"No War but the Class War" (NWBTCW) is a motto expressing opposition to

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...

used by anarchist and communist groups. It is also the name for a number of

anti-authoritarian Anti-authoritarianism is opposition to authoritarianism, which is defined as "a form of social organisation characterised by submission to authority", "favoring complete obedience or subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom" an ...

and anti-capitalist groups.

Group names

The first two NWBTCW groups appeared in London during the 1990–1991

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

and the 1999

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the wa ...

. Both groups, which included ex-members of the London-based

Class War Class War is an anarchist group and newspaper established by Ian Bone and others in 1983 in the United Kingdom. An incarnation of Class War was briefly registered as a political party for the purposes of fighting the 2015 United Kingdom gener ...

, dissolved after the respective war they were protesting stopped. The third NWBTCW group appeared in London following the start of the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...

in October 2001. Efforts, particularly by the Communist Workers' Organisation, to turn this into a network of groups across Britain failed. A split in the group which was characterised as between theory and practice led to the 'actionists' leaving to form the Disobedients, whose activities included an attempt to occupy Old Street Roundabout along with

Critical Mass In nuclear engineering, a critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties (specifically, its nuclear fi ...

which was swamped by police much like all the other actions by this group. The 'theorist' section transmuted itself into the No War but the Class War Discussion Group, which eventually also dissolved.

As a slogan

As a slogan, "No War but the Class War" has been used by people not necessarily linked to any of the above groups. It is widely used by diverse Marxist groups as a means of underlining the priority of class struggle above other political aims and as a general anti-militarist slogan. The phrase was used in the first episode of the 1975 series ''

Days of Hope ''Days of Hope'' is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926. It was written by Jim Allen, produced ...

'', written by Jim Allen and directed by

Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...

(both socialists), which caused controversy in Britain over its portrayal of the British military during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.BFI Screen Online - Days of Hope (1975)
/ref>Days of Hope
Tony Williams, Cinémathèque Annotations on Film, Issue 31, April 2004 A socialist who has deserted from the British army says, "I'm no pacifist. I'll fight in a war, but I'll fight in the only war that counts, and that's the class war, and it'll come when all this lot's over."

Notes

External links

No War but the Class War
– archive of texts by the various London NWBTCW groups.
The story of this group (in its various incarnations)
– article by the third NWBTCW group, looking at the history and limitations of the group.
No war but the class war: remembering and reflecting 10 years after
– reflective analysis on the first NWBTCW group by a former member. {{UK far left Anarchist organisations in the United Kingdom Anti-capitalism Political catchphrases Anti-war movement

Group names

As a slogan

See also

Notes

External links