Bertrand Russell and the Struggle for Peace (1914–1918)

Abstract

The outbreak of the First World War constituted a periodizing moment for Bertrand Russell, who, from 1914 onward and for the remainder of his life, devoted himself to the struggle against war. This contribution examines the pacifist political thought elaborated by Russell during the years of the conflict. In particular, it brings to light the extent to which this thought was shaped by reflections developed only a few years earlier by Norman Angell, and the way in which it took form within the context of a difficult political struggle in defense of conscientious objection and for a political and institutional order capable of securing peace.