The Importance of National Ethos in Military Victories

Abstract

When nations are violently threatened, the choices that they make in order to cope with the challenge of war reflect different alternative possible reactions. They may choose to fiercely fight their battles; they may prefer to surrender, and sometimes the options lay in-between. One puzzle is, therefore, what makes nations fight, and more importantly-what causes them eventually to win or to lose the war. In search for an answer, this study inquires through secondary sources three historical case studies from World War II: Britain, France and Germany, and reviews how each of these major European powers acted throughout the war. After each historical description, the study examines the part that national ethos played in the manner in which each state handled war in moments of crisis. The national ethos of a people is the creed formed from the shared values and traditions through which the nation views its past, present and future; it is the integrating element that defines a nation's identity and bonds it into a coherent social group. The study reveals how national ethos is intertwined with another phenomenon of social psychology that turns it into a crucial factor in the management of international campaigns: war enthusiasm. Since national ethos is so crucial for the results of the war that a country might lead in order to survive or prosper, it is imperative for decision makers to bear in mind that it is also subject to a process of shaping and reshaping, as the Soviets have proved in relation to their Russian national ethos during World War II. A word of caution, however, is noteworthy: a wide historical perspective shows that even though the right kind of national ethos is essential for winning a war it is far from being enough. Hence national ethos proves, at the end of the day, to be a necessary condition for military victory but certainly not a sufficient one.

Dimensions of National Ethos among Educated Youths in Malaysia

“…As a unique combination of a public that shares mutual values and beliefs, the collective identity of a nation lies in its common narratives. The constructed collective memory and the united role led its members to believe that fate had been destined for them in this world (Lewin, 2015(Lewin, , 2016.…”

“…The shared values and traditions formed the national ethos of a people through which the nation views its past, present and future. The shared values and traditions integrate a nation's identity and bond it into a coherent social group (Lewin, 2016). It is a source of focus that can be the most powerful medium for community development and change.…”

“…Moreover, a society with no awareness of the national ethos will not live as a collective unit, let alone form an ideal nation-state. The national ethos appeared when the society is holding the foundations of the collective identity through a sense of a certain duty that the nation is bound to fulfil and through a set of common goals that the people have been intended to achieve as a united entity (Lewin, 2015(Lewin, , 2016. National ethos in everyday defined is one of the most imperative key components of people's capacity to unite into one social cohesion in a multiethnic society (Etzioni, 2009), especially among the educated youths.…”

Perspective Chapter: Online Courses – An Antidote to Traditional Andragogy

“…The sociopolitical and economic statuses of a nation state have some influence on the national ethos. The national ethos is the doctrine that is formed from the shared values and traditions through which a nation views its past present and future [5]. The adherence to traditional andragogy that cherishes the status quo could have an association with the national ethos.…”

Exercising responsible leadership in a Singapore context

“…Our study uncovers how national culture, national ethos, governance, religion and the business environment may shape the “responsibility” of the responsible leader. The national ethos of society is the set of principles that arise from the shared values and beliefs society upholds which defines its identity and code of ethics (Eyal, 2016). The empirical evidence of this study, hence, suggests that RL is a multi-level concept from the perspective of an Asian society.…”