There is a slogan shoved down the throat of every student in a history class: “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.” In my experiences, people managed to ignore the entire history class, on top of the books.
And Britain’s exit from the European Union does an incredible job at showing this ignorance. This was an absolutely terrible move, that no one was prepared for. This is yet another step down Europe’s path to total war. Those same history books show as much.
Using the example of the Congress of Vienna which has almost the exact same situation, step by step, we can see what is likely to occur next. First, Russia wanted control of the Black Sea. This resulted in Russia mobilizing its army and attacking its neighbors. Next the other European Nations responded to try and stem Russia’s aggression as well as help those affected by the onslaught. The immigrants that entered Europe brought different values to the fold and as a result, gave rise to Nationalism. Gaining pride in their homelands caused what was left of the Congress of Vienna to splinter as neighbors stopped trusting each other on the political stage. One that set up a series of alliances between nations as territories sought to break away from larger countries and govern themselves. It was not long before all of Europe was at war to stop these rebellions.
Now, let’s fast forward to today. Russia invaded Crimea for access to the Black Sea. Armies were mobilized to counter an assortment of threats that got intensified by aggression from Russia. There are currently multiple immigration crisis all over Europe with people fleeing from war torn countries in both the Middle East and parts of Europe. And in result to these immigrants, Nationalism is at an all time high compared to the last few decades; Nationalism which has been born out of cultures clashing across the globe. And right now, we have areas of Europe and the Middle East that seek to govern themselves. These territories seek to break up the established borders and create new nations. Neighbors are already breaking into factions and while it looks to be about solely immigration in the European Union, this is only the most visible source of conflict between these nations.
Now that I have drawn parallels that foreshadow the future of Europe should the Union fall (Which I have no doubt that it will after Britain leaves) let’s look at what happens next. Weapons for war have never been deadlier. Forgetting the obvious Nuclear Warheads, these countries have sophisticated Bio and Chemical Weapons that are capable of bringing entire civilizations to their knees in a matter of weeks. These same nations also have working electro magnetic pulse weapons. And without electricity, chaos will ensue in these nations. War is absolutely the worst possible idea right now, and the breaking of the European Union is a guaranteed pathway to such a situation.
But those are problems that affect all of Europe. I will close with the issues that will soon be plaguing Britain itself. This rise in nationalism has given way to a far more aggressive population. And America has already shown what happens with a riled up populace. Economic failures are already happening in the country. And as this discontent grows, the most dangerous aspects of nationalism will grow in power. Going back to those same forgotten history books, when people think of World War II, they fixate on the word socialism. But socialism was not the deadly concept that led to countless lives being destroyed in Europe then. And the word Nationalism, which happens to be what the “N” in a certain political movement of the time was the true cause of all the violence.
Europe is headed down a very dark road, and I fear to see the next couple dominoes fall.
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