Whether it ’s the theme of a vacation salutation card or a beauty pageant question , peace onEarthis on almost everybody ’s wish leaning . But what does it have in mind to be peaceful ? Does it intend favorable relations with other nations , getting good wellness care or know without fear ofterroristattacks ? What about economic stableness , or a government ’s unbloody carry-over of mightiness ? It ’s unmanageable to quantify what , precisely , impart up to a passive existence .
The Australian nonprofit group Vision of Humanity tries to do just that . Every class , it produce a lean call in the Global Peace Index , which ranks 144 land fit in to how they stand on 23 different indicators of peace [ informant : Vision of Humanity ] . Here are a few examples of these indicators :
Once all the information is compiled , the country with the lowest grievance is declared the most peaceful . In 2009 , New Zealand was top the most peaceful country in the world , followed by Denmark , Norway , Iceland and Austria . The United States occur in at phone number 83 . While the U.S. scored well in area such as United Nations financial support and civil conflict , the nation falls short in several area , include :
The nation with the lowest score of the 2009 rankings is Iraq , with Afghanistan , Somalia , Israel and Sudan rounding out the bottom five .
Has there ever been peace of mind on Earth ? What are some of the most famous peaceful times in history ? You might be surprised .
Peace: Another Roman Innovation?
believably the most publicized passive era is thePax Romana . Latin for " R.C. ataraxis , " this period of roughly 200 year was made famous by the eighteenth - century historian Edward Gibbon in his landmark book " The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire " [ rootage : Encyclopædia Britannica Online ] .
Gibbon set up the commencement of this fourth dimension at 27 B.C. , during the sovereignty of GaiusJulius CaesarAugustus ( otherwise known as Octavian , large - nephew and heir of Julius Caesar ) . Augustus set in gesture a newfangled brand of foreign policy for Rome , which had previously been focalise on expanding the empire as much as possible . Instead of pushing an agenda of expansionism , Augustus advocate a shift toward prosperity and peace treaty within the moulding of the empire . polite rising fell dramatically during this time ( though it did n’t contain solely ) . ceremonial such as closing the Gates of Janus , which sign the accomplishment of cosmos public security , as well as the construction of theAra Pacis(“Altar of Peace " ) , demonstrate the acquire importance of a peaceable existence in the Roman Empire . historiographer ordinarily nail the end of thePax Romanain the yr 180 , when emperorMarcus Aureliusdied and draw the commode to his sonCommodus . Commodus did n’t portion out all of his father ’s ideals and military philosophies , and thus the emphasis on peacefulness went by the wayside .
But even though Augstus ' overall intention seems to have been to maintain peace in the imperium , there was still violence during thePax Romana . revolt in Hispania ( modernistic - day Spain and Portugal ) did n’t barricade until about 19 B.C. , and the perimeter between Rome and Germania was hotly contested during much of thePax . During this period , Rome invade and annex Britain – not the most peaceful speculation , particularly from Britain ’s point of view . So , even though the Roman Empire gets good printing press for thePax Romana , it was n’t the most passive time in history .
For our next contender , allow ’s lead over to the steppe of Eurasia . Was peacefulness another good on the Silk Road ?
The Mongols: Fearsome Hordes, or Bringers of Peace?
A thousand age after thePax Romana , another earned run average of outside peace was found . Throughout the Eurasian continent , an empire arise that had advanced technology and a strong economy and protected thousands of mile of deal routes . In fact , it was this empire that enabledMarco Poloto travelling by land from his home in Italy to China . Yes , believe it or not , it was the fearsomeGenghis Khan , unifier of the Mongol drove , who established the largest – and one of the most peaceful – kingdoms in account .
Today , we associate Genghis Khan and his successor with fearsome battle maneuver and remorseless invasion . There ’s no question that his military strategy resulted in the deaths of countless mass ; by employing Army of archers on horseback , Genghis Khan was capable to out - fight and outpace nearly any foe he take on .
Within a thing of geezerhood , he ’d take away control of the Mongol kin group , boom their territory into an empire billion of square miles in expanse and finagle the Silk Road trading route that linked Europe and Asia . At first coup d’oeil , these accomplishments might not seem to indicate a peaceful metre . But once the Mongolian conglomerate was hard established , life sentence for its citizen seems to have in reality improved .
One innovation the Mongols found was apostal system– the first of its kind to colligate the East and the West . The Mongol government set up electrical relay stations throughout their territory ; each station was fit with fresh horse and supplies and was maintained by the local population . This system admit selective information to travel quickly and expeditiously throughout the empire . Strict laws protect civilian prop and travel ; a famous caption spirit that a woman could carry a sack of amber from one end of the empire to the other without fear of attempt . Trade with other nations was very important to the Mongols , and that , too , was heavily guarded by law of nature [ source : New World Encyclopedia ] .
But do those innovations and successfulness outweigh the wipeout wrought by the elaboration of the Mongolian Empire ? enemy of the government were all but extinguish , and any interior electric resistance was dealt with in a fleet and savage personal manner . Even though the legacy of the Mongols is still evident today , they did n’t establish the most peaceful era in history .
Now that we ’ve egest the Romans and the Mongols , who ’s leave ?
Peace in Our Time
There ’s still another era to consider : the one we ’re living in in good order now . Certainly , there ’s no dearth of war around the world , not to name famine , disease and economical struggle . However , some analyst think that despite these shortcomings , the world as a whole is comparatively more peaceful now than it ever has been before .
Evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker conceive that force has declined sharply since the nascence of the human race . When speak about violence , Pinker is n’t just referring to war – he also includes criminal punishment and murder rates , among other instances . Compared to our huntsman - collector days , or theMiddle Ages , our chance of dying by violent law-breaking or as the result of war are minuscule [ source : Zuckerman ] . Pinker believes there are a few unlike reasons for this , all of which add to an overall more peaceful creation :
conjunctive confederation between country , such as the United Nations and the European Union , also represent an increase in combine and good faith . partake military responsibility for outside conflicts , apply a plebeian currency and establishing outside tribunals all tip to a desire for stability and peace . Vaccines and other aesculapian innovations have improved our quality of living , and education is usable to more people than ever before .
Despite all the drawbacks of modern living , we really are exist in the most peaceful time in recorded history . But remember , it ’s all comparative . Even more peaceable days may be yet to come .
