and in relationship to the issues, questions, and positions of other disciplines
The First World War and the American civil war greatly influenced the various humanity disciplines. There was need to adapt to new conditions in the country and the world as a whole. This contributed to the major leaps in the military, sociology, philosophy, and literature during those periods. The American civil war was caused by the growing economic and military power of the northern states in comparison to the previously vibrant southern states. This created a fear among the southerners who were mostly cotton farmers that their livelihoods would be in danger should the balance of power shift to the northerners (Salmoni and Holmes-Eber 227).
First, the most affected were the psychology and the sociology disciplines. During the times, there was a greater agitation for the stopping of slavery by the northerners contrary to the southerners. There was emergence of various activists and thinkers who supported the notion of equality for all. However, there were leaders who were greatly opposed to this and wanted to keep slavery going. In addition, the feminist movement had its roots firmly placed in the ground after this period. The agitators of equality eventually helped in shaping the country as it is currently. During this period, the military might of the northern states increased significantly. This enabled them to win the war and eventually set precedence for the subsequent American domination of the world. The domination was aided by the superior industrial might of the northerners that helped in producing devastating weaponry that was very effective in battlefields. The American civil war heralded the emergence of a new superpower replacing the Europeans who had ruled for over two millennia (Salmoni & Holmes-Eber 12).
Regarding the Great War, these impacts led to the complete transition of global power to the five eyes nations; namely, Canada, US, UK, New Zealand, and Australia. The war led to the emergence of more weapons and improved methods of management in the military. These methods employed the system approach that provided for a hierarchical manner. Some writers in literature such as John Lynn were able to show that cultural uniformity produced great outcomes in battles. This can be supported by the fact that New Zealand Australia and Canada all share the head of state. This put them in the same cultural position in addition to the similarity in language hence better communication and efficiency. The armies of these nations began employing psychological tests to get the most qualified and willing recruits. The most important psychological development was the use of Army alpha and army beta intelligence tests. In addition, those subjected to trauma were subjected to counseling to aid in their recovery. The trauma witnessed in the war was referred to as shell shock. There was also the development of the counseling discipline and in the 1920’s through further education and legislations.
Comparison of the disciplines in terms of central concerns, values, methodologies, and Relationships to Public Life
These disciplines were driven by the same factors and influences although some took longer to develop. The American civil war was able to have grater influences on the disciplines of Psychology, sociology and literature. Leaders such as W.E.B du bois came to the limelight due to their philosophical ideas that influenced many. Furthermore, there were greater efforts to change the social structure of the society by agitating for equality. The Great War influenced the military discipline and culture as a whole(Wynn, 107). The American culture was thrust into the global arena and this was supported by its military might. The change in the entry tests also made Americans to be more patriotic due to the tough entry tests to the military. The Great War military culture also influenced further development in the field of psychology and sociology. Those affected in the battlefields were taken care of by counseling which made them easily integrate in the society once more (Salmoni & Holmes-Eber 65).
However, these wars were also viewed by a section of the society as quite inhuman. Various churches and human rights movements participated in efforts of reconciliation especially after the American civil war. The two wars employed the system of spreading the culture of the winning side, which was viewed as being superior to the other. Cultural influences were imposed on the southerners and the world while at the same time exerting greater military influences. The methods employed by the US were replicated by other nations around the world and this marked the star of the US domination of the world (Salmoni & Holmes-Eber 77).
Regarding the Great War, there was a sudden change on how the battles were reported. Military historians changed from just reporting military proceedings to concentrating on the cultural and national makeup of the battlefield. During the Great War the division of the units using their national origins proved to be quite effective. At one point, the Australians and the new-Zealanders even saw themselves as superior to the British. This motivated them to fight more aggressively and proved to be more effective than their British counterparts were. These victories made the British army to request more of Canadian battalions in the battlefields.
Historical, literary, psychological, sociological, and political perspectives regarding war and culture
Historical, literary, psychological, sociological, and political perspectives regarding war and culture were amplified by making the two wars memorials in the US history. The way people and writers chose to portray the Great War did not give the full perspective of the war. It should be noted that the war brought great suffering to individuals and the families as a whole.
There were conflicting literary pieces about the war and how it supposedly took place. Some perceived is as being medieval especially the old people while the younger literary poets portrayed it as quite modern. The historians were also able to stop the battle narrations and generally gave a wider perspective relating to cultural practices. This can be related to the Maoist beliefs that war fed on cultural practices and abandonment would lead to massive losses.In addition, these two wars brought out the spirit of Americanism. The American culture in all its forms found its way into the other countries because it was perceived as being superior. Nations during the Great War were driven by nationalism but this was more oriented to destroying other cultures. However, the US was able to spread its culture without imposing it on any country (Wynn 182).
The Canadian and Australia-new-Zealand formations moved in large groups during the Great War. These brought suspicions and fear among the local populations in Europe and therefore the leaders had to put out lying statements. These were aimed at diffusing the tension and ensuring their safe passages. Later, it was overshadowed by the victories in 1918 that effectively ended the war. The nationalism that took center stage during the war ended up dividing historians. The historians placed their efforts more on who won the war in the coalition rather than the methods applied. This changed how the war was reported thereby relegating a lot of crucial information to the backstage.
Relationships among academic knowledge, professional work, and the responsibilities of local and global citizenship.
These two wars had a profound effect on how the professional used their knowledge to influence communities. First, the change in the intake of the military during the Great War made Americans to be more conscious of their Americanisms. The English language was used to define how American a person was. Furthermore, more qualified and determined individuals filled the ranks in the military. These changes also made American citizens to view themselves as being the most dominant in the globe (Olds 4).
During the Great War, there were great developments in the military discipline. Furthermore, the subsequent years provided the American public with a period that experienced a rapid growth in science heralding new technologies that were both useful and controversial. During the summer and spring battles, there was greater coordination among the allies. backgrounds while at the same period experienced great immigrations from all over the world. (Salmoni & Holmes-Eber 214). Nationalism also helped in creating a large military during the Great War. This military had proper organizational structures that made it quite effective in the battlefield. After the war, the techniques were employed by various arms of the government to streamline the various departments. Schools were also made to be more American by reciting various loyalty pledges (Wynn 107).
Decision-making in the disciplines
Although the disciplines are quite independent, they influenced by the same factors. These factors drove their growth and development. Even though they were mainly driven by the need to create a more efficient nation and workforce, most of the developments were hinged at giving an average American all the basic needs. The developments during the Great War have influence the way the way the disciplines contributed to the average American life. The fields of psychology and sociology would experience a remarkable growth.
The developments brought out more activism in the then conservative society. The feminist movement gained steam after the Great War where the citizens advocated for even a greater representation in matters political and societal. The perspectives of the general population also changed gradually and became more accommodating. By the second half of the 20th century, most of the rights movements had achieved most of their goals heralding a new era in the global culture (Olds 12).
Conclusion
The core learning outcomes and the ILOs were clearly portrayed in relation to the various humanity disciplines. The influences of these wars have contributed immensely to the development of the American nation as the most dominant force in the world. They should therefore be upheld to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy the fruits of their predecessors
References
Olds, Kris. 'Global Citizenship – What Are We Talking About And Why Does It Matter? | Globalhighered @Insidehighered'. Insidehighered.com. N.p., 2012.
Salmoni, Barak & Paula Holmes-Eber. Operational Culture For The Warfighter. Quantico, Va.: Marine Corps University ; Washington, DC, 2008. Print.
Wynn, Neil. Historical Dictionary From The Great War To The Great Depression. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2003. Print.
