Anti-war movement
An anti-war movement (also antiwar) is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict. The term anti-war can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts, or to anti-war books, paintings, and other works of art. Some activists distinguish between anti-war movements and peace movements. Anti-war activists work through protest and other grassroots means to attempt to pressure a government (or governments) to put an end to a particular war or conflict or to prevent it in advance.
History
American Revolutionary War
Substantial opposition to British war intervention in America led the
Antebellum United States
Substantial antiwar sentiment developed in the United States roughly between the end of the
A recurring theme in this movement was the call for the establishment of an international court to adjudicate disputes between nations. Another distinct feature of antebellum antiwar literature was the emphasis on how war contributed to a moral decline and brutalization of society in general.
American Civil War
A key event in the early history of the modern anti-war stance in
Second Boer War
World War I
In Britain, in 1914, the Public Schools Officers' Training Corps annual camp was held at Tidworth Camp, near Salisbury Plain. Head of the British Army Lord Kitchener was to review the cadets, but the immenence of the war prevented him. General Horace Smith-Dorrien was sent instead. He surprised the two-or-three thousand cadets by declaring (in the words of Donald Christopher Smith, a Bermudian cadet who was present) "that war should be avoided at almost any cost, that war would solve nothing, that the whole of Europe and more besides would be reduced to ruin, and that the loss of life would be so large that whole populations would be decimated. In our ignorance I, and many of us, felt almost ashamed of a British General who uttered such depressing and unpatriotic sentiments, but during the next four years, those of us who survived the holocaust-probably not more than one-quarter of us – learned how right the General's prognosis was and how courageous he had been to utter it."[2] Having voiced these sentiments did not hinder Smith-Dorrien's career, or prevent him from carrying out his duty in the First World War to the best of his abilities.
With the increasing mechanization of war, opposition to its horrors grew, particularly in the wake of the First World War. European avant-garde cultural movements such as Dada were explicitly anti-war.
The Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 gave the American authorities the right to close newspapers and jailed individuals for having anti-war views.
On 16 June 1918, Eugene V. Debs made an anti-war speech and was arrested under the Espionage Act of 1917. He was convicted, sentenced to serve ten years in prison, but President Warren G. Harding commuted his sentence on 25 December 1921.
Between the World Wars
In 1924, Ernst Friedrich published Krieg dem Krieg! (War Against War!): an album of photographs drawn from German military and medical archives from the first world war. In Regarding the Pain of Others Sontag describes the book as "photography as shock therapy" that was designed to "horrify and demoralize".
It was in the 1930s that the Western anti-war movement took shape, to which the political and organizational roots of most of the existing movement can be traced. Characteristics of the anti-war movement included opposition to the corporate interests perceived as benefiting from war, to the status quo which was trading the lives of the young for the comforts of those who are older, the concept that those who were drafted were from poor families and would be fighting a war in place of privileged individuals who were able to avoid the draft and military service, and to the lack of input in decision making that those who would die in the conflict would have in deciding to engage in it.
In 1933, the
Many war veterans, including US General Smedley Butler, spoke out against wars and war profiteering on their return to civilian life.
Veterans were still extremely cynical about the motivations for entering World War I, but many were willing to fight later in the Spanish Civil War, indicating that pacifism was not always the motivation. These trends were depicted in novels such as All Quiet on the Western Front, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Johnny Got His Gun.
World War II
Opposition to
The war seemed, for a time, to set anti-war movements at a distinct social disadvantage; very few, mostly ardent pacifists, continued to argue against the war and its results at the time. However, the Cold War followed with the post-war realignment, and the opposition resumed. The grim realities of modern combat, and the nature of mechanized society ensured that the anti-war viewpoint found presentation in Catch-22, Slaughterhouse-Five and The Tin Drum. This sentiment grew in strength as the Cold War seemed to present the situation of an unending series of conflicts, which were fought at terrible cost to the younger generations.
