--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By the 20th century, war ceased to be an…" description: "\"By the 20th century, war ceased to be an encounter between two armies. It became an encounter between two societies, because a factory worker producing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-friedman-7436_20th-century_by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an_2209193.jpg" --- # By the 20th century, war ceased to be an encounter between… ![“By the 20th century, war ceased to be an encounter between two armies. It became an encounter between two societies, because a factory worker producing a gun or a bomb is as deadly as a pilot.” quote by George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-friedman-7436_20th-century_by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an_2209193.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-friedman-7436_20th-century_by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an_2209193.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-friedman-7436_20th-century_by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an_2209193.jpg) > “By the 20th century, war ceased to be an encounter between two armies. It became an encounter between two societies, because a factory worker producing a gun or a bomb is as deadly as a pilot.” [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern warfare shifts from battlefield clashes to societal impacts, where civilian production rivals military might. **In simple terms:** War now involves whole societies, not just armies. Key Takeaway Recognize broader war impacts. Themes warfare societal conflict industrialization Mood analytical concerned Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - civil defense planning - industrial regulation Key Concepts economics technology security studies Questions to Reflect On - How can societies protect civilian infrastructure? - What policies mitigate non‑military war threats? A Different Perspective Civilian sectors may lack preparedness for conflict roles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [20th century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20th-century/) [Armies Encounter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armies-encounter-4885176/) [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Century War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century-war-1335139/) [Encounter Armies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounter-armies-4885177/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Factories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/factories/) [Factory workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/factory-workers/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Pilots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilots/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Ceased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-ceased-2303290/) [Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers/) ## Related quotes > [True, permanent peace can never be restored, until slavery, the occasion of the war, has ceased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerrit-smith/true-permanent-peace-can-never-be-restored-until-slavery-the-occasion/) [Gerrit Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerrit-smith/) > [The very word 'war', therefore, has become misleading. It would probably be accurate to say that by becoming continuous war has ceased to exist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-very-word-war-therefore-has-become-misleading-it-would-probably/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [The 20th century was the century of war and blood. The 21st century is the century of dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-20th-century-was-the-century-of-war-and-blood-the-21st-century-is/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Twenty-first century war adds new risks: more and more often there are no front lines, no central command, no rules of engagement - only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/twenty-first-century-war-adds-new-risks-more-and-more-often-there-are/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [It is my belief that whereas the twentieth century has been a century of war and untold suffering, the twenty-first century should be one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/it-is-my-belief-that-whereas-the-twentieth-century-has-been-a-century/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I don't have farmers I can convert into factory workers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hsien-loong/i-don-t-have-farmers-i-can-convert-into-factory-workers/) [Lee Hsien Loong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hsien-loong/) > [An economic message, an economic platform unites the factory worker in Scranton, the young woman in Los Angeles struggling to pay her college debt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/an-economic-message-an-economic-platform-unites-the-factory-worker-in/) [Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/) > [At the time, there were very few foreign names in the press and they were all factory workers. I thought I'd never get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rakosi/at-the-time-there-were-very-few-foreign-names-in-the-press-and-they/) [Carl Rakosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rakosi/) > [When you come into a creativity-driven environment, things are very different and there is the danger that a traditional managerial mind-set could even do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/when-you-come-into-a-creativity-driven-environment-things-are-very/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) > [My father was brought up in an orphanage in the Catskills. He was a factory worker. And because his family wasn't there for him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-fierstein/my-father-was-brought-up-in-an-orphanage-in-the-catskills-he-was-a/) [Harvey Fierstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-fierstein/) > [“If all we do with these tools is teach compliance and consumption, that's all we're going to get. School can and must do more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-all-we-do-with-these-tools-is-teach-compliance-and-consumption/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [What, and that means arresting ordinary factory workers. In the street, in broad daylight. It's more like Guantanamo Bay out there. Donna, by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-noble/what-and-that-means-arresting-ordinary-factory-workers-in-the-street/) [Donna Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-noble/) > [Factory workers are not working for capitalism, they are working for a living wage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/factory-workers-are-not-working-for-capitalism-they-are-working-for-a/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [The situation of the factory worker today is reminiscent in certain respects of that of the nineteenth-century capitalist whose wife dragged him reluctantly toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-riesman/the-situation-of-the-factory-worker-today-is-reminiscent-in-certain/) [David Riesman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-riesman/) > [The fatal flaw of most utopian visions is that they're fundamentally static, and that's not a comfortable place for humans to live. Fourier was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/the-fatal-flaw-of-most-utopian-visions-is-that-they-re-fundamentally/) [Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/) ## More by George Friedman > [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-threats-that-resurfaced-in-the-past-10-years-were-not-an/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [“In Geo-Politics, a nation has no permanent allies or permanent enemies, only permanent interests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/in-geo-politics-a-nation-has-no-permanent-allies-or-permanent-enemies/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [Galvanized people can do careless things. It is in the extreme and