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What Would Pacifists Have Done about Hitler: A Discussion of War, Dictators and Pacifism
This is a new release of the original 1949 edition.
- GenresPolitics
22 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2007
28 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Muste
26 books8 followersAbraham Johannes Muste (sometimes credited as Abraham John Muste) was born in the Netherlands in 1885 and came to America at age six years. Grew up in Michigan. Ordained a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church in 1909. Graduated from Union Theological Seminary in 1913. A pacifist, he opposed U.S. entry into both world wars. Director of Brookwood Labor College in Massachusetts during the 1920s. Later executive director of the F.O.R. (Fellowship of Reconciliation). Had a long history of activism and leadership in progressive Christian and labor causes, civil rights, and war resistance. A strong proponent of nonviolent direct action. Died in 1967.
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January 7, 2020
How do you stop a mad dog dictator? By shooting him and his followers? This pamphlet argues that violence has not solved the problem in the past. Has in fact backfired against us.
Decent people are many and mad dogs are few. Then why do so many decent people follow mad dog dictators? Because of the “awful habit of obedience,” says Muste, who calls for civil disobedience on a grand scale. Nonviolent resistance along Gandhian lines.
This pamphlet is more about prevention than cure, but does mention Hitler and “the difficulties which the Nazis had with the Resistance, often mainly nonviolent, in France, the Low Countries, Denmark, Norway.” Muste suggests what pacifists might have done about Hitler, but does not guarantee results. Who could?
He discusses various provocations of the Western world that breed desperation and extremism in others: expansionism, economic imbalances, and the “defense complex.” And calls for global co-operation, humanitarian aid, “all-out friendliness,” good will, wealth sharing.
Muste likes to reverse positions, to show that the perceived enemy is really not so very different from us. Suppose he did what we do? How would we like it? This pamphlet is an exhortation to think, not fight, our way out of our conflicts. To recognize the law of cause and effect. To have the courage to act unilaterally, in the expectation that the other guy will notice and respond in kind. Muste argues that our armaments are not protecting us, that they are increasing tensions and making things worse. That dismantling them would make us safer.
This pamphlet is a bit dated in its concern with Stalinism and the Cold War, but its principles still apply. It offers sane and sensible solutions that look a lot like the Golden Rule, but don’t expect to see them put into play any time soon. They would require courage, imagination, wisdom, selflessness, far beyond what we are accustomed to seeing in our decision makers, who would think Muste’s program impractical, even naïve. But if his program could somehow be implemented, peace just might break out. How practical would that be?
Notice that I am calling this a pamphlet. It is described as a 48-page book, but is in fact a 19-page pamphlet presented as a book. It is 19 pages of wisdom, plus 29 pages empty of content.
Decent people are many and mad dogs are few. Then why do so many decent people follow mad dog dictators? Because of the “awful habit of obedience,” says Muste, who calls for civil disobedience on a grand scale. Nonviolent resistance along Gandhian lines.
This pamphlet is more about prevention than cure, but does mention Hitler and “the difficulties which the Nazis had with the Resistance, often mainly nonviolent, in France, the Low Countries, Denmark, Norway.” Muste suggests what pacifists might have done about Hitler, but does not guarantee results. Who could?
He discusses various provocations of the Western world that breed desperation and extremism in others: expansionism, economic imbalances, and the “defense complex.” And calls for global co-operation, humanitarian aid, “all-out friendliness,” good will, wealth sharing.
Muste likes to reverse positions, to show that the perceived enemy is really not so very different from us. Suppose he did what we do? How would we like it? This pamphlet is an exhortation to think, not fight, our way out of our conflicts. To recognize the law of cause and effect. To have the courage to act unilaterally, in the expectation that the other guy will notice and respond in kind. Muste argues that our armaments are not protecting us, that they are increasing tensions and making things worse. That dismantling them would make us safer.
This pamphlet is a bit dated in its concern with Stalinism and the Cold War, but its principles still apply. It offers sane and sensible solutions that look a lot like the Golden Rule, but don’t expect to see them put into play any time soon. They would require courage, imagination, wisdom, selflessness, far beyond what we are accustomed to seeing in our decision makers, who would think Muste’s program impractical, even naïve. But if his program could somehow be implemented, peace just might break out. How practical would that be?
Notice that I am calling this a pamphlet. It is described as a 48-page book, but is in fact a 19-page pamphlet presented as a book. It is 19 pages of wisdom, plus 29 pages empty of content.
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