Pro-War and Anti-War Movements in the 20th Century
Pro-war and Anti-war movements for the 20th century
There have been movements that support or oppose war throughout all of history. The 20th century saw this movement coalesce into a much larger and more diverse series of society changing events. Spanish-American war, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm were all wars that helped American society evolve into what it is today. For each of the conflicts, there were opposing points of view as to the amount of involvement or to even become involved at all. The pro-war or more conservative point of view lists strength and strong support for our allies as a primary focal point. The anti-war or liberal point of view is more of an isolationist or pacifist opinion that believes that diplomacy and understanding will resolve issues. This paper will discuss the opposing points of view leading up to each of the primary conflicts of the 20th century.
The Spanish-American War which took place in spring and summer of 1898 was a brief and decisive war that ousted the Spanish from Cuba. The war extended to the Philippines which lengthened the overall fighting to over a year. The primary opponents to the Spanish-American war were the Anti-Imperialist League. It was a peace movement that was made up of intellectuals and businessmen based in Boston. It became a much more formidable force as the Philippine War caused more casualties (estimated at more than 600,000 dead). The war against the Spanish in Cuba was a relatively short one with America ousting the Spanish. The Philippine war was much longer and bloody. The primary goal of the Anti-Imperialist League was to bring American soldiers home from the Philippines. The opposition to the war did not want America to join the other “world powers” in colonial expansion and land grabbing that was going on in the world.
The Spanish-American War was thought to be the point in history where America emerged as a viable world power.
There have been movements that support or oppose war throughout all of history. The 20th century saw this movement coalesce into a much larger and more diverse series of society changing events. Spanish-American war, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm were all wars that helped American society evolve into what it is today. For each of the conflicts, there were opposing points of view as to the amount of involvement or to even become involved at all. The pro-war or more conservative point of view lists strength and strong support for our allies as a primary focal point. The anti-war or liberal point of view is more of an isolationist or pacifist opinion that believes that diplomacy and understanding will resolve issues. This paper will discuss the opposing points of view leading up to each of the primary conflicts of the 20th century.
The Spanish-American War which took place in spring and summer of 1898 was a brief and decisive war that ousted the Spanish from Cuba. The war extended to the Philippines which lengthened the overall fighting to over a year. The primary opponents to the Spanish-American war were the Anti-Imperialist League. It was a peace movement that was made up of intellectuals and businessmen based in Boston. It became a much more formidable force as the Philippine War caused more casualties (estimated at more than 600,000 dead). The war against the Spanish in Cuba was a relatively short one with America ousting the Spanish. The Philippine war was much longer and bloody. The primary goal of the Anti-Imperialist League was to bring American soldiers home from the Philippines. The opposition to the war did not want America to join the other “world powers” in colonial expansion and land grabbing that was going on in the world.
The Spanish-American War was thought to be the point in history where America emerged as a viable world power.