Mutualism in the trenches: anarchism, militarism and the lessons of the First World War
This chapter examines the importance of the memory of the First World War to Herbert Read’s political thought, contextualising this process of memory formation through his interactions with two of the war’s leading literary figures: Richard Aldington and Erich Maria Remarque. Emphasising the importance of the post-war context in cultivating Read’s political reading of his experiences, it shows how the war continued to shape his political thought. Read’s experiences led to an abhorrence of violence and in turn a commitment to pacifism and gradualist tactics. Moreover, his time in the trenches led him to recognise the importance of ‘fidelity’ between members of a group in ensuring survival in times of extreme danger. Shorn of its militarist associations, this idea, Read argued, could helpfully bolster anarchist conceptions of organisation.