Do you suppose if all weapons were gone.....?

Question

If all modern weapons were suddenly gone from our world except the ones where you have to face your opponent and kill him with an axe, sword, spear, or pike and the like would civilized countries be so willing to go to war these days?

The consensus is in. There will always be war no matter the weapons used. Wether sticks or stones or the simplicity of pressing a red button.
All the answers received were very good. All best answers.

Answer 1

Wars were fought with such weapons much longer than we've been fighting with the ones we have now. It might take a while but we'd all revert back to the good ol' days when you actually saw the person before you killed them

Answer 2

There are many other ideological reasons for war (Islamic Fundamentalism), but primarily it is economics. The weapons don't matter. A huge motivation for armed conflict is the fact that resources are limited (too many dogs, not enough bones). Tension caused by scarcity leads to very complicated questions about who gets access to a particular resource or interest. If the answer to these questions cannot be agrred upon by both parties, the next step in diplomacy is war. Even if that means with rubber band guns.

Right, wrong or indifferent, wars are caused by scarcity, not the weapons themselves.

Answer 3

Why not-they did it that way for centuries and before that with clubs and rock and before that just hands and teeth. Roman, Greek, Persian, Egyptian, Babylonian, Sumerian, Chinese and all the rest of the ancient civilizations went to war fairly constantly against each other and against the barbarians who were similarly equipped. Would give a huge advantage to some of the less powerful countries today and be a great disadvantage to some of the more powerful

Answer 4

Of course, When there were no modern weapons, what do you think people used. We have not become more civilized since those times. We just like to believe we have. Humans have and probably always finds reasons to kill each other and they will always find ways to kill each other, even if they had to use there bare hands to do it. Sorry, but that is how we were made. :(

Answer 5

Ok, witchy, I can tell you haven't gotten cozey with your history books. The history of mankind is replete with wars fought with EXACTLY the weapons you describe. Let me throw a few words on you. "Peloponesian", "Punic", "Crusades". Google them. All wars fought with EXACTLY the weapons you describe. All fought BY "Civilized" nation-states. If you believe that de-teching the world, weapons-wise, will result in world peace, you are naieve. Visualize swirlled peas, you'll get what you wish to see far sooner.

Answer 6

I'll answer this with two quotes that are as true today as when they were said.

"War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man."
-Napoleon Hill

"The military don't start wars. Politicians start wars."
-Gen William Westmoreland

War will always exist, reguardless of it's form, as long as one person in a position of power wants what another person in a position of power has.

Answer 7

The guns or the technology is not the root of it, it is the desire for power and domination. War always existed in some form or another and it always will.

Answer 8

yes. there has always been war. they use to fight with swords and spears etc. it would just go back to the good ol' days, same bloodshed different weapons.

Answer 9

Civilized countries would attempt to invent newer weapons that would make their forces more effective than their opponents.

Answer 10

No doubt. We'd use rocks if we had to or bare hands. Peaceful coexistence is an elusive goal. Doesn't mean we get to give up though.