Классификация войн: социально-философский анализ

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to classify wars. The analysis of classifications presented in scientific literature is based on the nomenclature of existing social contradictions, determined by the goals of war, its means, scale, the environment in which military operations are conducted, duration, intensity, socio-political significance, the number of troops. According to the author’s research hypothesis, power, being a fundamental category, manifests itself in the social cross-section of existence as a social power, which is an association of people with a resource base, a certain structure, a way of management implemented with the help of military, economic, physical, political and other powers of society. Social power serves as a basis for classification of wars. Scientific novelty lies in deriving a classification of wars based on power as their cause. In order to do this, the concepts of “power” and “social power” are introduced. As a result of the study, the author identifies: 1) wars waged by the strong against the weak; 2) by the strong against the strong; 3) by the weak against the weak. It has been concluded that the first type is the most common one, the second one is less common but it is intense and violent and the third war type is the rarest one. In addition, the author introduces a number of other classifications and explains the existing ones on the basis of the power concept of war.