In simple terms
A friendly intro before the formal notes — no formulas yet.
Beyond the Battlefield: Understanding Real Peace
This topic unpacks the complex ideas of peace and violence, showing that peace is more than just the absence of war. We explore the hidden forms of harm embedded in our societies and what it takes to build genuine, lasting security.
Imagine a garden. 'Negative peace' is like just pulling out the visible weeds (stopping a war). It looks better for a while, but the roots are still there. 'Positive peace' is like enriching the soil, ensuring proper sunlight and water, and planting a variety of healthy plants so weeds are less likely to grow in the first place. This means creating a just society where everyone has what they need to thrive, addressing the root causes of conflict.
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First, define the core concepts. Distinguish between 'negative peace' (the absence of direct violence) and 'positive peace' (the presence of justice, equity, and social harmony).
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Next, introduce Galtung's Violence Triangle. Explain the three interconnected forms: Direct (e.g., bombing), Structural (e.g., poverty caused by an unfair economic system), and Cultural (e.g., ideologies that justify discrimination).
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Then, apply these concepts to a real-world case study. Analyse a post-conflict region and evaluate whether it has achieved negative or positive peace, identifying any ongoing structural or cultural violence.
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Finally, evaluate different peacebuilding approaches. Assess how international organisations, states, and NGOs attempt to address all three types of violence to build a sustainable and positive peace.
Explore the concept
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Full topic notes
Formal explanation with the rigour you need for the exam.
Defining Peace: More Than Just the Absence of War
The most fundamental distinction in this topic is between 'negative peace' and 'positive peace', a concept popularised by sociologist Johan Galtung. Negative peace refers to the absence of active, organised violence between states or groups. Think of a ceasefire or the period immediately following the signing of a peace treaty. While essential, it's often a fragile state.
Positive peace, in contrast, is a much broader and more ambitious goal. It describes a society where the underlying causes of conflict have been resolved. This means there is social justice, equality, and the political and economic systems work for the benefit of all. Achieving positive peace means moving beyond simply stopping the fighting to actively building a just and equitable society.
Understanding Violence: Galtung's Triangle
To understand how to build positive peace, we must first understand the different forms of violence. Galtung proposed a 'violence triangle' to illustrate how three types of violence are interconnected.
Galtung's Insight: Direct Violence is the symptom. Structural and Cultural Violence are the underlying diseases.
Direct Violence: This is the visible, overt violence we most easily recognise. It involves physical or psychological harm, has clear victims and perpetrators, and includes events like war, assault, and hate speech.
Structural Violence: This is violence built into the social structure. It's the harm that comes from unjust political, economic, or social systems that prevent people from meeting their basic needs. Examples include systemic poverty, institutional racism, or unequal access to education and healthcare. It is often slow, invisible, and has no single identifiable perpetrator.
Cultural Violence: This refers to any aspect of a culture that can be used to legitimise direct or structural violence. It's the world of symbols, beliefs, and ideologies – such as extreme nationalism, religious fundamentalism, or racist stereotypes – that make violence seem normal or justified.
The Nature of Conflict
It is vital to distinguish between conflict and violence. Conflict is a natural and unavoidable part of human society, arising from disagreements over resources, values, or power. It is not inherently negative. In fact, non-violent conflict can be a powerful driver of positive social change, as seen in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa or the American Civil Rights Movement. The key issue in global politics is not the existence of conflict, but how it is managed and expressed. Violence is one possible, and destructive, outcome of unmanaged conflict.
Worked examples
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Using the case of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, analyse how structural and cultural violence contributed to direct violence.
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Identify Direct Violence: State clearly the acts of direct violence, such as the military crackdowns in 2016-2017, which involved killings, arson, and forced displacement of the Rohingya population. This is the 'event' or tip of the iceberg.
Analyse the conflict over water resources in the Nile River basin through the lens of negative and positive peace.
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Outline the Conflict: Briefly describe the actors (primarily Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia) and the core issue: the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) by Ethiopia, which Egypt fears will restrict its historical share of the Nile's water, threatening its water security.
How it all connects
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Glossary
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Quick check
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Revision flashcards
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Peace
A state of non-conflict and harmony, but also a contested concept. It can range from a 'negative' definition (absence of war) to a 'positive' one (presence of justice and equity).
Key takeaways
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Direct Violence: This is the visible, overt violence we most easily recognise. It involves physical or psychological harm, has clear victims and perpetrators, and includes events like war, assault, and hate speech.
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Structural Violence: This is violence built into the social structure. It's the harm that comes from unjust political, economic, or social systems that prevent people from meeting their basic needs. Examples include systemic poverty, institutional racism, or unequal access to education and healthcare. It is often slow, invisible, and has no single identifiable perpetrator.
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Cultural Violence: This refers to any aspect of a culture that can be used to legitimise direct or structural violence. It's the world of symbols, beliefs, and ideologies – such as extreme nationalism, religious fundamentalism, or racist stereotypes – that make violence seem normal or justified.
Practice — then mark it
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Test your understanding of Peace, Conflict and Violence with exam-style questions.
Test your understanding of Peace, Conflict and Violence with exam-style questions.
Extra simulations & links
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Frequently asked
Checkpoint
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