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42
ChapterI
1.10The19th-centuryviewsandthemodernpacifism
Attheturnofthe19thcenturytheopinionsofmanypacifistsrecordanin-
creasingawarenessthatthetechnologicalarmsraceeliminatestheadversary
characterofwarandobliteratesitschivalricmajesty(Pick1993).Itsoonturned
outthatthedailypressreleaseswereanadditionalfactorthatfacilitatedthe
arousalofuninhibitedemotionsinthemasses,andthatpoliticalappropriationof
thepresshelpedtomanipulatethoseemotions;yetthattheyneverthelessoften
escapedthemanipulator’scontrol.Nationalism,whichincludedanapotheosisof
thecommunity,thepathosofduty,andademonicimageofthefoe,aroused
similarpassioninthegovernorsasinthegoverned,andtheemotions,onceheat-
ed,provedimpossibletocooldown.In1914,Europewassubjecttofatalism.
Somewereterrifiedbythisdrivetowardsacataclysm,theotherswereexcited.
Theaccompanyingawakeningofnationalhonourgaverisetoreactionsand
formsofbehaviourwellknownfromearliereras,forinstancefromtheperiodof
thecrusades.
NowonderthatthequestionthatEinsteindirectedtoFreudin1932,“Warum
Krieg?”,whywar,wasmorethanrelevant.Thefamousexchangeoflettersbe-
tweenthoseoutstandingrepresentativesoftheirerafocusedonthequestion
whetheritwasatallpossibletoachieveenoughcontrolovertheintellectualde-
velopmentofahumanbeingtomakehimimmunetothepsychosisofwarand
destruction.Einsteinassertedthattheleastresistantinthisrespect,andthemost
susceptibletomasshypnosis,isthe“intelligentsia”,existinginanuniverseof
bookishideas.Yethewonderedhowitwaspossiblethatasmalleliteofpoliti-
ciansandarmsdealers,evenifabletoexercisecontroloverthepress,thesystem
ofeducationandtheChurch,managedtobendthewillofthemajority,whomthe
outbreakofwarbroughtnothingbutsuffering,totheirownambition.Appar-
ently,theexternalinfluencewouldnotsuffice;themysteryliesinthehuman
drivetodestructionandhate,dormantinmorenormaltimes,buteasilyaroused
tothelevelofacollectivepsychosis.
Inhisanswer,Freudrecalledthehypothesesandviews,presentedinhisCiv-
ilizationandItsDiscontents(DasUnbehageninderKultur,1930),regardingthe
originsofhumansocietythatestablishesthelawasacollectivedefenseagainst
thelicenceandviolentinstinctsofsomeofitsmembers;yetintimethelawbe-
comesacloakfortheinequalityandviolencemonopolisedbythestate.From
thatpointonwards,anunavoidableconflictoccursbetweenthegovernedandthe
governorsofincreasinglylargestates;aconflictwhichrepeatedlyculminates
eitherinacivilwar,oraforeignwar,whenthedestructiveinstinctissupported
bytheinstinctofloveresponsibleforhumansolidarity.Instinctualdrivescannot