In a conventional war each side grows ever more pragmatic as their idealism hits reality and is gradually ground down by it. In the culture war each side grows ever more ideological because the battle is virtual and the belligerents remain insulated from real-world consequences.
Sure, in some sense wars do make people more ideological (e.g. propaganda takes on apocalyptic tones, enemies are dehumanised, etc). But in the broader sense exigencies lead to lapses in ideological purity (e.g. the Molotov–Ribbentrop pact, Operation Cyclone)
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I disagree. Luddendorf fought on to the very end of the German army and Hitler nearly to the end of Germany itself.
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By that point it ceased to be about ideology and began to be about protecting one's homes and families from the Russians. Recall Goebbels' speech as Chancellor.
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