Britain a Century of War, Austerity and Welfare.
This analysis tests the theory that Britain has been politically focused on War and Austerity since 1900.
Each date is described by political nature and events.
The overlaps in the conflicts have been highlighted in the initial list and then allowed for in the total calculations in the conclusion.
Date Events
1900 Middle east Colonization by the British.
Imperialism. Peace in Britain. Liberalism.
1903 – 1904 British Expedition into Tibet
1906 – 1914 Welfare reforms in Britain
1914 - 1918 World War 1
1914 - 1918 Rationing. Reduction in resources,
energy, environment
1917 Russian Revolution
1918 – 1920 British and Allied intervention into Russia
1919 Economic stagnation, austerity, socialism
1919 – 1923 Turkish War of Independence
1919 Third Anglo Afghan War
1919 – 1921 Irish War of Independence
1920 Somaliland Campaign
1920 Great Iraqi Revolution of 1920
1921 Final Peace treaty to end World War One hostilities
signed between Britain and Austria.
1926 General Strike
1929-1939 Great World economic Depression.
Appeasement. Disarmament.
1936 – 1939 Great Arab Revolt in Palestine
1938 – 1948 British–Zionist conflict Jewish insurgency in Palestine
1939 - 1945 World War 2
Rationing. Reduction in resources,
energy, environment
1944 – 1948 Greece (Greek Civil War)
1945 – 1946 Vietnam. Operation Masterdom
1945 Economic stagnation, austerity, socialism
Nationalization
1945 – 1949 Indonesian National Revolution
1947 – 1991 Cold War between the Warsaw Pact and
Nato forces
1948 - 1960 Malaysian War
1950 - 1953 Korean War
1951 – 1954 Suez Canal Emergency
1952 – 1960 Mau Mau Uprising. British East Africa. Kenya
1953 Final end of conflicts with remaining German
Home Guard resistance fighters and peace in
Germany.
End of rationing in Britain
1955 – 1960 Cyprus Emergency
1955 - 1975 Indo China. Vietnam. Cambodia. Laos. War
1956 – 1957 Suez Crisis
1956 – 1962 Irish Border Campaign
1960 Free Trade. Start of EEC. Counterculture.
1962 – 1966 Indonesia Malaysia Confrontation
1962 – 1975 Dhofar Rebellion
1963 – 1967 Aden Emergency
1968 – 1998 The Troubles. Northern Ireland
1973 Oil depletion due to middle east conflict
1976 Oil depletion due to middle east conflict
1979 Membership of EEC. Thatcherism. Low inflation
Oil depletion due to middle east conflict
1982 Falklands War
1982 – 1984 Lebanon. Multi-National Force
1990 Small State interference. Private Enterprise.
Ownership of Property.
1991 Gulf War 1
1992 – 1996 Bosnian War
1998 Bombing of Iraq
1998 – 1999 Kosovo War
2000 – 2002 Sierra Leone Civil War
2001 Capitalism. Socialism. New Liberalism.
2001 – 2014 Fourth Anglo-Afghan War
2003 – 2009 Iraq War
2007 – 2014 World recession. Austerity
Eco-politics. Energy, resource, environment
Depletion, climate change agreements to reduce
fossil fuel use world wide reduce carbon dioxide and
greenhouse gas outputs and move to renewable
energy sources. The end of the Carbon Economy.
2011 Libyan Intervention
2009-2014 Interventions into Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Palestine,
Syria.
Conclusions
Total number of years
2014 – 1900 114
Total Years at War 88
1903 – 1904 1
1914 – 1918 4
1918 – 1920 2
1920 – 1923 3
1936 – 2014 78
Total number of years of Austerity 50
1906 – 1914, 1914 – 1919, 1926 – 1939, 1939 – 1945, 1945 – 1953
1973, 1976, 1979, 2007 – 2014
Total number of years of Welfare 108
2014 – 1906
There are a number of repeating themes in the analysis.
A political focus on protecting the borders of former colonies.
A focus on agreements to assist other smaller countries who are attacked.
A focus on historical, liberal ideals of welfare for Britain.
A use of ‘nobles oblige’ attitude.
A declining world resource, energy and environment situation since the turn of the century.
There are new issues of
Combating climate change through international agreements.
A growing source of conflict linked to world resource, energy and environment depletion.
The data indicates that
The focus of Britain that has been in some form of external conflict for the last 88 years, and constantly for the last 78 years somewhere on earth.
That half of the century has been focused on Austerity politics.
That Welfare, to combat austerity and socialist political revolution, has been a major focus in Britain continually for the past 108 years.
These figures therefore indicate that Britain has been largely focused on War, Austerity and Welfare since 1900.
The effects of these themes on the population must be considered to be severe since the War, Austerity and Welfare have run beyond at least three average human lifespans and so will have affected the financial, social and moral attitudes of the population.
The cycle of warfare, austerity and welfare will continue.
It will be made worse by humanity struggling to cope with depletion of energy, resources and environment.
There are too many problems for humanity to agree solutions across the whole planet.
Localization is necessary to identify and propose responses to the problems of individual humans and their settlements.
The localization needs a framework, an arrangement, an order, an architecture to exist.
This may be a role that Architects can assist with in the future.
Ian K Whittaker
My websites:
https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles
Email: iankwhittaker@gmail.com
11/09/2014
14/10/2020
829 words over 3 page