War in Sismondi's Interpretation of Modern Capitalism: Fresh Analytical Perspectives

The impact of economic factors on the outbreak and duration of wars and the economic cost of wars has hitherto failed to arouse significant interest on the part of researchers in a social reformer such as Sismondi (1773-1842). This article examines his writings and letters as they relate to war, the causes of war and answers to this eternal problem. Through our approach we aim to provide a densely contextualised analysis of one of the most underrated aspects of his thought. The analysis focuses on the evaluative-descriptive qualities assigned to the terms ‘war’ and ‘army’ in one of the most turbulent periods in European history, following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The horror of armed conflict did not push Sismondi to adopt an anti-war stance; rather, he made the distinction between wars of conquest, the disruption of growth, and wars of independence, the culmination of the patriotic efforts and of the construction of national identity. Sismondi's view is not based on a religious or class-related ideological viewpoint; rather, it is based in its entirety on traditional economic tenets.