emotion-laden moments that distance and coolness are most required. I am tempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/galvanized-people-can-do-careless-things-it-is-in-the-extreme-and/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [Assad's mother was a terror. He was terrified of her and she kept saying to him, you're not like your father. That's interesting, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/assad-s-mother-was-a-terror-he-was-terrified-of-her-and-she-kept/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [The Chinese have a long history of slaughtering each other without bothering their neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-chinese-have-a-long-history-of-slaughtering-each-other-without/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [Italy spills over to everything. Italy is a huge banking system. It has been the major banking system in Eastern Europe. It's worked with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/italy-spills-over-to-everything-italy-is-a-huge-banking-system-it-has/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [If you go through the list of things that are not possible you're left with a very finite amount of possibilities. The fancy name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/if-you-go-through-the-list-of-things-that-are-not-possible-you-re/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [But every time new powers emerge they have to find their balance. New powers are emerging, old powers are declining. It's not that process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/but-every-time-new-powers-emerge-they-have-to-find-their-balance-new/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [ We cannot anticipate the moral circumstances under which we will live. And therefore \[I refuse\] to say that I will not live in a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/we-cannot-anticipate-the-moral-circumstances-under-which-we-will-live/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [“While you and I are allowed the luxury of our pain, president isn't. A president must take into account how his citizens feel and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/while-you-and-i-are-allowed-the-luxury-of-our-pain-president-isn-t-a/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [ War is an extraordinary condition to be in - to be, for example, in the combat information center of a warship \[and behaving\] as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/war-is-an-extraordinary-condition-to-be-in-to-be-for-example-in-the/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [When you're young and going to war, it's a genuinely exciting moment. You are going to risk yourself. On the battlefield, you are suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/when-you-re-young-and-going-to-war-it-s-a-genuinely-exciting-moment/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [“The Fifth Commandment of the Decalogue demands that one honor one's mother and father. That is not about calling home. It is about this:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-fifth-commandment-of-the-decalogue-demands-that-one-honor-one-s/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [If you lose yourself to rage in the complexity of battle, you are going to be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/if-you-lose-yourself-to-rage-in-the-complexity-of-battle-you-are/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [Constraint theory asks: What is the price for doing this? Now one way around constraint theory is declaring your enemy crazy. Crazy and stupid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/constraint-theory-asks-what-is-the-price-for-doing-this-now-one-way/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) [Explore all 91 George Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) ## More 20th century quotes > [I think the inhabitants of the past are fighting hard to keep the rents they acquired in the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/i-think-the-inhabitants-of-the-past-are-fighting-hard-to-keep-the/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [Corporate America is a 20th-century dinosaur, trembling on the edge of extinction, and the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/corporate-america-is-a-20th-century-dinosaur-trembling-on-the-edge-of/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free. We sent a generation to college. We cultivated the most educated workforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-thrived-in-the-20th-century-because-we-made-high-school-free/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I've studied the lives of the 20th century's great businessmen and concluded self-confidence was instrumental in all their success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-spanos/i-ve-studied-the-lives-of-the-20th-century-s-great-businessmen-and/) [Alex Spanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-spanos/) > [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [The great wars of the 20th Century made it into the worst Century ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/the-great-wars-of-the-20th-century-made-it-into-the-worst-century-ever/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Up to the 20th century, we can say that this whole period was an Earth epoch, 'Earth' meaning the riches of the earth, simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/up-to-the-20th-century-we-can-say-that-this-whole-period-was-an-earth/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [Cruel and paradoxical though it undoubtedly is, the record shows that yje most succesful 20th century monarchs have been those who were not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cannadine/cruel-and-paradoxical-though-it-undoubtedly-is-the-record-shows-that/) [David Cannadine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cannadine/) > [An interesting thing about New Zealand, you know, literature is that it really didn't begin in any real sense until the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/an-interesting-thing-about-new-zealand-you-know-literature-is-that-it/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [The Warmth of Other Suns is a sweeping and yet deeply personal tale of America's hidden 20th century history - the long and difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-warmth-of-other-suns-is-a-sweeping-and-yet-deeply-personal-tale/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) [Browse all 672 20th century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20th-century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "By the 20th century, war ceased to be an encounter between two armies. It became an encounter between two societies, because a factory worker producing a gun or a bomb is as deadly as a pilot.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Friedman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an-encounter-between-two-armies/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "20th century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an-encounter-between-two-armies/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-friedman-7436_20th-century_by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an_2209193.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-friedman-7436_20th-century_by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an_2209193.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-friedman-7436_20th-century_by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an_2209193.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“By the 20th century, war ceased to be an encounter between two armies. It became an encounter between two…” — George Friedman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "George Friedman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "By the 20th century, war ceased...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an-encounter-between-two-armies/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/by-the-20th-century-war-ceased-to-be-an-encounter-between-two-armies/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```