A Twentieth Century War Was Just and a Holy War Essay

A Twentieth Century War Was Just and a Holy War On 2nd September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Wars are started for many reasons, but can they ever be justified? This essay will analyse whether the factors causing the Second World War were justified. Augstine, a Christian leader in the Middle Ages, devised the Just War Theory. The Christian thinker Thomas Aquinas then adapted this theory, which then formed the basis of the UN conditions for a just war. To assess whether a war is justified the Just War Theory criteria need to be fulfilled. They0 and are shown below: 1.) There must be a just cause. Those attacked must have committed some fault. 2.) The war must be†¦show more content†¦You must only use enough force to achieve your objectives. As far as possible, only military people, and not civilians, must be involved. The first criterion is that of a just cause. In this case, it can be considered that Hitlers invasion of Czechoslovakia and Poland meets this criterion. Britain saw these invasions not only as a threat to those countries but to the rest of Europe and Britain itself. Secondly, the war must be started and controlled by a competent and legal authority, suitably the British government. This implies that wars started by small groups or factions with self-interest are unjust and the authority of the government ids required because the whole country is involved. Parliament should approve it because parliament is representing the people. The war must also be right intention, in this case to avoid the greed and evil nature of Hitler and to promote the fair, democratic rule of Britain and France. The fourth criterion is that the war must be a last resort; it can be argued that Britain and France tried the Policy of Appeasement. A policy when they stood back and didnt do anything. but these methods of averting the war had failed and it became obvious that if they didnt act, Hitler would take over France and in possibly eventually Britain. In addition, there must be a reasonable probability of success. This isShow MoreRelatedHow the Roman Catholic Church Has Changde History2060 Words   |  8 PagesIntro/Argument The Roman Catholic Church has changed history an incredible amount, especially in the twentieth century. It did not affect one single region of the world but many. The whole world went through drastic changes in the twentieth century such as the economic downfalls, destruction of governments, and failure of political systems. 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