Europe’s capacity for violence. A narrative

By

Dr. C. Wevelsiep

Priv.-doz. Dr. paed. habil. Dr. phil. habil. Christian Wevelsiep Surkenstr. 160 b 44797 Bochum Tel: 0234/9799772 Fax: 0234/9799772

Abstract

Europes capacity for violence

The capacity for violence is a conceptual bracket for the phenomen of violence. It must be explored from a historical, cultural, and contemporary perspective. The term used here is certainly ambiguous. In anthropological terms, the capacity for violence could be understood as a person’s ability to use violence.

But the capacity for violence does not only apply to individuals but also to collectives and forms of rule For what does violence mean in a sense other than the tangible? In a qualified order, illegitimate violence is absorbed by the authority of rule and the power of the police; in democracies and liberal orders, people also become accustomed to the practice of renouncing violence through trust.

What does the ability to use power mean in relation to the European self-image and in relation to the problem of violence? This question will be the focus here.

Keywords: war – peace – trust – power – violence – European history