A U.S. nonviolent movement of conscientious objectors who refused to fight in any war and took active steps to undermine the war system. Radical pacifism began in opposition to World War II, when A.J. Muste, David Dellinger, John Yoder, and others refused to fight in “the good war.” Some objectors believed it was acceptable to serve in an ambulance corp., others refused to take part in the war system in any way and instead requested an alternative service regiment (which in some cases involved being subjected to torturous medical experiments and near-starvation). While in jail, Dellinger and others were successful in a strike that resulted in desegregation of their prison years before the advent of the Civil Rights Movement. They also worked to reform the dehumanizing psychiatric hospital system. Later, radical pacifists took action against the Vietnam War and skirted the nonviolence line with some forms of property destruction (burning of draft files).

Film: “The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It”