Pacifism was a major force in Western (and to a great degree, global) politics in in the interwar period, largely due to revulsion at the carnage of the First World War.
Ironically, an even more terrible and destructive war, the Second World War, arguably contributed to making pacifism once again a fringe ideology. The crimes of the Nazis, in particular, were seen as so heinous that they became the obvious counterpoint to Pacifism, as they offered a vivid example of where Pacifism wasn't a realistic answer. To a lesser extent, the Cold War contributed to this as well - and one could argue of course that the Cold War was also a result of the WWII.
So in a world where the WWI still occurred but where WWII did not, would pacifism have been more influential, at least in the Western world?
Ironically, an even more terrible and destructive war, the Second World War, arguably contributed to making pacifism once again a fringe ideology. The crimes of the Nazis, in particular, were seen as so heinous that they became the obvious counterpoint to Pacifism, as they offered a vivid example of where Pacifism wasn't a realistic answer. To a lesser extent, the Cold War contributed to this as well - and one could argue of course that the Cold War was also a result of the WWII.
So in a world where the WWI still occurred but where WWII did not, would pacifism have been more influential, at least in the Western world?
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