Bertrand Russell's Life Part Two

Throughout his life and especially in his later years, Bertrand Russell put into practice his political philosophy of pacifism by speaking and writing against the wars that were raging, calling into account the war crimes committed by the Allies. He was arrested in 1918 for the articles that displayed his anti-war sentiment concerning World War One, and later was arrested for his anti-war demonstrations concerning the Vietnam War. To him, the best way to preserve world order and peace was for men and women to gain the appropriate amount of knowledge in truth. This truth would liberate the world to fulfill their desires in a manner which ran parallel to the desires of others, rather than running counter to them and causing conflict, and ultimately, war. Thus, he founded The Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation and the Atlantic Peace Foundation deeming education and diplomacy the main means by which true and lasting unity could be found among the nations. The form of government that would best bring about united interaction and like-mindedness was a world government. An ideal of this nature was proposed in Principles of Social Reconstruction.

Being opposed to the First World War and the Vietnam and Korean War, but in favor of the Second World War, Russell was a pacifist in theory, but under extreme cases saw war as necessary, especially with the tyrant Hitler. He was also against nuclear proliferation, being the first president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Ironically, Russell thought that the United States was just as much, if not more to blame than the Soviet Union in bringing about panic and destruction, despite the fact that the conflicts in Vietnam and Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis all found their roots in the U.S.S.R. In his mind, the combative and destructive forces of the United States Army would have avoided much bloodshed and chaos by being diplomatic, as neither side was in favor of complete obliteration of the other.

As he continued to speak to large audiences, write articles and essays on current events and philosophy, and even arrange meetings with foreign leaders to discuss policies, Russell’s health eventually deteriorated to the point that he became confined to his home in Wales, writing on his life the year before his death. His final major work, The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell became a three volume set, which was finished in 1969. Russell passed away on February 2, 1970 at the age of ninety-eight.