Final answer:
Conflicts have causes categorized into three general areas: cultural forces leading to social disagreements, historical drives for territory and wealth, and clashing political preferences or interests. These fundamental causes have remained consistent throughout history.
Step-by-step explanation:
The causes of conflict can generally be categorized into three broad categories. These categories encompass the various reasons why conflicts occur in societies, which include a range of political, economic, and social factors. The first category involves cultural forces such as ethnicity, religion, language, and economics, which can lead to disagreements, inequity, and injustice, thus fuelling conflicts. An illustration of this can be seen in Northern Ireland where religious differences have been politically exploited to create social division.
The second category is rooted in historical examples of conflict where the drive to protect or gain territory and wealth was paramount, as well as the need to preserve liberty and autonomy. Throughout history, conflicts have arisen from these basic desires, like the Viking raids for loot or the European conquests over indigenous resources, and internal strife within nations exemplified by the French Revolution.
The third category of conflict cause is the clashing of opposing preferences and interests, which is often evident in political settings. For example, when two political parties cannot find a compromise on an issue such as the death penalty, it can create a collective dilemma that leads to conflict.
Overall, even though the specific circumstances and issues may change considerably over the course of history, these fundamental causes of conflict remain essentially the same.