** war and social upheaval: The Cold War -- pacifism








The Cold War: Pacifism


Figure 1.--This standard Soviet Cold War propaganda piece was painted in 1951. It was titled, 'The Youth of the World is for Peace'. A year earlier, finally in possession of an atomic bomb, had set the Korean War in motion. Notice the internation group carrying portraits of Stalin and Mao, Stalin's portrait is of course the most prominant.

Pacifism, isolationism. and neutrality suffered as a result of World War II. These different but related policies had all played into Hitler's hands. France sucummed because of pacifist anti-War sentiment and and a terribly mismanaged military effort. The same was true of Britain except the Channel stopped the Panzers at Calais. And America entered the War unprepared for military action. Pearl Harbor had fundamentally changed the American outlook. America after World War II was not prepard to disarm as it had done after World War I, although milirary spending was cut substantially. Attitudes in Europe also shifted. The Belgians and Dutch having endured German occupation were no longer interested in neutrality as a guarantee of security. The British and French were also not prepared to disarm as they had after World War I. And Soviet conduct, using the Red Army and NKVD to carve out a Eastrern European empire only confirmed the concerns of Americans and many Western Europeans. The result was the North Atlantic Treaty Organizatin (NATO) (1949). Not all Europeans believed in a strong defense. Socialists and Communists still held pacifist beliefs. This was a major strain of thought among Socialists since the foundation of the world socialist movement (late-19th century). And Soviet foreign policy trumpeted this theme. The Soviets claimed to be commited to world peace and charged that it was the Americans who were pursuing agressive miitarist policies threatening peace. Some European sococialists were so devoted to Marxist thought that they simply ignored reality. Others dutifully followed orders from Moscow. They just ignored the fact that the Stalin they now thrumpeted as a force for peace was the same evil dictator who had signed the NAZI-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (August 1939) and with the NAZI dictator as a close ally had launched Word War II to carve up Europe between them. While nonsensical, the Soviets used pacifist sentiment in Western Europe to weaken European resistance to Soviet military expansion. They tried the same in America, albeit with less suceess. The Communists infiltrated left-wing and peace groups. The pacifist movement proved highly selective about what they protested. These groups not uncommonly simply repeated Sovuiet propagabnda. They criticised Anmerican and allied defense spending, but never Sovie defense spending. They criticised the American nuclear arsenal, but never the Soviet arsenal. There were also protests behind te Iron Curtain, but like the protests in the West, only criticized American and Western military spending. The Soviets helped fund many of these movements and conducted an active propaganda effort in an effort to both reduce western defense spending and to destabalization Western governments. It was only with the Vietnam War that pacifism in the United States grew beyond left-wing groups into a much more widely supported peace movenment. This could have had a major impact on the Cold War had it not been for three consrvative politicans (Presuident Reagan, Prime-minister Thatcher, and Chancellor Kohl) and the inherent inefficenies of Communism began to undermine the Soviet economy.

Consequences of World War II

Pacifism, isolationism. and neutrality suffered as a result of World War II. These different but related policies had all played into Hitler's hands. France sucummed because of pacifist anti-War sentiment and and a terribly mismanaged military effort. The same was true of Britain except the Channel stopped the Panzers at Calais. And America entered the War unprepared for military action. Pearl Harbor had fundamentally changed the American outlook. America after World War II was not prepard to disarm as it had done after World War I, although milirary spending was cut substantially. Attitudes in Europe also shifted. The Belgians and Dutch having endured German occupation were no longer interested in neutrality as a guarantee of security. The British and French were also not prepared to disarm as they had after World War I.

NATO

Soviet conduct, using the Red Army and NKVD to carve out a Eastern European empire only confirmed the concerns of Americans and many Western Europeans. The result was the North Atlantic Treaty Organizatin (NATO) (1949). Not all Europeans believed in a strong defense, but most did including several countries that had depended on nutrality to stay out of World War II. Even two the Candanavian countries joined NATO (Denmark and Notwat). Ultimately, the key to the dense of Eurooe would be Germany when the occupation ended. Here the Red Army mass rape of Gernman women (1945) and the Stalin's blockade of West Germany (194* had made a huge impression on the German mind. The West Germans were also following Soviet supression of basic civil liberties in East Gernmany and other East Bloc countries. The Communist coup in Czechislovakia in particular had a major impact (1948). West German joiined NATO (1955) meaning that there would be a viable Western defense. There was a viabrant debate about NATO and miltary defense, but the countries involved voluntarilt decided to join NATO and continue to support the organixation.

