--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ruling elites seem to have learned…" description: "\"“Ruling elites seem to have learned through the generations—consciously or not—that war makes them more secure against internal trouble.”\" — Howard Zinn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/howard-zinn-576_war_ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-throu_2196765.jpg" --- # Ruling elites seem to have learned through the… ![“Ruling elites seem to have learned through the generations—consciously or not—that war makes them more secure against internal trouble.” quote by Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/howard-zinn-576_war_ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-throu_2196765.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/howard-zinn-576_war_ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-throu_2196765.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/howard-zinn-576_war_ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-throu_2196765.jpg) > ““Ruling elites seem to have learned through the generations—consciously or not—that war makes them more secure against internal trouble.”” [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Elites use war to consolidate power and suppress internal dissent. **In simple terms:** War secures elite power. Key Takeaway Question war motives. Themes politics power war Mood critical analytical Type political historical When to use this quote - government policy - public opinion - historical analysis Key Concepts political theory social control Questions to Reflect On - Why do elites prefer war? - How can societies resist this? A Different Perspective War also stems from complex geopolitical factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Bulgakov and Roth understood that there is no real political ideology among decayed ruling elites. 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Turner [Browse all 38,922 War quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Ruling elites seem to have learned through the generations—consciously or not—that war makes them more secure against internal trouble.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Howard Zinn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-through-the-generations/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "War" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-through-the-generations/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/howard-zinn-576_war_ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-throu_2196765.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/howard-zinn-576_war_ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-throu_2196765.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/howard-zinn-576_war_ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-throu_2196765.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ruling elites seem to have learned through the generations—consciously or not—that war makes them more…” — Howard Zinn", "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": "Howard Zinn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Ruling elites seem to have learned...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-through-the-generations/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/ruling-elites-seem-to-have-learned-through-the-generations/#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 } } ] } ```