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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
Subjects
Politics and Government
Politics
Political movements
Peace movement

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Peace movement

Subject

Religious Opposition to World War I

Socialist Opposition to World War I

Women and World War I

World War I and the Peace Society in Sydney

Pax

The Blood Vote

The Federal Independent

Anti Conscription League of New South Wales

Australian Freedom League

Australian Peace Council

Industrial Workers of the World

Peace Society, New South Wales Branch

Religious Society of Friends

Sydney Twelve

Union of Russian Workers

Women's Anti-Conscription Committee

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Women's Peace Army

Aarons, Eric

Anstey, Francis George (Frank)

Barker, Tom

Beale, William Henry

Bonney, Constance E

Boote, Henry Ernest

Cohen, Ian

Grant, Donald McLennan (Don)

Harwood, Marian Fleming

Lorimer, Jessie

Miles, William John

Rivett, Albert

Roseby, Thomas

Webb, Bernard Linden

'Vote No Mum, they'll take Dad next' 1916

Donald Grant, one of the Sydney Twelve 1916

Henry Ernest Boote, labor journalist, poet and writer c1920

IWW Members Charged with Treason - Sensational Revelations 1916

Marian Harwood

The Blood Vote 1916

The IWW Twelve 1916

The Peace Society : its origin, work, difficulties and mistakes : a paper read at the XIV annual meeting of the Peace Society, N.S.W. Branch, ... by Mrs. Septimus Harwood. 1921

Thomas Barker c1912

To Arms!

Vote No: Conscription takes the Bread-earner of the poor mother and sister, but never the bread-earner of the rich mother and sister, etc 1915-1917

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Peace movement

Religious Opposition to World War I

With the exception of a small number of Quakers, Independents and Methodists, religious opposition to World War I and the issue of conscription came from a few, isolated individual voices. The Church of England whole-heartedly supported the war while for the main part, the Catholic Church remained silent.

Socialist Opposition to World War I

Most socialist organisations opposed World War I from the beginning, the militant vigour of their opposition fiercely suppressed through government censure and legislation. Their message - that the working classes were mere cannon fodder for the imperialist war machine from which they would not benefit - appealed to many Sydnysiders, especially as the war drew on, and its emotional, social and financial cost became more exhausting.

Women and World War I

Women played prominent roles in the anti-war, anti-conscription and peace movements in Sydney between 1914 and 1918, lead rallies and demonstrations and addressed outdoor meetings across the country. As sisters, wives and mothers, women were expected to sacrifice their menfolk in the ultimate act of patriotism yet many opposed the war for that very reason. For others it came down to a sense of moral obligation or issues of class and gender.

World War I and the Peace Society in Sydney

The many wartime tensions between members of the New South Wales Peace Society was, in microcosm, one small example of the way in which the World War I split and deeply divided Sydney. Between 1914 and 1918, political, pacifist and patriotic tensions between the Society's members fractured this once united group.

Pax

Monthly journal of the Peace Society.

full record »

The Blood Vote

full record »

Anti-conscription pamphlet produced by the Women's Peace Army in 1916. It was illustrated by Claude Marquet, the anti-war staff cartoonist at The Worker, and, despite the signature, a poem by EJ Dempsey, a writer on the pro-conscription Evening News who asked socialist RW Winspear to sign it. .

The Federal Independent

Journal of applied Christianity which strongly opposed conscription and Australia's involvement in World War I.

full record »

Anti Conscription League of New South Wales

Political organisation formed by trade union members and other socialist and left leaning groups to oppose conscription. Members were not necessarily anti-war (although many were) but they were opposed to compulsory enlistment.

full record »

Australian Freedom League

Political organisation opposed to conscription and active in attempting to repeal the compulsory clauses of the Defence Act. By 1914 it had a membership of 55,000.

full record »

Australian Peace Council

Political group which formed partly as a response to the Federal legislation to dissolve the Communist Party in 1950.

full record »

Industrial Workers of the World

Militant organisation based on the American model which fought for workers' rights and opposed conscription in 1916.

full record »

Peace Society, New South Wales Branch

Pacifist group which grew out of the anti-Boer War campaigns, opposing the principle of compulsory military training and promoting arbitration as a means of settling international disputes.

full record »

Religious Society of Friends

Religious society which began in 17th century Britain with the teachings of George Fox, an itinerant preacher, and which has spread to most regions in the world including Australia in 1832. A Christian denomination, it tries to avoid creeds and hierarchical structures.

full record »

Sydney Twelve

Members of the Industrial Workers of the World arrested on 23 September 1916 in Sydney and charged with treason under the Treason Felony Act (1848), arson, sedition and forgery. An enquiry in 1920 found irregularities and all were released.

full record »

