In 1916 peace overtures were dealt a fatal blow when Britain's Minister for War David Lloyd George, announced "The fight must go to a finish — to a knock-out". It was cabled around the world and almost overnight put an end to the growing peace movement in Europe, America and elsewhere. Germany had been eager to negotiate a fair peace arrangement at the time but Lloyd George put an end to all prospect of successful negotiations. We now know that the Lloyd George statement was directly caused by his assurance that the United States was surely coming in on the side of the Allies. Had the US President Wilson remained strictly neutral, there is little doubt that sincere peace negotiations would have been actively carried on by the summer of 1916.
Churchill explained that the warring nations by Spring 1917 were ready for peace. The 1916 disasters of Jutland, Verdun and Somme had taken much of the fighting spirit out of Germany, Britain and France. There had been already several peace-proposals from German and Austrian sides and there were attempts at mediation going on by neutral Danish, Swedish and even American negotiators. But because the United States suddenly wanted their share of the spoils of the all peace-talk became useless.
If America had stayed out of the World War and not entered the war on the side of the Allies there is little doubt there would have made peace with Germany in 1917. It would have ended early the economic blockade which starved to death hundreds of thousands of German women and children. This blockade was the one great authentic unmentionable atrocities of the World War One.
Far from making the world safe for democracy, the World War of 1914 succeeded in putting democracy in greater jeopardy. Imperialism did not disappear and only the German colonial empire was destroyed (or rather divided up amongst the victors.) Militarist expansionism reasserted itself in Japan and Italy
Manifesto To the Proposed International Congress
To the proposed International Congress,
Residing as we do under the control of the "democratic" British Government, we are not permitted to send Delegates to the Congress to state our views, present our case, and defend our policy, as we so strongly wished...
...No matter which group of the Masters win the struggle, the Workers remain enslaved. The division of interests is not between the peoples of the world, but between the classes - the Master Class and the Working Class. Not, therefore, in their fellow Workers abroad, but in the Master Class at home and abroad, are the working-class enemies found.
What interest have the Workers, then, in either starting or carrying on war for their masters? Absolutely none.
Every Socialist must, therefore, wish to see peace established at once to save further maiming and slaughter of our fellow Workers. All those who on any pretext, or for any supposed reason, wish the war to continue, at once stamp themselves as anti-Socialist, anti-working class, and pro-capitalist...
... While protesting - in some forms - against the war, and now urging "Peace by negotiation", the ILP allowed its members like Mr. Parker and Mr. Clynes to assist in the recruiting campaign. Moreover, the ILP has allowed its members to accept office in a Capitalist government without making any protest or repudiation. It is true that their 1917 Conference passed a resolution dissociating the organisation from Mr. Parker's action in taking a Government office, but not only is Mr. Parker allowed to remain a member of the ILP, but no protest at all is made when other members, as Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Barnes, and Mr. Roberts, accept office under similar conditions. While protesting against German Social-Democrats voting war credits in the Reichstag, ILP members have steadily voted for war credits here...
...In the ranks of the BSP a division of opinion has developed, resulting, after a struggle between the two sections, in the secession of the defenders of the war - Hyndman, Hunter Watts, Lee, Irving, and the rest - and the formation by the secessionists, of the National Socialist Party .The absurdity of the title is balanced by the merit it has of showing how completely pro-Capitalist and anti-Socialist these individuals are.
The BSP has now joined hands with the ILP in a so-called peace propaganda, but the confusion and double-dealing lying behind this movement is shown most glaringly by the fact that both these organisations remain affiliated to the Labour Party that has whole-heartedly supported the war from its inception...
...To the Socialists of other countries we extend our fraternal greetings. As soon as conditions will permit us to do so we shall endeavour to join forces with our Comrades for the purpose of establishing a Socialist International Congress where Socialist policies shall be decided, where misleaders and tricksters who use the name and fame of Socialism will be exposed and denounced, where the message of Socialism will be sent forth to the toilers of all countries in clear and unmistakable terms, where the gage of battle against the Capitalist Class will be thrown down to the clarion call:
"WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT YOUR CHAINS; YOU HAVE A WORLD TO WIN."
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF GREAT BRITAIN
July 1917
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