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21 - Pacifism

from Part IV - The search for peace

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2013

Jay Winter
Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut
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Summary

The various varieties of pacifism had little impact on the war itself, though rather more on the politics of the two decades that followed. This chapter covers pacifism in three senses during the Great War: the absolute rejection of military force, the progressive belief that political reforms could ultimately abolish war, and simple war-aversion. It offers cursory treatment of the third, which is a matter of morale. As an ideology that could shape war aims and peace terms in and after 1914, the reformist version of pacifism existed on a broader geographical base than its absolutist counterpart. The anti-war agenda had become even more apparent by the time a major wave of strikes erupted across Germany in January 1918. The anti-war pacifism of material grievance had the greatest short-term impact, especially in countries too illiberal to allow an authentic peace movement to flourish even as a safety valve.
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

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  • Pacifism
  • Edited by Jay Winter, Yale University, Connecticut
  • Book: The Cambridge History of the First World War
  • Online publication: 05 December 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHO9780511675676.026
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  • Pacifism
  • Edited by Jay Winter, Yale University, Connecticut
  • Book: The Cambridge History of the First World War
  • Online publication: 05 December 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHO9780511675676.026
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Pacifism
  • Edited by Jay Winter, Yale University, Connecticut
  • Book: The Cambridge History of the First World War
  • Online publication: 05 December 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHO9780511675676.026
Available formats
×