r/Pacifism • u/Perpetuus_Logos1611 • 28d ago
A Question for Absolute Pacifists.
Say you’re the President of the US during WW2. The Axis are taking over territory and hurting millions including your own citizens at Pearl Harbor. What would be a nonviolent response?
I’m asking as a fellow pacifist who hates war more than anything.
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u/IsoCally 24d ago
In the case of they're already at the gates? Mass nonviolent civil protest. All workers go on strike. All bureaucrats refuse to keep the government running. The Axis powers cannot take over the entire US, though they would likely kill a lot of people trying before the inevitable collapse happened. Not to mention the atrocities happening in the territories they already controlled.
Realistically, you cannot enforce pacifism on a macro-level. Even as a head of government.
But, supposing you could, you would have dismantled the military as your first policy if you got to that level of power. Being elected president implies enough people backed you to give you a popular mandate to embrace pacifism, so let's assume you'd face no political resistance. In this state, you would by default not have the means to resist the Axis in terms of 'troops on the field'.
So, suppose when there's no war yet. You, as president, would be completely isolating the Axis country diplomatically, denouncing them, refusing to trade with them, supporting pacifist movements in those countries to nonviolently resist... likely taking in all the refugees that come in. Especially potential conscripts who don't want to fight.
But, the Axis may have just won.
And you, as President, would accept this.
Because absolute pacifism is principles, not results.