Conflict: a Pure and Sincere Message About War

The 1983 Soviet stop-motion animation, Conflict ( Конфликт), presents a simple and pure message. A modern war between two world powers is insanity that would inevitably end in nuclear armageddon. No matter how restrained or polite the conflict, sooner or later one side would be defeated and use their nuclear arsenal in a last-ditch attempt at self-preservation.

Conflict portrays two nations of matchsticks who bicker with each other and establish a border, an obvious reference to the Iron Curtain. The border guards get into a petty squabble which escalates into full-scale war. Eventually, one side starts to lose and in an act of desperation introduces a doomsday weapon, fire. The fire consumes the targeted enemy, and then the other side as well, leaving no one alive. The message is simple and compelling enough for a child to understand and remember. Conflict is not only sincere, it offers a solution. The world can be saved. All people need to do is just get along and don’t have a war to begin with.

As pure as the message is, maybe Conflict is naive. Too naive. When the Soviet Union dissolved, there was no rational reason left to have a war. The West could be trusted to not escalate. The Western powers wouldn’t massively expand NATO, overthrow the recently stabilized government in Afghanistan, break up Yugoslavia, and compulsively start wars in as many places as possible… right?

Ian Kummer

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4 thoughts on “Conflict: a Pure and Sincere Message About War”

    • I saw this a few years ago. It is very memorable. Also doesn’t match up with the usual narrative that we’re told about the USSR

      Reply
  1. I saw this a few years ago. It is very memorable. Also doesn't match up with the usual narrative that we're told about the USSR

    Reply

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