Abstract
References
- Primary Sources
- Addams, Jane. Newer Ideals of Peace. New York: Macmillan, 1907.
- Bakunin, Mikhail. Selected Writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973.
- Baroness von Suttner, Bertha. Lay Down Your Arms: The Autobiography of Martha von Tilling. New York: Longmans Green and Co., 1906.
- Engels, Friedrich, and Karl Marx. The Communist Manifesto. London: Penguin Classics, 2002.
- Howe, Julia Ward. Mother’s Day Proclamation. Boston: Lee & Shepard, 1870.
- Jaurès, Jean. Studies in Socialism. New York: The Knickerbocker Press, 1906.
- Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich. State and Revolution. London: Penguin Classics, 1992.
- Luxemburg, Rosa. The Junius Pamphlet: The Crisis in the German Social Democracy. Zurich: 1916.
- Woolf, Virginia. Three Guineas. London: Hogarth Press, 1938.
- Secondary Sources
- Beales, A.C.F. A History of Peace in Europe. London: Oxford University Press, 1931.
- Brown, Heloise. The Truest Form of Patriotism: Pacifist Feminism in Britain 1870-1902. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004.
- Ceadel, Martin. Pacifism in Britain, 1914–1945: The Defining of a Faith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980.
- Chatfield, Charles. Peace Movements and Political Cultures. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1990.
- Clavin, Patricia P. Securing the World Economy: The Reinvention of the League of Nations 1920–1946. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
- Cockburn, Cynthia. From Where We Stand: War, Women, and Feminist Activism. London: Zed Books, 2007.
- Cooper, Sandi E. Bertha von Suttner and the Peace Movement in the Austrian Empire: The Power of Personality. American Historical Review, 103(2) (1998): 485-486.
- Cortright, David. Peace: A History of Movements and Ideas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
- Cottrell, M. Patrick. The League of Nations: Enduring Legacies of the First Experiment at World Organization. London: Routledge, 2017.
- Enloe, Cynthia. Maneuvers: The International Politics of Militarizing Women’s Lives. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.
- Henig, Ruth. The Peace That Never Was: A History of the League of Nations. London: Haus Publishing, 2019.
- Liddington, Jill. The Long Road to Greenham: Feminism and Anti-Militarism in Britain Since 1820. London: Virago Press, 1989.
- Lines, Lisa. Militant Women of a Fragile Nation: Feminist Resistance in Twentieth-Century Europe. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
- Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution and Revenge. London: Harper Perennial, 2006.
- Rupp, Leila. Worlds of Women: The Making of an International Women's Movement. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997.
- Shepherd, Laura J. Gender, Violence and Security: Discourse as Practice. London: Zed Books, 2011.
- Tickner, J. Ann. Gender in International Relations: Feminist Perspectives on Achieving Global Security. New York: Columbia University Press, 1992.
- van der Linden, Marcel (ed.). The Cambridge History of Socialism, Volume I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022.
WORKERS OF THE WORLD AGAINST WAR: SOCIALIST ANTI-MILITARISM AND THE EVOLUTION OF PACIFIST THOUGHT (1848–1939)
Abstract
Between the revolutionary upheavals of 1848 and the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, socialist movements played a crucial role in shaping discourses on war, militarism, and peace, socialist anti-militarism developing as both a theoretical framework and a political strategy, deeply embedded in critiques of capitalism, imperialism, and class exploitation. While some factions rejected war outright as an instrument of bourgeois domination, others viewed military conflict as a means to advance revolutionary transformation and this ideological tension shaped the broader socialist response to war and peace across the 19th and early 20th centuries.
This paper traces the evolution of socialist anti-militarism, beginning with the intellectual foundations laid by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who identified war as a structural outcome of capitalist competition. It examines the role of the First and Second Internationals in formulating socialist opposition to militarism, particularly through resolutions advocating workers' resistance to war. The outbreak of World War I, however, fractured socialist internationalism, as most socialist parties abandoned their anti-war commitments in favor of national allegiances.
In the interwar period, socialist movements engaged in both institutional peace efforts, such as supporting the League of Nations, and militant resistance against fascism, particularly during the Spanish Civil War. The contradictions within socialist pacifism—between ideological commitment to peace and the necessity of armed struggle—highlight the complexities of anti-militarist thought. By analyzing socialist engagements with war and peace from 1848 to 1939, this paper develops on the enduring relevance of socialist critiques of militarism in contemporary political thought, particularly in discussions on international relations and peace-building strategies.
References
- Primary Sources
- Addams, Jane. Newer Ideals of Peace. New York: Macmillan, 1907.
- Bakunin, Mikhail. Selected Writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973.
- Baroness von Suttner, Bertha. Lay Down Your Arms: The Autobiography of Martha von Tilling. New York: Longmans Green and Co., 1906.
- Engels, Friedrich, and Karl Marx. The Communist Manifesto. London: Penguin Classics, 2002.
- Howe, Julia Ward. Mother’s Day Proclamation. Boston: Lee & Shepard, 1870.
- Jaurès, Jean. Studies in Socialism. New York: The Knickerbocker Press, 1906.
- Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich. State and Revolution. London: Penguin Classics, 1992.
- Luxemburg, Rosa. The Junius Pamphlet: The Crisis in the German Social Democracy. Zurich: 1916.
- Woolf, Virginia. Three Guineas. London: Hogarth Press, 1938.
- Secondary Sources
- Beales, A.C.F. A History of Peace in Europe. London: Oxford University Press, 1931.
- Brown, Heloise. The Truest Form of Patriotism: Pacifist Feminism in Britain 1870-1902. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004.
- Ceadel, Martin. Pacifism in Britain, 1914–1945: The Defining of a Faith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980.
- Chatfield, Charles. Peace Movements and Political Cultures. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1990.
- Clavin, Patricia P. Securing the World Economy: The Reinvention of the League of Nations 1920–1946. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
- Cockburn, Cynthia. From Where We Stand: War, Women, and Feminist Activism. London: Zed Books, 2007.
- Cooper, Sandi E. Bertha von Suttner and the Peace Movement in the Austrian Empire: The Power of Personality. American Historical Review, 103(2) (1998): 485-486.
- Cortright, David. Peace: A History of Movements and Ideas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
- Cottrell, M. Patrick. The League of Nations: Enduring Legacies of the First Experiment at World Organization. London: Routledge, 2017.
- Enloe, Cynthia. Maneuvers: The International Politics of Militarizing Women’s Lives. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.
- Henig, Ruth. The Peace That Never Was: A History of the League of Nations. London: Haus Publishing, 2019.
- Liddington, Jill. The Long Road to Greenham: Feminism and Anti-Militarism in Britain Since 1820. London: Virago Press, 1989.
- Lines, Lisa. Militant Women of a Fragile Nation: Feminist Resistance in Twentieth-Century Europe. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
- Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution and Revenge. London: Harper Perennial, 2006.
- Rupp, Leila. Worlds of Women: The Making of an International Women's Movement. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997.
- Shepherd, Laura J. Gender, Violence and Security: Discourse as Practice. London: Zed Books, 2011.
- Tickner, J. Ann. Gender in International Relations: Feminist Perspectives on Achieving Global Security. New York: Columbia University Press, 1992.
- van der Linden, Marcel (ed.). The Cambridge History of Socialism, Volume I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Politics in International Relations, International Relations (Other) |
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Early Pub Date | April 29, 2025 |
| Publication Date | May 19, 2025 |
| Submission Date | February 20, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | March 1, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025Volume: 11 Issue: 31 |
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