Book contents
- The British Home Front and the First World War
- The British Home Front and the First World War
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables and Charts
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- A Note on the Illustrations
- Introduction
- 1 The United Kingdom in 1914
- Part I Government
- Part II Resources
- Part III People
- Part IV Production
- Part V Social Impacts
- 24 Press and Propaganda
- 25 Pacifism
- 26 Homes and Families in Wartime
- 27 Crime and Policing
- 28 Children
- 29 The ‘Home Front’ as War Front
- Conclusion
- Index
25 - Pacifism
from Part V - Social Impacts
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 February 2023
- The British Home Front and the First World War
- The British Home Front and the First World War
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables and Charts
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- A Note on the Illustrations
- Introduction
- 1 The United Kingdom in 1914
- Part I Government
- Part II Resources
- Part III People
- Part IV Production
- Part V Social Impacts
- 24 Press and Propaganda
- 25 Pacifism
- 26 Homes and Families in Wartime
- 27 Crime and Policing
- 28 Children
- 29 The ‘Home Front’ as War Front
- Conclusion
- Index
Summary
This chapter examines a paradox which I have previously noted regarding ‘pacifism’ in the First World War.1 That word, coined in 1901, was then used in three senses. The first two were associated with the peace movement: the absolute pacifism that conscientiously objected to all fighting; and the pacificism that sought to abolish war (for example, by creating a league of nations) but accepted that in the immediate future force (for example, military sanctions) might still be needed. The third and loosest sense of pacifism described war-weariness or defeatism that was unrelated to the peace movement’s confidence that international relations could be reformed: it was merely anti-war. The paradox is that where, as in the UK, the peace movement was deepest-rooted, public support for the war effort was nonetheless best maintained. In other words, the first two senses of pacifism correlate negatively with the third.
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- The British Home Front and the First World War , pp. 510 - 524Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023