Books that help us understand how we can respond to conflict can be found across the Commonweal Collection, but in particular you might like to read:

Stop the War: The Story of Britain’s Biggest Mass Movement. by Andrew Murray and Lindsey German (2005)

The story of the Stop the War Coalition, Britain’s biggest ever mass movement, told in articles, essays, photographs and soundbites. The book tracks the Coalition from its origins with no office, no bank account, just one full time volunteer, through the ‘chaos of its early meetings’ to the million-strong demonstration of February 2003

Library classification: Eb MUR (Peace Movements – UK) – check it’s available here.

 

Activestills: Photography as Protest in Palestine/Israel. Edited by Vered Maimon and Shiraz Grinbaum (2016)

A record of the Activestills Collective’s use of photographs to enable and promote human rights struggles in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Combining striking full-colour photographs with essays and commentary, ‘Activestills’ stands as both a major contribution to reportage on Israel/Palestine and a unique collection of visual art.

Library classification: Ej ACT (Peace Movements – Middle East) – check it’s available here.

 

Ten Years Of World Co Operation. Foreword by Sir Eric Drummond (1930)

Written by the first Secretary-General of the League of Nations, this book offers a firsthand account of the organization’s first ten years and its efforts to promote peace and international cooperation. This book offers valuable historical insights into the challenges of global governance.

Library classification: Wu LEA (International Peacekeeping) – check it’s available here.

I Renounce War: The Story of the Peace Pledge Union By Sybil Morrison (1962)

The story of the Peace Pledge Union, founded in 1936 by Dick Sheppard, priest and one-time Dean of Canterbury Cathedral. Its members demonstrated ‘with passion and patience’ their renunciation of all wars and weapons, organised mass protests against the folly of armaments and war, and pioneered in Britain the methods of nonviolent direct action – similar to those being used now by such groups as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil.

Library classification: Db MOR (British Pacifism) – check it’s available here.

 

Swimming against the Tide: Militarism, Memory and Remembrance. Peace Pledge Union

A pamphlet that describes how societies remember and commemorate war, often in ways that perpetuate militaristic ideologies. It critiques traditional forms of remembrance and argues for alternative ways of commemorating conflict that challenge militarism and promote peace.

Pamphlet

Library classification: W PEA (War – General) – check it’s available here.

 

Nonviolent Resistance to the Nazis by George Paxton

War is an extremely costly means of responding to conflict and yet nonviolent defence of a country is normally considered unrealistic because it is considered ineffectual against a ruthless opponent. 

This book tries to demonstrate otherwise by looking at historical facts focussing on the Nazi tyranny as a specific case. In reality, nonviolent resistance to the Third Reich took place in the occupied countries as well as in Germany itself. While not on a scale to bring down the regime its potential to do so is clearly demonstrated in in this well-argued account. More speculatively, the author looks at principled Gandhian nonviolence and asks if this approach would have affected the nature of the resistance.

Library classification: Bj PAX (Anti-Fascist Nonviolence) – check it’s available here. 

Download this reading list here.

The Commonweal Collection is an independent specialist library based at the University of Bradford concerned with issues relating to nonviolent movements for social change. It contains over 14,000 books, pamphlets and journals on social change and activism, peace and disarmament, climate crisis & the green movement, nonviolent philosophy and practice, human rights, anti-racism and identity. Read more about the history of the Commonweal Collection here.

The Civil Resistance Info website also provides a guide to the range of literature and resources available, and enables users to look in more depth at particular movements, key figures and organisations in the practice of nonviolent action, as well as the theory of civil resistance and important debates about nonviolence.