Nils Petter Gleditsch

PRIO & NTNU

Read more about this book at www.hf.uio.no

This is an extremely detailed and well-sourced study of the Norwegian peace movment over two decades. In addition to providing a wealth of information about individuals, organizations, and movements in Norway, it pursues several themes of more general interest: The rise and fall of activist movements, the role of nuclear weapons in peace movements, the relationship between peace movement activism and anti-EEC activism (Norway has held two referenda about joining the EU, both producing a narrow majority against membership), the influence of third world revolutions and anti-colonial struggle in moving peace movement activists away from pacifism, the influence of peace movements’ international affiliations, and (not least) the role of communism and the lure of Soviet influence and in some cases financing. There are two themes that the author touches on briefly but that I would have liked to see covered more systematically: One is the relationship between peace research and peace activism. Another is the recruitment of conscientious objectors (COs) doing alternative service to peace movement activism and the inadvertent contribution of COs to the movement’s decline when conscription became less comprehensive and the alternative service option was abolished.