As obvious as it may seem, wars, revolutions, and social upheavals are fought with weapons. While scholars have often focused on military and cultural demobilization, they have rarely considered the material reality of the presence of thousands or millions of weapons in post-conflict societies. This session analyzes how major wars, insurgencies, (quasi-)revolutions, and major social conflicts have affected gun control and gun cultures in post-conflict societies in Europe and the US. Focusing on post-conflict transitions in four case studies (1876-1936 Spain, 1919-1955 Germany, and the US in the aftermath of the Civil War and the long-term consequences of conflicts against indigenous peoples), the session examines the presence, circulation, and distribution of guns and firearms among the civilian population and their long-lasting political, cultural, and social effects.

Transitions from war to peace represent crucial turning points in the history of gun control and gun cultures: the massive presence of firearms in societies requires great efforts by state powers to enforce peace and order and to transition a country from war to peace. This was not necessarily achieved by simply taking weapons away from civilians. Disarmament processes often went hand in hand with the selective arming of certain social, racial, and political sectors of society. In any case, transitions from war to peace were far from rapid and linear, and weapons remained a very common presence in post-conflict, feeding new conflicts and deep hatreds, as well as social and racial inequalities. Cultural demobilization was an even more ephemeral achievement, and radicalized habits, conflicting images, and memories of horror and loss continued to exert their influence long after the formal end of conflicts, fostered by the presence of firearms in the hands of civilians.

The session will feature scholars working on post-war and post-revolutionary situations in Europe and the United States. In Europe, civilian disarmament was far from complete and effective, and ultimately led to new forms of violence. Focusing on Spain and Germany, respectively, Castillo Cañiz and Foit analyze the transitions from war to peace, emphasizing the role of both internal and external actors in shaping arms control policies and the social divisions that these processes produced. War was a common occurrence throughout the nineteenth-century history of the United States. Silverman and DeLay examine the lasting effects of firearms in the wars against Native Americans and in the aftermath of the Civil War. In both cases, guns exacerbated unresolved conflicts and had long-lasting effects, creating deep rifts in American society that continue to reverberate today. Although the presentations focused on different case studies and chronologies, there were crucial overlaps between the two continents. For example, the theme of military occupation is explored by both DeLay and Foit; Silverman and Castillo Cañiz both stressed the long-term consequences of heavily armed communities, while DeLay and Castillo Cañiz emphasized how disarmament went hand in hand with the arming of selected social sectors. Such common entanglements help to situate European and American history within a broader comparative perspective that challenges a priori mutual exceptionalism.