MARCH,1946 torywoninWorldWarHandthefuturePlanswill,by implicationbesimilarlyjustifiedbyvictoryinWorldWar III. ("Thepartyintendstoorganizea new mightyup- surgeofnationaleconomy,whichwillenableustoincrease thelevelofourproductionthreefold. . .50,000,000tons ofpigironayear. . . .Onlyundersuchconditionswill ourcountrybeinsuredagainstanyeventuality.Perhaps threenewFive-YearPlanswillberequiredtoachieve this,ifnotmore.But itcanbedone,andwemustdoit.") ThustheFiveYearPlansareadmitedtohavehadnothingtodowithabetterwayoflifebuttohavebeensimply militarymeasures.ThistoStalinappearsentirelynatural: makingwarsuccessfulyhascometobetheacknowledged aimofSoviet"socialism",andthesupremetestofasocial system,fortheStalinbureaucracy,hasnothingtodowith Life,LibertyandthePursuitofHappiness,norwithLiberty EqualityandFraternity,norwithMarx'sKingdomofFree- dom,butquitebluntly:canitwinwars?Evenonthis level,onemustrejectasunfoundedtheclaimthatonly SovietismcouldhaveindustrializedRussiasoquickly. CapitalisminAmericaproducedcomparablyspeedyresults inthedecades1850-1870:andinRussiaitselfasimilar growthtookplaceaftertheliberationoftheserfs.(Cf. EngelslettertoDanielsonofSept.22,1892,on"thehothouseprocessoffosteringindustrialrevolution"inRussia after1861"which. . .cramsintotwentyyearsadevelop- mentwhichotherwisemighthavetakensixtyormore years.")But it is true,asStalinboasts,thattheCom- munistshave"reversedtheusualpath"ofcapitalistdevelopmentandbegunwithheavyinsteadoflightindustry.What aworldofhumanmiseryinthatdryeconomicformulation! Lightindustrymeansconsumers'goods,heavyindustry meanssteelanddynamosandotherinedibleandunwearablethings.Theonlywayto begin withheavyindustryis forthemassofworkerstolivelikebeasts,astheyhavein factbeenlivingforagenerationunderStalin.Nowonder theRedArmysoldierswouldcommitanycrimeforthe possessionofawatchorabicycle.Butallofthisis,of course,necessarybecausetheSovietfatherlandisencircled bywicked"monopolycapitalist"nationsthesimilarityto whatHitlertoldtheGermanpeopleisstrikingand"our Marxistsdeclarethatthecapitalistsystemofworldeconomy concealselementsofcrisisandwar."Therefore,theRussianpeoplemaylookforwardtothreemoreFiveYear Flans"ifnotmore",andtheRedArmy,intheOrderof theDaywhichStalinissuedonFebruary22,isenjoined during"thenew[i.e.,post-Hitler]conditions"to"vigilantly guardthepeaceful,creativelaboroftheSovietpeople. . . andmakethebordersof ourmotherlandimpregnable againstenemies." WarasanInstitution(7) WordsandWar bySimoneWeil EDITOR'SNOTE:Thisanklewasoriginallypublished intheApril1and 15,1937, issuesofNouveauxCahiers (Paris)underthetitle:"NeRecommenconspaslaGuere deTroie."ThetranslationisbyBowdenBroadwater.The articlehasbeenshortened,forspacereasons,thedeletions beingindicatedbydots. OUR visionsofsecurity,nowthatscientificmanhas natureunderlockandkey,aredisappearinginthe destructionwhichwar-makingmanisbringingon himself.Ifthedangerisgreat,itisnodoubtpartlybecause ofthepoweroftheweaponstechnologyhasputintoour hands.Butweaponsdonotgooffbythemselves,anditisunfairtoblameoninertmaterasituationforwhichweour- selvesbearfullresponsibility.Themostdisastrouswarshave somethingincommonwhich,thoughitmaycomfortsome observers,istheirrealdanger: theyhavenodefinableaims. Throughouthistory,themostdesperatewarshavebeenthose whichwerefoughtfornothing.Thisparadox,whenwe cometounderstanditbetter,mayprovetobeoneofthe keystohistory. It iscertainlythekeytoourownperiod. Whenaconflicthasawel-definedaim,eachsidecan calculatethecostanddecidewhetherit istoohigh;generaly,acompromiseismoreprofitabletoeitherthana victory.But ifaconflicthasnoobjective,wehavenothing tomeasure,orweigh,orcompare;compromiseisinconceiv- able;wecanonlyPm:Weabatle'simportancebyitssacriBibliotecaGinoBianco fices,andasthesesacrificesperpetualyaskfornewones, warswouldneverstopifhumanforcesdidnothavetheir limits.Thisparadoxissoviolentthatitescapesanalysis. Alcultivatedmenknowitsperfectexemplar,butsomekind offatalitymakesusreadaboutitwithoutunderstanding. TheGreeksandTrojansslaughteredeachothertenyears overHelen;exceptforthedilettantewarriorParis,she meantnothingtoanyofthem;theyallwishedthatshehad neverbeenborn.Herpersonwassofaroutofscalewith thismonstrouswarthatnoonetookherformorethana symboloftherealgoalwhichcouldnotbedefinedbecause itdidnotexist.Theyguessedthatthewarwasimportant fiOmtheincontestabledeathsandwiththese,itsimportancepassedbeyondassignablelimits.Hectordreamedthat theGreekswoulddestroyhiscity,massacrehisfatherand brothers,anddegradehiswifetoaservitudeevenmore terriblethandeath;Achilesknewhewashandingoverhis fathertothemiseryandhumiliationofdefenselessoldage; thepeopleknewthattheirfamilylifewouldbedestroyed bysuchalongabsence;stillnoneofthemthoughtthiswas toogreatapricebecausetheywereallfightingforan ilusionwhosevaluewasthepricetheyhadtopay.Minerva andUlyssesonlyhadtorecal thesuferingsofthedead tosilencetheGreekswhowantedtogohometotheir families.Threethousandyearslater, in1917,Poincare usedpreciselythesameargumentagainsttheadvocatesof compromise.Nowadays,inordertoexplainourownfrenzy
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