Case study 6 - The treatment of conscientious objectors in the First and Second World Wars Flashcards
What were the two types of CO?
ALTERNATIVISTS - willing to help the war effort
ABSOLUTISTS - wouldn’t contribute to the war effort at all
How were pacifists treated?
ALTERNATIVISTS - work camps set up to give them jobs
ABSOLUTISTS - sent to prison or to France, or even threatened with execution. 10 died in prison and 63 shortly after, 31 had mental breakdown
Why were COs treated so harshly by the government?
These wars were “total wars” - the government needed the whole of society to get involved
As a result, conscription was introduced in 1916 - abstaining from helping the war effort was therefore breaking the law
How were COs treated in WW1 by the government?
Tribunals unfairly weighted against giving exemptions
Imprisoned
Denied the right to vote
How were COs treated in WW1 by society?
Treated with hostility: given white feathers, sacked from jobs, faced assaults in the street
How were COs treated in WW2 by the government?
Tribunals more fair
People allowed to continue campaigning against war
More jobs were found
How were COs treated in WW2 by society?
Treated with hostility: sacked from jobs, faced assaults in the street
How many COs and exemptions were there in WW1 and WW2? Why was there such a difference?
WW1:
16 000 COs
400 exemptions
WW2:
59 192 COs
46 990 exemptions
More COs, as people still remembered the horrors of WW1; more exemptions, as the government realised that abstinence from war wasn’t necessarily based on cowardice
