Crisis of Conscience by Amy J. Shaw
$34.95
Crisis of Conscience : Conscientious Objection in Canada during the First World War by Amy J. Shaw
This book explores Canada’s First World War era, highlighting conscientious objectors who opposed military service due to religious or ethical beliefs. Amidst the backdrop of conscription and the war’s toll, the book unveils the often-overlooked stories of those who, driven by their conscience, refused to fight. This unique perspective contributes to our understanding of evolving citizenship attitudes during a pivotal period in Canadian nation-building.
“Crisis of Conscience is essential reading for anyone who wants a greater understanding of not only conscientious objection but of the entire Canadian experience during the First World War. It is an original and balanced examination of a contentious issue and an important contribution to an often neglected area of scholarship.” – Thomas P. Socknat, co-editor of Challenge to Mars: Essays on Pacifism from 1918 to 1945
“An original and fascinating study of minority religious rights in Canadian society during wartime. Crisis of Conscience will be an important source for readers interested in pacifism, anti-war sentiment, and peace movements, not just in Canada but in the wider western world.” – David Marshall, author of Secularizing the Faith: Canadian Protestant Clergy and the Crisis of Belief, 1850-1940
The First World War’s appalling death toll and the need for a sense of equality of sacrifice on the home front led to Canada’s first experience of overseas conscription. While historians have focused on resistance to enforced military service in Quebec, this has obscured the important role of those who saw military service as incompatible with their religious or ethical beliefs. Crisis of Conscience is the first book about the Canadian pacifists who refused to fight in the Great War. The experience of these conscientious objectors offers insight into evolving attitudes about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship during a key period of Canadian nation building.
Amy J. Shaw is an assistant professor in the Department of History at the University of Lethbridge.
