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26TransformationThroughTrainingIssueNo6December2014reasonfortheconsequentinattentiontothepoliticalviolencethattookplacebetweenthetwoworldwars.TheessaydevelopsthisargumentwithageneraloverviewfocusingfirstlyonWorldWarIanditsaftermathfollowedbyadiscussionwithexamplesfromtheperiod.Section1IamaYugoslavNationalist.IcallforthereunificationoftheSouthernSlavsintoonestateGavriloPrinciptrial1914Oneofthemoststrikingpoliticalfeaturesoftheearly20thcenturywastherepeateddestabilizingnatureofmilitantviolenceandthereactionorlackofreactiontoitsrealpolitik.AmidstthemilititarisedsocietiesofEuropeinwhichClausewitzianteachingshadbeentakentoanextremeinGermanythisgaveterrorismrevolutionaryproportionsrealcausalweightandasClark2013arguesfarreachingconsequenceslongbeforeandafterthe28thJune1914whenPrincipassassinatedtheheirtotheAustro-Hungarianthrone.Thetrenchesalsohelpedshapetheviolencebecomingafter1100AMonNovember11th1918notjustmassgravesforthemillionsbutcheredbutprecedentsforkillingonanindustrialscaleE.Crim2007theyhadredenedwarredenedcontemporaryvaluesandredenedterrorism.Theyhadalsodehumanizedconceptsthathadhithertobeenheldsacrosanctandformillionstakenawaytheircountrieshomesandfamiliesthosethathadescapeditsshellsweredestroyedbywar.Warhadbecomeapocalypticandcementedwithitterrorism.Ofalltheforcesthatshapedpatternsofpoliticalviolencebetween1914and1945howeveritwasthosethatgatheredatthePalaceofVersaillesonthe28thJune1914thathadthemostenduringimpactandleftthemostenduringlegacy.WithoutVersaillestheprincipalforcesofnationalismandtherevolutionaryideologiesthatdroveterrorismaftertheGreatWararelikelytohavetakenaverydifferentcourse.IrrespectiveastowhetherornotthetreatywasfairorflawedtheoverwhelmingperceptioninGermanywasnegativeandthisfollowedbytheGreatDepressionof1929wasusedextensivelybymilitantforcestounderminetheWeimarRepublic.EveninItalyitwasfeltthatVersailleshadmutilatedthepeaceandthattheseverityofItaliansacrificeswerewhollydisproportionatewiththetinygainsthenationhadmadeinreturnMacleod2008.OutsideofEuropethetreatywasequallyperceivedasafailureinthattheWilsonianprinciplesofself-determinationhadbeenlimitedandpromisesofpost-warindependencetocolonialpossessionsabandonedapolicythatalongsideplansforPalestinehadcreatedbitternessamongstnationalistsandlaidthefoundationforRapoportsSecondWaveanti-colonialterrorism.Withwidespreadunemploymentandhyper-inflationacrosstheformerCentralPowersinthe1920sandthreeongoingmajorEuropeanconflictsVersaillesbecamethebannerunderwhichright-wingmilitantsbegantounitetounderminetheWeimarRepublicthemostsuccessfulofwhichwastheNationalSocialistGermanWorkersParty.TwofurtherforceshadanimpactonpatternsofpoliticalviolenceasadirectresultoftheGreatWaritsaftermathandtheriseofNaziGermany.ThiswasthebeginningoftheunravellingoftheBritishandFrenchempiresandwhatwasonceadelicatewebofmilitarypoliticaleconomicandsocialrelationshipsthathadexistedforoveracentury.ThisdisintegrationofempirefuellednationalistaspirationsandregionalconflictbeforeandaftertheSecondWorldWarandthishelpedtotransformterrorismitselfintoanintegralcomponentofmodernwarfare.Thebeginningsofterrorismasanacceptedfeatureofmodernwarfarehenceliefirmlywithinthisperiodtheshockandhorrorofthefirstrecordedatrocitiesthatnowstreamendlesslyontoeveningnewsbroadcaststhealternativestoconventionalwarsuchasfightingbyproxyandthearmingofrebelforcesonagrandscaletheexportofinsurgencyskillsandmilitaryequipmenttoconflictzonesandtheinternationaltrans-nationalimporttoit.Moreimportantlybetween1914and1945theimplementationoftheconceptsoftotalwarinwhicheveryresourceandhumanassetismobilizedandunconditionalsurrenderorobliterationhadrenderedterrorismamutepointterrorismsoonbroughtoptionsotherthansurrenderandconsignedtheprivilegesoflimitedwarfaretohistory.SpawnedandfedbyacontinuumoftheseconflictingforcesterrorismmetamorphosedbackandforthacrossthepoliticalspectrumandtheparliamentarydemocraciesthathadbeenfoundedonthedebrisandidealismofVersaillesfellonebyone.OfthecabaretfascismanddecadenceinwhatTwainhadcalledtheChicagoofEuropeonlyfascismwasleftinBerlin.TheglitzoftheJazzAgeandtheunparalleledprosperityof1920sAmericahadcometoanendandGatsbysbriefunobtainabletwinkle-bellsofsunshinehadturnedtofouldust.BytheendofthedecadeStalinwasineffectivecontroloftheSovietUnionWallStreethadcrashedandtheworldwaslookingintoanabyss.PoliticalviolencehadreacheditszenithandwithNaziGermanyterrorismnowhadthecapacitytonotonlyfomentwarbutpara-militarizeanddirectit.Therelevancetodayisthatnotonlycanparallelsbedrawnonindividualeventsbutadeeperunderstandingoftherisksposedbythemilitarizationofterrorismcanberealized.IslamicStatewhilstenjoyinglittleotherthanawaveofinactioncamenotwithanysinglefailureofpolicybutthetide.FromAfghanistantothefallofMubarakalthoughforcedtowageadifferentwartotheonetheyhadinitiallysetouttofightandtechnologicallyandmilitarilyforcedoutoftherealmsinwhichtheyhadinvestedsoheavilyAlQaedahasironicallyfounditselfbackwhereitstartedandwasarguablyatitsbest.TodaytheglobalthreatmightarguablylieinitsabilitytoprojectitsforcesinMumbai-styleraidsbutitspowercouldequallylieinitsthreattoregionalstabilityandproximitytostateandstate-likeforceson