The Root of All Wars: Money, Power, and the Long Deception of Human Conflict

"For the love of money is the root of all evil..."
— 1 Timothy 6:10, NKJV

It has long been said that history is written by the victors. But perhaps more accurately, history is manipulated by those who control the flow of money and, thereby, power. Across the centuries, empires have risen, revolutions have burned, ideologies have clashed, and millions have died—yet the root of almost every war remains disturbingly consistent: economics. The noble slogans we attach to wars—freedom, unity, security, religion, justice—often serve as veneers to hide deeper realities. Chief among these: money and its gravitational twin, power.

The great wars of history, from the ancient campaigns of Persia and Rome to the global conflicts of the 20th century, have often been draped in religious, ideological, or nationalistic justifications. Yet behind the banners and anthems, one finds patterns of economic disruption, competition for trade, and fierce fights over natural resources. The motives of kings, emperors, politicians, and even revolutionaries are rarely as pure as the manifestos proclaim.

This article seeks to peel back the moral narratives that adorn war and expose the material undercurrent: the love of money—or more precisely, the love of control over money. In doing so, we will revisit several of history’s most famous conflicts and consider the often-overlooked truth that the real war is seldom fought on the battlefield, but in the vaults, fields, factories, and markets.

I. The Ancient Pattern: Conquest and Commerce

In the ancient world, power and trade were inseparable. The empires of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Greece, and Rome waged war not for the sheer joy of conquest but for access to resources: water, grain, metals, slaves, and trade routes.

Consider the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC). Athens, a naval and commercial power, threatened the dominance of Sparta and its allies, not simply with democracy but with economic influence across the Aegean. Thucydides, the great chronicler of that war, candidly admitted, "What made the war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta."

Similarly, Rome's wars of expansion were almost always justified with terms like "stability" or "security" of the Republic. Yet in practice, they were about access to land, slaves, and tribute. The Punic Wars against Carthage were less about ideology and more about economic supremacy in the Western Mediterranean.

Behind every standard was a storehouse. Behind every marching legion, a manifest of plunder.

II. The Crusades: Holy Wars or Commercial Expeditions?

Few wars are more overtly associated with religious zeal than the Crusades. Beginning in 1096, the Christian West launched wave after wave of armed pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The stated purpose? To reclaim Jerusalem from Muslim control. But dig deeper, and you find layers of economic motivation.

The Crusader states became trade centers for Italian merchants. The Fourth Crusade, most notoriously, never reached the Holy Land at all. Instead, the Crusaders, heavily indebted to Venice, diverted their campaign and sacked Christian Constantinople in 1204—a staggering betrayal driven by economic interest.

The feudal lords who joined the Crusades were often younger sons without inheritance, seeking land and wealth in the East. Indulgences were promised, but loot was expected. The war cry of "Deus Vult" may have stirred the heart, but gold filled the purse.

III. The American Revolution: Liberty or Economics?

Was the American Revolution truly about liberty? Or was it about economic independence from Britain?

No doubt, the colonists valued the ideals of self-governance and representative authority. But central to their grievance was taxation without representation and restriction of colonial trade. The British mercantile system demanded that colonies enrich the crown while being denied the freedom to trade freely.

The Tea Act, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts—all were economic in nature. The Boston Tea Party, often romanticized as a protest against tyranny, was at its heart a direct action against monopolistic trade practices.

Even the structure of the new American government post-independence prioritized property rights, commerce, and a strong financial system, especially under the influence of Alexander Hamilton. Liberty was the banner, but commerce was the engine.

IV. The War Between the States: Slavery, Sovereignty, and Economics

The American Civil War is most commonly remembered as a battle over slavery. And indeed, slavery featured prominently in the secession documents of the Southern states. But was the war fought because of slavery—or was slavery simply the economic mechanism that made the deeper issue visible?

Southerners were not necessarily defending the morality of enslavement; many simply feared the collapse of their economy. Slaves represented billions of dollars in capital. They were collateral, labor force, and wealth embodiment. Threats to the institution of slavery were, to the Southern mind, threats to their economic viability.

When the North elected a Republican president who opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories, Southerners feared that their economic model would be sidelined—and eventually destroyed. Secession, then, was less about ideology and more about preserving regional economic autonomy.

Indeed, the Confederacy was, in many ways, a rebellion against centralized economic control. The South invoked the 10th Amendment, emphasizing states' rights. Their grievance? Not just that slavery was under threat, but that Washington was claiming authority over their economy.

War followed. But not over virtue. Over who would control the economic engine of the nation.

V. The World Wars: Power and Resources Dressed as Morality

World War I is often chalked up to tangled alliances and nationalism. But behind those factors lay economic anxiety. The British Empire dominated global trade. Germany, newly unified and industrialized, was challenging that dominance. Colonial rivalries, competition for resources, and protectionist tariffs created economic fault lines.

World War II, even more starkly, had economic underpinnings. Germany, crushed under the Versailles reparations, experienced hyperinflation and depression. Hitler’s rise was made possible by economic despair. His promises of "Lebensraum" (living space) were not merely about ideology, but about access to farmland, oil, and raw materials.

Japan, likewise, attacked Pearl Harbor because of economic embargoes that threatened its imperial expansion. The goal was access to rubber, oil, and minerals in Southeast Asia.

The Holocaust, though ideological and evil to the core, also had economic dimensions. Jewish wealth was seized. Labor camps were profit centers. War makes monsters not only of men, but of economies.

VI. The Cold War and Beyond: Economic Systems in Conflict

The Cold War is typically framed as a clash between democracy and communism. Yet at its heart was a battle over economic models:

• Free market capitalism vs. state-controlled economies

• Private property vs. collective ownership

• Open trade vs. protectionism

Wars by proxy (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan) were about which system would prevail.

Even now, in the 21st century, tensions between the West and nations like China or Russia are clothed in terms of human rights, national security, or cyber defense. But the deeper contest is over global financial systems, trade influence, technological dominance, and resource control.

Ukraine, for instance, sits atop natural gas routes, grain fields, and strategic geography. Sanctions against Russia are economic weapons. Control of information, currency systems (like SWIFT), and intellectual property are the new battlefields.

VII. A Biblical Lens: The Root of All Evil

St. Paul warned Timothy: "The love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). He did not say money itself, but the inordinate desire for it—and the power it brings.

This craving for power has driven kings to enslave their people, empires to crush the weak, and modern states to manipulate markets, exploit labor, and ravage the earth.

Even the Church, in her darker days, was not immune. Simony, indulgences, and land wars have stained the Bride of Christ with the same love of money that corrupts nations.

Yet Scripture is clear: "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?" (Mark 8:36).

What shall it profit a nation if it conquers continents but destroys its moral core?

VIII. Conclusion: Pulling Back the Curtain

To understand history, one must look beyond the speeches, beyond the flags, and beyond the slogans. One must follow the money.

Wars are not, in the final analysis, about ideals. They are about the purses that fund the cannons, the markets that supply the uniforms, and the power that flows from possession.

This is not cynicism. It is realism. And it is a call to vigilance.

Because until we confront the true idols of our age—wealth, power, control—and until we teach our children to value righteousness over riches, we will repeat this cycle again and again.

May we learn, at last, to value the truth of God more than the gold of kings. For it is written:

"Let the truth be the weapon given to destroy evil."

And in that war, may we all take up arms.