Union of Russian Workers

Revolutionary organisation formed in Brisbane which agitated for the overthrow of the Russian monarchy and was strongly opposed to the Australian government and the war effort. Many members were deported for organising illegal demonstration and newspapers.

full record »

Women's Anti-Conscription Committee

Labor Party organsiation that was formed in Melbourne to unify left-wing women against conscription. It conducted home visits, rallies and even wrote songs denouncing conscription

full record »

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Political women's association which aims to bring together women of different political, philosophical and religious backgrounds to study and make known the causes of war and work for a permanent peace. It now has chapters in 37 countries including Australia.

full record »

Women's Peace Army

Political organisation established to in an attempt to mobilise the women in Australia who opposed all war, regardless of political party membership. 'We war against war' became their motto and they adopted the feminist colours of purple, green and white.

full record »

Aarons, Eric

Communist thinker and activist.

full record »

Anstey, Francis George (Frank)

Federal Labor politician and anti conscriptionist with a strong sense of social justice who was the first Labor parliamentarian to speak for the Australian Peace Alliance.

full record »

Barker, Tom

full record »

Socialist, public agitator and organiser for industrial unionism who was arrested for publishing an anti-recruiting poster. He was later deported to Chile because of his political activism and continued to roam the world fighting the class struggle.

Beale, William Henry

Methodist minister who deplored the way the war was justified and defended from the pulpit.

full record »

Bonney, Constance E

Campaigner for peace who became disllusioned when many called for peace by negotiation.

full record »

Boote, Henry Ernest

full record »

Labor propagandist and journalist who strongly opposed conscription and the senseless horror of war, resulting in his appearance in the Central Police Court for not submitting articles to the censor.

Cohen, Ian

Australian politician who represented the Greens on the New South Wales Legislative Council.

full record »

Grant, Donald McLennan (Don)

Agitator and politician who became a prominent anti-war speaker and was one of the IWW Twelve charged with treason.

full record »

Harwood, Marian Fleming

full record »

Linguist, pacifist and philanthropist who represented the peace societies of Australia at several overseas conferences prior to World War I before returning to become an anti-war campaigner.

Lorimer, Jessie

Socialist public speaker and campaigner against conscription during World War I.

full record »

Miles, William John

Rationalist and businessman who regarded war as 'biologically inevitable', but opposed conscription for overseas service and was active in the referenda campaigns of 1916 and 1917.

full record »

Rivett, Albert

Clergyman and pacifist who resigned because of growing differences with church officials over his attitude to World War I and his strong anti conscription stance.

full record »

Roseby, Thomas

full record »

Congregational minister who won repute for his liberal theology and radical social ideas.

Webb, Bernard Linden

Methodist minister who felt compelled to resign because his pacifist ideals were in conflict with those of the church.

full record »

'Vote No Mum, they'll take Dad next' 1916

full record »

By

Australian Labor Party Anti-Conscription Campaign Committee

Contributed By

Australian War Memorial

Donald Grant, one of the Sydney Twelve 1916

full record »

Image courtesy of the

State Library of Victoria

[Acc no: H31216 (detail)]

(Detail from 'The IWW Twelve 1916')

Henry Ernest Boote, labor journalist, poet and writer c1920

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a4176097 / P1/197]

(Mitchell Library)

IWW Members Charged with Treason - Sensational Revelations 1916

full record »

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

(Sydney Mail, 18 October 1916, p7)

Marian Harwood

full record »

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[via Trove nla.news-page17072494]

(Sydney Mail, 8 August 1934, p23)

The Blood Vote 1916

full record »

By

Image courtesy of the

State Library of Victoria

[Accession No: ECPO 620]

(Riley & Ephemera Collection)

The IWW Twelve 1916

full record »

Image courtesy of the

State Library of Victoria

[Acc no: H31216]

(Twelve members of the Industrial Workers of the World who were gaoled in 1916: Jack Hamilton, Peter Larkin, Charles Reeve, Donald McPherson, Thomas Moore, Donald Grant, John B. King, Bob Besant, Joseph Fagin, William Teen, Thomas Glynn, William Beattie.)

The Peace Society : its origin, work, difficulties and mistakes : a paper read at the XIV annual meeting of the Peace Society, N.S.W. ...

full record »

By

Marian Fleming Harwood

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[nla.aus-vn451659]

Thomas Barker c1912

full record »

Contributed By

National Library of New Zealand

[Ref: 1/2-019136-F]

(Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.)

To Arms!

full record »

By

Industrial Workers of the World

Contributed By

Wikimedia Commons

[IWW_anti-conscription_poster_1916]

Vote No: Conscription takes the Bread-earner of the poor mother and sister, but never the bread-earner of the rich mother and sister, ...

full record »

By

Anti-Conscription League of Australasia

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a7478004 / A 1523]

(from the Anti-Conscription League of New South Wales minute book, 1915-1917, Mitchell Library)

Political movements