Opposition to World War II

Opposition to World War II was most vocal during the early part of World War II, and stronger still before the war started. Some Communist-led organizations with links to Comintern opposed the war during the period of the Hitler-Stalin pact but then backed it after Germany invaded the Soviet Union.

In Britain, Oswald Mosley and many members of the British Union of Fascists were opposed to a war with Nazi Germany, arguing that the Soviet Union was a greater threat to British freedom. Mosley led a “Peace Campaign” to call for a negotiated peace with Germany. This campaign ended after Mosley and most active UK fascists were interned under Defence Regulation 18B in May 1940.

Numerous US anti-Semites and anti-Communists during the 1930s, notably within the Mothers' movement led by Elizabeth Dilling, also opposed World War II on the basis that it would be preferable for Nazism rather than Communism to dominate Europe. These women also wished to keep their own sons out of the combat US involvement in the war would necessitate, and believed the war would destroy Christianity and further spread atheistic Communism across Europe.

Henry Ford also opposed US participation in the war until the attack on Pearl Harbor and refused to manufacture airplanes and other war equipment for the British, whilst Father Charles Coughlin argued that “it would be better to let the Nazis conquer Britain and the Soviet Union” than to enter the war merely for the sake of Europe’s 600,000 Jews.

Pacifist opposition to World War II was limited. During the conflict, a few organisations such as the Peace Pledge Union continued their opposition to all wars.

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