The Fourth Industrial Revolution - (Part 4) A Brief History of War in the Modern Age.

With each period of the industrial revolution, there are related wars that seemingly are driven by the advancements. These wars implement the technological advancements of the periods they take place in as the weapons of warfare. This is a rational conclusion as any army desires cutting edge technology to gain an advantage over their adversary. I have to question if the industrial revolutions themselves don't drive the wars. Below is a brief history of the three periods of the modern age, a summary of advancements, and the wars that occurred within them. Please note I have not covered every conflict in those periods, only those that I consider significant on the world scale.

The first industrial revolution was host to multiple wars (civil, the war of 1812, etc) as well as small rebellions due to unemployment in Europe and subsequent poverty and starvation of farm workers who lost their jobs due to automation of the farming industry. Out of the three periods of the industrial revolution the first was was the least impactful on society. The civil war was the most significant war of this period. Supply lines became more efficient and were utilized as weapons of war. Naval forces evolved as they adopted the technology to become faster and more deadly. Communication allowed for greater connectivity and more concise tactics.

The 2nd IR contributed to WWI where chemistry and new manufacturing techniques (automation) were employed fueling the conflicts weaponry. New materials revolutionized the Naval industry and transportation. Flight became a new resource on the battlefield

The 3rd IR lead to WWII (although one could conceivably argue that it was at the end of the second but I disbelieve this). The gasoline engine, material sciences, manufacturing practices, and standardization opened the doors for mechanized and large scale aerial combat. Material advancements were applied to almost every aspect of the weaponry used. The invention of nuclear technology and destruction on a mass scale which brought about a new world order where governments came together to form the UN which was supposed to serve as a buffer to ever facing war on such a great scale.

The 4th IR (where we are heading if not in the beginning stages of) will most likely see (if we are already not seeing it) WWIII. This will be a different kind of war as the tools used will be largely information and misinformation. We will see individuals with the power to cripple governments through technology, disinformation, or digital sabotage. State operators will have the tools to directly manipulate other nation's populations to cause infighting, affect elections, etc. Individuals and small groups will have the power to do what was once reserved only for governments. The use of nuclear weapons during this conflict is highly likely but any nation that uses them will face terrible consequences as they will be held accountable by the world for their transgressions.

Now for the good news. I truly believe that we will make it through the hard times to come out on the other side as a stronger society.

Mutually assured destruction will fade into the history books as social connections are made on the individual level. Where government actors were unable to find peaceful means of conflict resolution in the past the greater informed and educated public with access to communication platforms will drive a greater understanding of other peoples and promote peaceable resolutions by their nature.

Basic human rights (due to the zero margin model) will expand to include power, education, medical services, water, communication, information, and others. I know I pointed this out earlier but it was worth mentioning in the summary.

Capitalism is an ever-evolving socioeconomic system and the fourth industrial revolution has the opportunity to fundamentally change the world as we know by decentralizing many of the social pillars we are familiar with today and creating new ones. We don't have to see the socioeconomic system as fixed. Nor will the future see a hybrid of capitalism, socialism, and communism. We are on the cusp of significant change and I for one am excited about it.

Unfortunately, all of these systems I have described have the potential of misuse to the detriment of basic human rights. I fully expect them to be exploited by the immoral in the beginning just as any significant advancement in the past was. But I have to trust that as society evolves so will the restraints on the technologies in ways to curb misuse. I really want to believe in humanity.