Vietnam War
Organized opposition to U.S. involvement in the
Mrs. Ngo Ba Thanh, a Vietnamese peace activist and anti-communist, aligned her Vietnamese Women's Movement for the Right to Live with international activists of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and Women Strike for Peace. Her imprisonment and publications about the war brought international attention to the social and economic issues created by the war and fostered international opposition to it.[4]: 109–110 [5]: 85, 89–90 Her arrest and lack of a trial sparked Bella Abzug and WILPF members to write to the United States Congress and petition President Richard Nixon to appeal to South Vietnamese officials for her release,[4]: 126 [5]: 90 which was widely covered in the press.[6][7][8] Campaigns opposing the war and conscription also took place in Australia.[9]
South African Border War
Opposition to the South African Border War spread to a general resistance to the apartheid military. Organizations such as the End Conscription Campaign and Committee on South African War Resisters, were set up. Many opposed the war at this time.[citation needed]
Yugoslav Wars
Following the rise of nationalism and political tensions after Slobodan Milošević came to power, as well as the outbreaks of the Yugoslav Wars, numerous anti-war movements developed in Serbia.[10][11][12][13] The anti-war protests in Belgrade were held mostly because of opposition the Battle of Vukovar, Siege of Dubrovnik and Siege of Sarajevo,[10][12] while protesters demanded the referendum on a declaration of war and disruption of military conscription.[14][15][16]
More than 50,000 people participated in many protests, and more than 150,000 people took part in the most massive protest called "The Black Ribbon March" in solidarity with people in Sarajevo.[17][11] It is estimated that between 50,000 and 200,000 people deserted from the Yugoslav People's Army, while between 100,000 and 150,000 people emigrated from Serbia refusing to participate in the war.[14][12] According to professor Renaud De la Brosse, senior lecturer at the University of Reims and a witness called by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), it is surprising how great the resistance to Milošević's propaganda was among Serbs, given that and the lack of access to alternative news.[18]
The most famous associations and NGOs who marked the anti-war ideas and movements in Serbia were the Center for Antiwar Action, Women in Black, Humanitarian Law Center and Belgrade Circle.[12][10] The Rimtutituki was a rock supergroup featuring Ekatarina Velika, Električni Orgazam and Partibrejkers members, which was formed at the petition signing against mobilization in Belgrade.[19]
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War triggered debates over the legitimacy of the intervention.[20][21] About 2,000 Serbian Americans and anti-war activists protested in New York City against NATO airstrikes, while more than 7,000 people protested in Sydney.[22] The most massive protests were held in Greece, and demonstrations were also held in Italian cities, London, Moscow, Toronto, Berlin, Stuttgart, Salzburg and Skopje.[23][24][22]
2001 Afghanistan War
There was initially little opposition to the
Iraq War
The anti-war position gained renewed support and attention in the buildup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the U.S. and its allies. Millions of people staged mass protests across the world in the immediate prelude to the invasion, and demonstrations and other forms of anti-war activism have continued throughout the occupation. The primary opposition within the U.S. to the continued occupation of Iraq has come from the grassroots. Opposition to the conflict, how it had been fought, and complications during the aftermath period divided public sentiment in the U.S., resulting in majority public opinion turning against the war for the first time in the spring of 2004, a turn which has held since.[26]
The American country music band
Possible war against Iran
Organised opposition to a possible future military attack against
War in Donbass
Anti-war/Putin demonstrations took place in
Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen
2021 Israel–Palestine crisis
In May 2021, protests broke out following a
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Beginning in 2022, the anti-war movement was renewed following tensions between
Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced prison sentences of up to 15 years for publishing "fake news" about Russian military operations.[41] As of December 2022, more than 4,000 people, including Russian opposition politicians and journalists, had been prosecuted under Russia's "fake news" laws for criticizing the war in Ukraine.[42]
2023 Israel–Hamas war
Multiple protests against the war took place around the world since the start of the
Arts and culture
English poet Robert Southey's 1796 poem After Blenheim is an early modern example of anti-war literature that was written generations after the Battle of Blenheim but while Britain was again at war against France.[citation needed]
