A 3 part lecture series brought to you by the Historical Association. This lecture will be lead by Rowan Thompson of Northumbria University.

Thursday 4th March 2027 | 6pm

A Peaceable Kingdom? Militarism in Britain between the Wars

Rowan Thompson (Northumbria University)

The event is free for HA members (£5 for non-members)

Following the First World War, calls for ‘no more parades’ in Britain were widespread. Many rejected ‘conventional ideas of patriotism and glory’, martial values, and militarism in all its forms. Given the scale of loss and suffering caused by the First World War, the popularity of pacifism, anti-war sentiment, and disarmament in the post-war period is in many respects unsurprising. However, the cultural legacy of the First World War was far more contested and complex than an outright rejection of war or the straightforward dissolution of militarism and militaristic values. Britons were not an entirely or ‘uniquely peaceable people’.

Despite a supposed distaste for militarism in Britain after 1918, it nevertheless existed and flourished in diverse, vibrant, and influential forms. Popular and political manifestations of militarism included militaristic leagues such as the Navy League and the Air League of the British Empire, martial values, paramilitary youth organisations, and the political promotion of naval, aerial, and military power. Perhaps most visibly, martial and militaristic displays drew vast audiences. The Royal Air Force Display at Hendon, Empire Air Day, the Army’s Aldershot Command Searchlight Tattoo, Navy Weeks, and fleet reviews (among other events) were attended by millions of spectators. All were conscious, choreographed displays of power and military might, exhibited to both domestic and foreign audiences.

Through examining the presence – and resonance – of militarism in Britain after the First World War, this talk shines new light on key issues of the period, including the impact of war on British society and culture, civil-military relations, technology and tradition, military theatre and commemoration, youth and education, and the politics of disarmament, collective security, internationalism, and national defence. In doing so, it demonstrates that martial and militaristic

sentiment remained an important part of mainstream British political culture, despite the ravages of war.

Author Bio

Rowan Thompson is a historian of modern Britain, with research interests in militarism, the visual and material culture of conflict, and the impact of war on British society and culture. He is currently an Academic Assistant at Northumbria University and formerly held the Alan Pearsall Fellowship for Naval and Maritime History at the Institute of Historical Research. In 2022, he was awarded the Sir Julian Corbett Prize for Research in Modern Naval History. His first monograph, Organised Militarism in Interwar Britain: The Navy League and the Air League of the British Empire, was published by the University of London Press in 2026.

A LIVE Lit & Phil Event | £5 (Free for HA members)

(If you would prefer to book directly over the phone, please call the Library Desk team on 0191 232 0192 and they will be happy to help)

Image provided by promoter | Image ref. Flight, 31 May 1934, p. 543.

Description supplied by the event organiser.