Socialist Movement

Socialist opposition to military spending in the inter-Wr period had been part of the failure of the Allies failure to adequanetly confront the NAZIs. Socialists and Communists after World War II still held pacifist beliefs. This was a major train of thought among Socialists since the foundation of the world socialist movement (late-19th century).

Soviet Record

Soviet propaganda trumpeted pacifism, but nothing could be further from Soviet actions. The Red Army and NKVD to launch a series of invasions and as a NAZI ally to supress the independence of neighboring countries at the inset of World Wae II. And then later in the War use the Red Army and NKVD again to create an Eastern European empire consisting of brutal NKVD-based police states. Communists around the world just ignored the fact that the Stalin they now thrumpeted as a force for peace was the same evil dictator who murdered some 20 million Soviet citizens and confined even more into the brutal Gulag where many died, alvit more slowly. He then concluded the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (August 1939) and with the NAZI dictator as a close ally had launched Word War II to carve up Europe between them. And they try to cover up their brutal aggressions as a NAZI ally and the taking over the formerly indepndent countries of Eastern and Central Europe after the War and converted them into Soviet controlled puppet regimes. After World War II, the Soviet Union continued to funel vast sums into their militarty. Ultimately these huge expenditures would be a major factor in the demise of the Soiviet Union.

Soviet Propaganda

Soviet foreign policy trumpeted the pacifist theme. We see this both in the Soviet Union and Eastern European satellite countries as well as Westerrn Europe. The demonstratins behind the Iron Curtain could be huge, masterpieces of political staging. There were also smaller scale demoinstrations, even as classroom efforts. What they blacked was any actual constructive efforts to promote peace. This of course was impossoble because the West=t was depicted as evil capitalisdt war mongers. In Western Europe such givernment staging did not occurr, but some events were still impressive. The Soviets while blatantly seizing control of neignoring countries, claimed to be commited to world peace while charged that it was the Americans who were pursuing agressive miitarist policies threatening peace. Some European socialists were so devoted to Marxist thought that they simply ignored reality. Communists imprtant in several ciountries (especially France and Italy) dutifully followed orders from Moscow. While nonsensical, the Soviets used pacifist sentiment in Western Europe to weaken European resistance to Soviet military expansion. They tried the same in America, albeit with less suceess. The Communists infiltrated left-wing and peace groups. The pacifist movement proved highly selective about what they protested. These groups not uncommonly simply repeated Sovuiet propagabnda. They criticised Anmerican and allied defense spending, but never Soviet defense spending and control of formerly indeoendent countries. There were also protests behind the Iron Curtain, but like the protests in the West, only criticized American and Western military spending. The Soviets helped fund many of these movements and conducted an active propaganda effort in an effort to both reduce western defense spending and to destabalization Western governments. It was only with the Vietnam War that pacifism in the United States grew beyond left-wing groups into a much more widely supported peace movenment. This could have had a major impact on the Cold War had it not been for three consrvative politicans (Presuident Reagan, Primeminister Thatcher, and Chancellor Kohl) and the inherent inefficenies of Communism began to undermine the Soviet economy.