World War I produced a generation of poets and writers influenced by their experiences in the war. The work of poets, including Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, exposed the contrast between the realities of life in the trenches and how the war was seen by the British public at the time and the earlier patriotic verse penned by Rupert Brooke. The German writer Erich Maria Remarque penned All Quiet on the Western Front, which has been adapted for several mediums and has become of the most often cited pieces of anti-war media.[citation needed]
The second half of the 20th century also witnessed a strong anti-war presence in other art forms, including anti-war music such as "
Anti-war intellectual and scientist-activists and their work
Various people have discussed the philosophical question of whether war is inevitable, and how it can be avoided; in other words, what are the necessities of peace. Various intellectuals and others have discussed it from an intellectual and philosophical point of view, not only in public, but participating or leading anti-war campaigns despite its differing from their main areas of expertise, leaving their professional comfort zones to warn against or fight against wars.[citation needed]
Philosophical possibility of avoiding war
- Immanuel Kant: In (1795) "Perpetual Peace"[45][46] ("Zum ewigen Frieden").[47] Immanuel Kant booklet on "Perpetual Peace" in 1795. Politically, Kant was one of the earliest exponents of the idea that perpetual peace could be secured through universal democracy and international cooperation.[48]
Leading scientists and intellectuals
Here is a list of notable anti-war scientists and intellectuals:
- Linus Pauling was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his peace activism (his second Nobel Prize).[49] He circulated multiple petitions among scientists.[50]
- Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein had correspondences on violence, peace, and human nature.[citation needed]
- Stalinist totalitarianism, attacked the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War, and was an outspoken proponent of nuclear disarmament.[55] In 1950 Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought".[56][57]
Manifestos and statements by scientist and intellectual activists
- Russell-Einstein Manifesto issued July 9, 1955.[58]
- The Mainau Declaration of 15 July 1955 was signed by 52 Nobel Prize laureates.[59]
- The Dubrovnik-Philadelphia Statement of 1974/1976[60] was signed by Linus Pauling and others.[citation needed]
See also
- Ahimsa
- Anti-militarism
- Anti-war film
- Bed-in
- Civilian-based defense
- Conscientious objector
- Counter-recruitment
- Die-in
- Draft evasion
- Food Not Bombs
- List of anti-war organizations
- List of anti-war songs
- List of peace activists
- Make love, not war
- Nonkilling
- Nonviolence
- Nonviolent resistance
- Nuclear-free zone
- Peace
- Peace movement
- Raging Grannies
- Swords to ploughshares
- Tax resistance
- Teach-in
- War Against War
- War hawk
- War Is a Racket
- War resister
- Women Against War
References
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- ^ Scates, Bob (10 October 2022). "Draftmen Go Free: A History of the Anti-Conscription Movement in Australia". The Commons Social Change Library. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
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- ^ a b c d "Antiratne i mirovne ideje u istoriji Srbije i antiratni pokreti do 2000. godine". republika.co.rs. 2011. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Sećanje na antiratni pokret u Jugoslaviji početkom 1990-ih". globalvoices.org. 2016. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Spomenik neznanom dezerteru". Vreme. 2008. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ Udovicki & Ridgeway 2000, p. 258
- ^ Powers 1997, p. 467
- ^ Udovicki & Ridgeway 2000, p. 260
- ^ "Comment: Milosevic's Propaganda War". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Manje pucaj, više tucaj". Buka. 2012. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
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- ^ Erlanger, Steven (8 June 2000). "Rights Group Says NATO Bombing in Yugoslavia Violated Law". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Anti-NATO protests in Australia, Austria, Russia". CNN. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "World: Europe Greeks protest at Nato strikes". BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Greece: Antiwar protests intensify". International Committee of the Fourth International. 3 May 1999. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "CNN Poll: Support for Afghanistan war at all time low". cnn.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Iraq". pollingreport.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
- Hersh, Seymour M. (24 January 2005). "Annals of National Security: The Coming Wars". The New Yorker.
