“In almost every country there are elements of opinion which would welcome such a conclusion because they wish to return to the politics of the balance of power, unrestricted and unregulated armaments, international anarchy, and preparation for war.”
— Arthur Henderson
Politics
“We had four years of world war which the peoples endured only because they were told that their sufferings would free humanity forever from the scourge of war.”
— Arthur Henderson
War
“The forces that are driving mankind toward unity and peace are deep-seated and powerful. They are material and natural, as well as moral and intellectual.”
— Arthur Henderson
Peace
“The vast upheaval of the World War set in motion forces that will either destroy civilization or raise mankind to undreamed of heights of human welfare and prosperity.”
— Arthur Henderson
War
“Four years of world war, at a cost in human suffering which our minds are mercifully too limited to imagine, led to the very clear realization that international anarchy must be abandoned if civilization was to survive.”
— Arthur Henderson
War
“On the contrary, the characteristic element of the present situation is that economic questions have finally and irrevocably invaded the domain of public life and politics.”
— Arthur Henderson
Politics
“It has become impossible to give up the enterprise of disarmament without abandoning the whole great adventure of building up a collective peace system.”
— Arthur Henderson
Peace
“As a first step there must be an offer to achieve equality of rights in disarmament by abolishing the weapons forbidden to the Central Powers by the Peace Treaties.”
— Arthur Henderson
Equality
“Another essential to a universal and durable peace is social justice.”
— Arthur Henderson
Peace
“In short, it may be said that on paper the obligations to settle international disputes peacefully are now so comprehensive and far-reaching that it is almost impossible for a state to resort to war without violating one or more solemn treaty obligations.”
— Arthur Henderson
War
“To solve the problem of organizing world peace we must establish world law and order.”
— Arthur Henderson
Peace
“Those nations have a very great responsibility at this juncture of the world's affairs, for by throwing their joint weight into the scales of history on the right side, they may tip the balance decisively in favour of peace.”
— Arthur Henderson
History
“Moreover, war has become a thing potentially so terrible and destructive that it should have been the common aim of statesmen to put an end to it forever.”
— Arthur Henderson
War
“He would see civilization in danger of perishing under the oppression of a gigantic paradox: he would see multitudes of people starving in the midst of plenty, and nations preparing for war although pledged to peace.”
— Arthur Henderson
Peace
“The Disarmament Conference has become the focal point of a great struggle between anarchy and world order... between those who think in terms of inevitable armed conflict and those who seek to build a universal and durable peace.”
— Arthur Henderson
Peace
“Whatever we do or fail to do will influence the course of history.”
— Arthur Henderson
History
“The more the history of the World War and what led up to it is studied, the more clearly those tragic years become revealed as a vast collapse of civilization.”
— Arthur Henderson
History
“Thus, the struggle for peace includes the struggle for freedom and justice for the masses of all countries.”
— Arthur Henderson
Freedom
“The years of the economic depression have been years of political reaction, and that is why the economic crisis has generated a world peace crisis.”
— Arthur Henderson
Peace
“It is because I believe that it is in the power of such nations to lead the world back into the paths of peace that I propose to devote myself to explaining what, in my opinion, can and should be done to banish the fear of war that hangs so heavily over the world.”
— Arthur Henderson
Fear