Peace and War in the 20th Century
Random Highlights
One of sixty thousand Canadians who did not return from the First World War, Bernard Trotter’s poignant poems were published after his death. His letters home reveal the idealism and spirit of dedication which led him to volunteer and they also show his family in Canada, deeply engaged, albeit from a distance, in the far away conflict.
The charismatic clergyman Dick Sheppard’s 1934 public call for all who shared his pacifist sentiments to sign a pledge to renounce war led to the development of an influential political movement. The movement faced its first serious challenge with the growing threat of Hitler’s Germany.
Constance Malleson, in a series of letters to her former lover and lifelong friend Bertrand Russell, provides a vivid account of life during World War II. She writes first from her home in the English countryside, later from Finland, and then, following her escape from attack by the Soviet Union, from Sweden. Her letters provide valuable insights into the hardships of war, as seen from the civilian perspective.
