The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labor. War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the
stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent. Even when
weapons of war are not actually destroyed, their manufacture is still a
convenient way of expending labor power without producing anything that
can be consumed. A Floating Fortress, for example, has locked up in it
the labor that would build several hundred cargo ships. Ultimately it
is scrapped as obsolete, never having brought any material benefit to
anybody, and with further enormous labors another Floating Fortress is
built. In principle the war effort is always so planned as to eat up
any surplus that might exist after meeting the bare needs of the
population. In practice the needs of the population are always
underestimated, with the result that there is a chronic shortage of half
the necessities of life; but this is looked on as an advantage.
1984, by George Orwell
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