Why Do We Need Peace? Exploring More Literature on War and Violence

We’re often unaware of the gruesome impact of war on society. So, we’re exploring more books to provide a clear picture of the reality of war and why we must seek peace. Let’s review two profound books on peace, war, and violence.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

This anti-war novel describes how war snuffs the life out of some young Germans during World War I and the detachment from everyday, mundane life felt by many upon returning home from the war. Erich created this masterpiece to capture the harsh realities of the war. The novel traces the story of young teenager Paul Bäumer and his friends Albert, Müller, and Leer on the Western Front of Germany during the Great War. It’s good to note that the First World War was not yet designated as we now know it.

Remarque’s story is compelling and visceral, delving deep into the psychological toll of war and depicting how war strips the humanity and innocence of the young soldiers at the frontline. Though the boys are only nineteen, the war unearths their animal instincts. Their friendly, romantic disposition before signing up to join the war was lost by the end of it. As the book itself grimly illustrates:

“…our heads were full of nebulous ideas which cast an idealized, almost romantic glow over life and even the war for us. We had ten weeks of basic training, and that changed us more radically than ten years at school… We came to realise — first with astonishment, then bitterness, and finally with indifference — that intellect apparently wasn’t the most important thing… not ideas, but the system; not freedom, but drill.”

They could no longer see others the same way. Their former selves were aliens to the people they had become, forged by the trauma of witnessing death and the disorientation that follows. As Paul, whom the narration centers around, reflects:

“We’re no longer young men. We’ve lost any desire to conquer the world. We are refugees. We are fleeing from ourselves. From our lives. We were eighteen years old, and we had just begun to love the world and to love being in it; but we had to shoot at it. The first shell to land went straight for our hearts.”

In its somber and reflective narrative, this book is a powerful anti-war statement urging readers to confront the human cost of conflict. All Quiet on the Western Front won the Nobel Prize in 1931 and has since been adapted into two Hollywood blockbusters, first in 1930 and most recently in 2022. It remains a timeless classic and continues to resonate for its dogged honesty and bold portrayal of human fragility in the face of war.

The Second World War by Sir Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill’s expansive six-volume series, The Second World War, represents an authoritative personal account of a defining period in history through the lens of one of the key figures of that grueling time. Churchill was Prime Minister of Britain during World War II, and his account provides a strong perspective on the political, military, and strategic decisions that shaped the start and conclusion of the war. The book was originally a six-series volume; later, it was divided into twelve parts and compiled into a single volume.

Churchill wrote the book with a team of assistants, using his notes and privileged access to official documents. At the time, the Cabinet Secretary of Britain, Sir Norman Brook, vetted the official documents involved in writing the book. Brook took a close interest and rewrote some sections to ensure that British interests were not affected. Still, the book remains universally acknowledged as a magnificent historical reconstruction of that period and a substantial body of literature.

The series begins with The Gathering Storm, which explores some of the precursors of the war and the events between 1919 at the end of World War I and 1939 at the start of World War II. It proceeds to Their Finest Hour, which details the fall of France, leaving Britain to stand alone against the German War Machine, the massive German assault on London, and what Churchill describes as “the most splendid, as it was the most deadly, year in our long English and British history”. The Grand Alliance explores how Hitler reneged on his non-aggression pact with Stalin and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, which led to Russia and the US joining the war.

In The Hinge of Fate, we see more of the involvement of the Japanese and enemy offensives in Africa, and in Closing the Ring, Churchill highlights the forging of the iconic agreement between Roosevelt, Stalin, and himself. This fascinating series concludes with Triumph and Tragedy, which details D-Day, how the Allied forces took Berlin, and finally ends the war with the defeat of Japan.

It provides numerous first-hand accounts, telegrams, letters, and correspondence with familiar political figures like Stalin, Roosevelt, and Truman. These little windows into that historical context provide vital insight and add to the immense pleasure of reading this six-volume account of such world-altering events.

Churchill’s work is eloquent and reveals the resilience and determination characterizing such immense political might during a war of any scale. The hard decisions, the difficult conversations, the losses and defeats, and the harsh reality of mortal danger. Churchill feared at some point that Britain might succumb to the German onslaught, explaining his joy when Russia and the US officially joined the war. As he puts it himself, “How long the war would last or in what fashion it would end no man could tell, nor did I at that moment care. Once again in our long island history, we should emerge, however mauled or mutilated, safe and victorious”.

The Second World War won the Nobel Prize in 1953 and remains a classic non-fictional work that serves as a historical record and a testament to the leadership that defined that era. It is celebrated for its depth, insight, and unique perspective from a chief political figure of the time.

These books, both Nobel Prize winners, are classic works of literature on the two major World Wars. Collectively, they provide excellent insight and a stark reality of the war from the perspective of soldiers on the frontline on the one hand and politicians making hard strategic decisions on the other hand.

Together, they reinforce the truth that war is tragic, wasteful, and undesirable and that peace is precious. This factor must be emphasized, especially in the precarious context of the Russian-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts against the looming Third World War.