Conflict in Historical Context (Part One)

15 December 2015

By Dr. Hameedullah Zabuli

Since the dawn of human history, conflict has emerged as an integral part of human and social development. At its core human societies are ever adverse to change and the entailing uncertainty. They loathe the uncertainty of the unknown and relish in the certainty of the 'known' or status quo. While it is true that certain individuals are gifted with the qualities of boldness and adventure, yet we – as a society – are conservative to the highest degree. Human society as a conservative organ always resists change and will employ all in its means to counteract change within it.

Due to society's inherent resistance to change it is natural that any societal change must generate enough momentum that it can overcome the inherent resistance of society if it is to succeed. If the change or development is thrust forward with just enough energy to overcome the inherent resistance then this gradual development can be considered the evolution of society. An example of this would be changes sought through legislation and new customs. We see examples of such evolutionary change daily in the form of ideas forwarded by groups within a society which gradually gain widespread acceptance within society before being enforced on the few remaining oppositionists through legislative change.

If however the change is propelled too powerfully then naturally the resistance to it will also accelerate creating tension and friction thus escalating the emotions of both groups to such an extent that the ensuing contest risks boiling into violent resistance and counter-resistance. We see examples of such frictions in the forms of revolts and revolutions that often create wide wounds in the fabric of society. A recent example of such contests were the Arab Springs and previously the Iranian Revolution.

Often when tensions rise to such emotional levels human societies will resort to the use of violence in order to impose their will on the opposition. This often creates a violent intra-societal conflict with devastating consequences. Another scenario would be where a conservative society so abhors the notions being promoted by the proponents of change that they will resort to extreme and violent measures to oppose it. Examples of such conflicts were the French Revolution and the Bolshevik Revolution in Tsarist Russia.

While attempting to abstain from philosophical jargon, the above abstract illustrates the point that societal change is often abhorred by society as a whole and the tug of war will often escalate the tension between the two competing sides to extents few individuals will admit to.

A cursory study of history will illustrate that societal changes will often lead to conflict within society or between societies. Part Two of this article will provide historical examples where change – whether good or bad – often generates conflict between and within human societies. 

 

©  EsinIslam.Com

Add Comments