- ^ The Iran plans Archived 2006-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, Hersh, Seymour. The New Yorker, April 8, 2006
- ^ a b Scott Ritter (1 April 2005). "Sleepwalking To Disaster In Iran". Archived from the original on 17 March 2007.
- ^ Joseph Cirincione (27 March 2006). "Fool Me Twice". Foreign Policy.
- ^ Hirsch, Jorge (1 November 2005). "The Real Reason for Nuking Iran: Why a nuclear attack is on the neocon agenda". antiwar.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
- ^ Heinrich, Mark; Karin Strohecker (14 June 2007). "IAEA urges Iran compromise to avert conflict". Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
- ^ a b "For a Middle East free of all Weapons of Mass Destruction". Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran. 6 August 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2007.
- ^ Knowlton, Brian (21 September 2007). "Kouchner, French foreign minister, draws antiwar protesters in Washington". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2007.
- ^ "Thousands march in Moscow". Deutsche Welle. 21 September 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "People across the US join pro-Palestinian protests". CNN. 18 May 2021. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ "Israel-Gaza: How the ceasefire fared on its first day". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ "Thousands gather in London for Palestine solidarity march". The Guardian. 22 May 2021. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
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- ^ Knutson, Jacob (24 February 2022). "Over 1700 Russians arrested during anti-war protests, human rights organization says". Axios. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "Even Russia's Kremlin-backed media is going off message and beginning to question Putin's war on Ukraine". Fortune. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
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- ^ "Israel-Hamas war: Protesters take to streets around the world to show support for Palestinians".
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- ^ Hermann, Armin (1979). The new physics : the route into the atomic age : in memory of Albert Einstein, Max von Laue, Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner. Bonn-Bad Godesberg: Inter Nationes. p. 130.
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Sources
- Powers, Roger S. (1997). Protest, Power, and Change: An Encyclopedia of Nonviolent Action from ACT-UP to Women's Suffrage. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-76482-0.
Further reading
- Chickering, Roger. Imperial Germany and a World Without War: The Peace Movement and German Society, 1892-1914 (Princeton University Press, 2015).
- Curti, Merle. The American peace crusade, 1815-1860 (1929) online free to borrow
- Davenport, Christian, Erik Melander, and Patrick M. Regan. The Peace Continuum: What it is and how to Study it (Oxford University Press, 2018).
- Gledhill, John, and Jonathan Bright. "Studying peace and studying conflict: Complementary or competing projects?", Journal of Global Security Studies 4.2 (2019): 259–266.
- Howlett, Charles F. "Studying America's Struggle against War: An Historical Perspective." History Teacher 36#3 (2003), pp. 297–330. online Archived 2019-08-07 at the Wayback Machine.
- Jarausch, Konrad H. "Armageddon Revisited: Peace Research Perspectives on World War One." Peace & Change 7.1‐2 (1981): 109–118.
- Jeong, Ho-Won. Peace and conflict studies: An introduction (Routledge, 2017).
- Kaltefleiter, Werner, and Robert L. Pfaltzgraff. The Peace Movements in Europe and the United States (Routledge, 2019).
- Patler, Nicholas. Norman's Triumph: the Transcendent Language of Self-Immolation Archived 2017-10-19 at the Wayback Machine Quaker History, Fall 2105, 18–39.
- Patterson, David S. The Search for Negotiated Peace: Women's Activism and Citizen Diplomacy in World War I (Routledge. 2008)
- Peterson, Christian Philip, William M. Knoblauch, and Michael Loadenthal, eds. The Routledge History of World Peace Since 1750 (Routledge, 2018).
External links
- Guide to anti-war websites by The Guardian
- Essays and speeches from the Antebellum Era peace movement
- 1969 anti-war march in Berlin
- Scates, Bob (2022). "The draftmen go free : a history of the anti-conscription movement in Australia". Book review and whole book. The Commons Social Change Library.