PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Up to now General Sociological Theory has conceived of modern society as civil society. In view of the massive use of violence between states in the 20(th) century it should be regarded as desirable to integrate war in a theory of modern society. This paper suggests, in terms of Herbert Spencer (his military and industrial type of society), distinguishing war society as a social type of its own. According to Spencer modern civil societies are primarily differentiated with autonomous self-controlled operation systems. Modern war societies are, like military organizations, hierarchically differentiated and centrally regulated. This paper analyzes the societal transformation of war in World War I using the categories of "mobilization" and "war societal dilemma" and interprets the Soviet Union and the Third Reich as phenomena of the modern war society. The article's intention is to contribute to a theoretical understanding of war society in general, but especially in the period of the World Wars