In a time of war, it is oftentimes hard to think about anything but the problem at hand. People don't even stop to think if resorting to war is the right thing to do or not. However, two Christian leaders who were known as, Ambrose of Milan and Augustine of Hippo came up with the idea of the just war theory, St. Thomas Aquinas supported theory. This theory is a determining factor or whether or not a war is "just" or "unjust." There are seven criteria in which war has to fit in order to be deemed just. The seven are, Just Cause, Competent Authority, Comparative Justice, Right Intention, Last Resort, Probability of Success, and Proportionality.
World War 1 and World War 2 are two examples of war where a person could try to answer the questions in order to find out if they fall under the just war category. In this paper, it is discussed whether or not French involvement in World War 2 would be considered the right action, by answering all 7 questions. Is there Just Cause? Yes, historically, the danger of the war to France was very real.
Ever since the fall of Napoleon, France has fallen as country, militarily and politically. "In order
to take on countries as strong and powerful as Germany and Italy, France would have to join
forces with allies in order to lessen the danger of the outcome of the war"
(www.utm.edu/research/iep/j./justwar.html; Feb 9, 2001). According to the just war theory,
theoretically, the danger is also real, seeing as how the theory deals with the ethical justification
of the war. And since Hitler and Mussolini were wrongfully executing people and stealing them
away from families, that it is reason enough to fight for. So since France isn't a strong country
militarily, the danger is real. And since they are fighting for a right that didn't involve their
country until later, they are also taking a risk there as well.
Is there competent authority? No, Nazi Germany began its invasion on Fran...