I love the internet.
I just read HG Wells account of his "Tour of the Trenches" in 1916. It's free to read online at Project Gutenberg. Wells, of course, is known for being one of the first science fiction authors ever. He was also a pacifist, but one who believed that the Great War must be fought to ... well, make the world safe for pacifism.
His thoughts on how to achieve a lasting, post-national peace are a fascinating read. He got some parts right. For instance, he wrote that ..."the few great industrial states capable of producing modern war equipment should take over and control completely the manufacture of all munitions of war in the world [and] ... they should absolutely close the supply of such material to all the other states in the world." An effort was made toward this, eventually, with the United Nations Security Council's permanent membership being those nations who had nuclear weapons.
He also got some parts wrong. He thought that this safeguarding of munitions manufacturing would be easy to accomplish. He also thought that there could be a lasting, post-national peace. Oh well.
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