Alexander and the Gymnosophist

60 Years of Peace

Alexander Gymnosophist

Grigory Khimulya ☄ Raahil Sha

“It took place, once, in 326 B.C. on the banks of a river called the Indus, now in Pakistan… Alexander, a young Macedonian, met there what he called a "gymnosophist," which means "the naked, wise man." We don't know who he was... Alexander asked, "What are you doing?" and the gymnosophist answered, "I'm experiencing nothingness." Then the gymnosophist asked, "What are you doing?" and Alexander said, "I am conquering the world." And they both laughed. Each one thought that the other was a fool. The gymnosophist said, "Why is he conquering the world? It's pointless."

Devdutt Pattanaik

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The War to End All Wars?

World War II ended in 1946. Many, including US president Woodrow Wilson, hoped that this would be the last war that humanity would have to face. Let's see if this was actually the case. Press "Play" to step through history year by year. Hover over any feature to examine it in detail.

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Power Index: Part of the world's material capabilities accumulated in a particular country at the given time. It is calculated based on total and urban population, military expenditure and personal, iron and steel production and primary energy consumption. (Details Here)

In the visualization above, countries engaged in warfare are highlighted in red. If there is a line connecting a country to another, it indicates that the two are at war. A country that is highlighted in red but with no line is undergoing some form of internal conflict. Starting 1989, data is present to allow one to identify individual battles on a global scale, represented by red circles.

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Resources Wasted on War

Since World War II, the proportion and volume of resources that the societies of the world spend on warfare has not declined, despite efforts by peacekeeping organizations to decrease it. The charts below contain information on the amount of resources countries use towards their military.

* This is considered by some to be an important measure of a country's military development. ([1])

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Progress

Although war never truly ended in 1946 following WW2, some progress has been made regarding world peace. Let us explore international agreements that have been made since 1946. Press "Play" to step through history year by year. Hover over any feature to examine it in detail.

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The Losses of War

But what if World War II were actually the world's last war? Below is a pictogram showing how many lives could have been saved and much money could have been used for better causes. For example, malaria nets could have been distributed 900 times over to everyone in danger of malaria with all the money spent in military expenditures after World War II. ([2])

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This is a final project for Harvard CS171 - Spring 2015.