Ban the Bomb

The two American atomic bombs ended World War II. Some historians believe that the Soviet invasion of Manchuria was also imoprtant, but few will deny that the bombs were not a majpr factor, primarily because it gave Japan's military fanatics a way out without totally losing their 'honor'. There was not at first widespread criticism of the bombs. The world was traumatized by the War and the bombs which ended rhe War were primarily seen as a godsend. Each of the two bombs killed vastly more people than any other single bomb. Ironically they save more lives than any oyher single bomb. Before the bombs, the bJapanese killed some 15 million peole, mostly Asians. After the bombs the killing fell to zero--a powerfil justification. Moral niceties were dulled by the horrors of war. And the horrendous atrocities commited by the Germans and Japanese meant that sympathy for them was hard to find. Soviet propaganda began to raise the issue as part of it socialist pacifist line, but with little success. There was general recognition, however, that pacifism had played a role in Hitler's early sucesses. The Soviets, in part because of spy rings, exploded their first bomb (August 29, 1949). Of course they could justify their possession of an imoral weapon on the basis of self defense. It is not lost on may historiansthat within a years, Sivie tnk in the nands of the North Korean Army pired over the outh Korean borrder. Only slowly as the horrors of World War II receeded and the nombs role in ending it, did the Ban the Bomb movement began to attract popular support. Totally lost among the people who were attracted to the Ban the Bomb movement had bot conceotion of the danger posed by the Soviet Red Army to Western Europe. This in part because the Ban the Bomb movement had its roots in the European Left. This is why they could argue for Western countries denucleaization knowing that the Soviets would still have the weapons. The Ban The Bomb grew in the 1950s and was behinning to have some political clout, first in Britain. Ten of thousands of people marched from the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire, to Trafalgar Square (1960). It was the largest demonstration London has seen in the 20th century. The march energized the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). From the beginning the focus was on the American nuclear arsenal and never the Soviet arsenal. Not only were people behind the Iron Curtain only allowed to criticise the American arsenal, but CND in the West only ctitcised the American arsenal. The CND became more generally involved in the peace movement, again focuing almost exclusively on American use of military power. The CND reached it highpoint in the 1980s when the Soviets deployed advanced IRBMs in Eutope and tried to use the CND to block American deployment of a comparable system. This played out in West Germany where the missles were to be deployed.

Pacifist Organizations

Quite a number of pacifist orhanizatiins emerfed durung the Cold War. Mnny had left-wing orientation and some received ciovert Soviet support, especually thise growing out of anti-bnuclear movement. The extent of this will never be known. Many others had religious connectiins. Perhaps the nost important pacifist organization was the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). From the beginning the focus was on the American nuclear arsenal and never the Soviet arsenal. Not only were people behind the Iron Curtain only allowed to criticise the American arsenal, but CND in the West only ctitcised the American arsenal. The CND became more generally involved in the peace movement, again focuing almost exclusively on American use of military power. The CND reached it highpoint in the 1980s when the Soviets deployed advanced IRBMs in Europe and tried to use the CND to block American deployment of a comparable system. This played out in West Germany where the missles were to be deployed. Some important pacifuist groups included: Anglican Pacifist Fellowship, Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, . Christian Peacemaker Teams, Fellowship of Reconciliation, . Mennonites, Peace Brigades International, Peace Pledge Union, . Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and many more. We see some organizatiins aimed at children. One organizatiin we note founded during the Cold War is CISV International (Formerly Children's International Summer Villages). The founder was Dr. Doris Twitchell Allen. The goal was to educate and inspire action for a more just and peaceful world.

Independence Struggle in the Soviet Empire

Stalin and his sucessors encountered much more difficulty subjecting the people of Eastern Europe to totalitarian rule than the Russian people. The Soviets brutally supressed attempts by Eastern Europeans to overthrow Soviet imposed governments: East Germany (1953), Poland (1956), Hungary (1956), Czecheslovakia (1978), and other outbreaks--especially in Poland. The first revolt broke out in East Germany after the death of Stalin. Efforts to end the mass terror and liberalize the Soviet system were met in East Germany by demands for real democratic rule. Soviet officials concluded that reforms were dangerous and threatened the Soviet system. [Harrison] As a resuly, for three decades efforts at reform were brutally supressed. The Hungarian Revolution ocurred in the midst of Nikita Khruschev's de-Stalinization program. One historian contends that Khruschev did not want to appear weak in the face of Western Operations in Suez, thus explaining the massive use of force in supressing the Hungarian rebellion. [Hitchcock] Finally it was in Eastern Europe that the whole Soviet system would begin unraveling. The Communist regime in Poland was brouhjt down by the very workers it claimed to represent. And it was in the Baltics, the most European area, that the Soviet Union itself began to implode.






CIH -- WW II







Navigate the CIH Cold War Section:
[Return to Main pacifism page]
[Return to Main Cold War page]
[Return to Main Communism page]
[About Us]
[Assessment] [Biogrphies] [Countries] [Communism] [Culture] [Decolonization] [Economics] [Famines] [Fashion] [Freedom] [Hot wars] [Human rights] [Inteligence]
[Mass killing] [Military] [Pacifism] [Phases] [Science] [Totalitarianism] [Weaponry]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Return to the Cold war Home page]
[Return to the 20th century wars and crises]
[Return to CIH Home page]






Created: 3:56 AM 7/5/2013
Last updated: 8:27 AM 6/10/2021