The International Peace Movement and the Labor Movement, 1889–1914: Agency and Relationships in the Peace Struggle

ABSTRACT Between 1889 and 1914, the international peace movement and the labor movement shared goals of preventing war and promoting justice, but their collaboration was constrained by differing class compositions and priorities. While the peace movement, led largely by middle‐class reformers, emphasized arbitration and disarmament, the labor movement, grounded in the working class, prioritized class struggle and systemic change. These social and ideological divides shaped their strategies and mutual perceptions, limiting their ability to work together. Focusing on the liberal International Peace Bureau (IPB) and its relations to the labor movement and its organizations, this study examines how rising militarism and class conflict deepened these tensions, highlighting the complexities of uniting liberal and socialist peace agendas, even during a period of a growing arms race.