British Pacifists and Appeasement
The Peace Pledge Union
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10075243 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David C Lukowitz (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1974 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 115-127 |
| Publication date | 1974-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Contemporary History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-0094 • E-ISSN: 1461-7250 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/002200947400900107 |
| OpenAlex | W1986288357 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
Studies of British foreign policy during the 1930s reflect the deep concern felt in the country about the prospects for peace. Anti-war books and plays were very much in vogue, and pacifist activity was intense and widespread: parades, petitions, boycotts, demonstrations, pamphleteering and speech-making were all employed to awaken people to the evils of war. Numerous peace organizations flourished; large in numbers and endowed with ample funds, they took their case to the public with messianic zeal, often employing propaganda techniques that today would elicit the admiration of a Madison Avenue executive. Over fifty such organizations were said to have existed in Britain, and it is therefore not surprising that the popularity or passive acceptance of the Government's appeasement policy is often explained, at least in part, in terms of this pacifist strength and activity. Sometimes the term pacifist is used for people who profoundly desired peace, who were constantly exploring new ideas and channels in order to reconstruct international relations on a less chaotic and more idealistic basis, but who in the last resort were willing to accept war (or military sanctions, to use the contemporary euphemism) in order to preserve certain cherished principles. The League of Nations Union is a good example of a society that held such views, and perhaps it might be more accurate to describe this attitude as one of 'peace sentiment' or 'anti-war feeling' rather than pacifist. At other times the term is applied to individuals who were opposed to war under any circumstances, usually on grounds of religious or ethical principle, and it is these people for whom the label is appropriate
Admiration · Appeasement · Economic sanctions · Foreign policy · Peace movement · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Law · Military History and Strategy · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Psychology · Social Psychology · World Wars: History, Literature, and Impact
| Citations per year | 0.07 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1980 - 2011 (32) |
| Highly cited | No |