People power : fighting for peace from the First World War to the present /c Lyn Smith ; with a foreword by Sheila Hancock

People Power charts the history of the anti-war movement in the UK from the outbreak of the First World War to present-day conflicts in the Middle East, telling the story of conscientious objectors and others who have been engaged in protest over the past century. Drawing on testimonies from the Imperial War Museums vast collection, and its rich archive of visual material, including photographs, paintings, posters, cartoons and badges, the book explores the wide-ranging reasons for opposing war and examines the changes and continuity in the movement as the nature of conflict has evolved from trench warfare to nuclear weapons. The role of key organizations and groups within the movement is examined, such as the Peace Pledge Union in the 1930s and the Greenham Common Womens Peace Camp in the 1980s, as well as that of high-profile individual campaigners, including Fenner Brockway and Tony Benn. Accompanying a major exhibition at the Imperial War Museum London in 2017, People Power is an important and compelling counterpart to the myriad histories of war in the past 100 years. A compelling look at war and the antiwar movement in the United Kingdom People Power charts the history of the antiwar movement in the United Kingdom from the outbreak of the First World War to present-day conflicts in the Middle East, telling the story of conscientious objectors and others who have been engaged in protest over the past century. Drawing on testimonies from the Imperial War Museums vast collection of recordings and documents, the book gives voice to contributors from different backgrounds and explores their wide-ranging reasons for opposing war, as well as the changes and continuity in the movement throughout these years of almost continuous conflict. The book explores the role of key organizations within the movement and tells the personal stories of high-profile individuals, including Sylvia Pankhurst, A. A. Milne, and Vanessa Redgrave, who stood out against conflict. Accompanying a major exhibition at the Imperial War Museum London in 2017, People Power provides an important and compelling look at the most divisive of human undertakings and is an essential part of understanding war as it exists today. 180 illustrations 1. First World War: The Foundation is Laid * 2. The Interwar Years: Development of the Peace Movement, 1919-1939 * 3. Second World War: Against Total War, 1939-1945 4. Cold War (1): Against Nuclear Weapons Cold War (2): Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp * 5. The Modern Era: post 1990 A fascinating look at the anti-war movement in the UK over the past century, published to accompany a major exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, London, from 23 March to 28 August 2017.