War Against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914–1918

The peace movement in America has a long history dating back to the establishment of the New York Peace Society in 1815. The outbreak of World War I presented the United States and President Woodrow Wilson with the challenge of staying neutral. Kazin (history, Georgetown Univ.; American Dreamers) crafts a smoothly written and solidly researched history of the efforts by numerous Americans to keep the United States out of the European conflagration that took place between 1914 and 1918. Focusing primarily on the activities of women's rights activist Jane Addams, feminist organizer Crystal Eastman, Sen. Robert La Follette, and politician Claude Kitchin, Kazin delves into how each individual contributed in their own way to the burgeoning antiwar crusade during the 19th century. Kazin's book fills in gaps of knowledge surrounding the peace movement that took place prior to the Vietnam War, offering an excellent introduction to domestic politics during World War I and the efforts that many people made to end the war, or failing that, keep the country from sending any men to die in Flanders Fields.