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John William Graham and the Evolution of Peace: A Quaker View of Conflict before and during the First World War
Research Article
John William Graham and the Evolution of Peace: A Quaker View of Conflict before and during the First World War
Research Article
John William Graham and the Evolution of Peace: A Quaker View of Conflict before and during the First World War

Abstract

John William Graham was the author of Conscription and Conscience (1922), the official history of the No-Conscription Fellowship. The commission to write it was based on his status as advocate and activist in the cause for peace, dating from well before the First World War, and continuing until his death in 1932. Yet he never committed himself to an absolute pacifism. This article attributes this stance mainly to his belief in social evolution: God was working within human beings to bring about universal peace, but this progress had to take place slowly and in stages. War had been necessary in the past to develop human character and political organisation, but now it was obsolescent. Quaker pacifism bore witness to an ideal of peace that was to be fulfilled hereafter. Quakers were to lead the way, but meanwhile the use of force could not be universally abjured. Relativism was built into the evolutionary outlook.

Keywords

pacifism, evolution, Quaker Renaissance, war, John William Graham, First World War

How to Cite

Dales, J., (2016) “John William Graham and the Evolution of Peace: A Quaker View of Conflict before and during the First World War”, Quaker Studies 21(2), 169–192. doi: https://doi.org/10.3828/quaker.2016.21.2.4

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Authors

Joanna Dales (University of Birmingham, England joanna.dales@cantab.net)

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Issue

  • Volume 21 • Issue 2 • 2016

Publication details

Pages 169–192
Published on 2016-12-01

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Identifiers

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/quaker.2016.21.2.4

Peer Review

This article has been peer reviewed.

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  • XML: 78bf37be608483c5099a87afc2e2a049
  • PDF: 4363ea072b8a63b4a062b26f18b64464

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