GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST YEAR!

Limited time - use promo code: ANNUAL at checkout

Live stream preview

Watch this video and more on OVID.tv

Watch this video and more on OVID.tv

Start your free trial

Already subscribed? Sign in

The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It

Bullfrog Films • 56m

Directed by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Tejada-Flores • Documentary • With Ed Asner • 2002 • 57 minutes

Millions of people from Allied countries fought to liberate Europe from Hitler’s grip during World War II . Yet 40,000 Americans refused to shoulder weapons in “the good war.” 

Narrated by Ed Asner, this important film tells the story of a previously ignored chapter of WWII – the American conscientious objectors who refused to fight. It is a story of personal courage, idealism and nonconformity based on both ethical and religious beliefs – about men whose love of country could not extend to killing their fellow man. 

Many were Quakers or others whose religious beliefs interpreted the commandment “Thou Shalt Not Kill” to include war; others were passionate pacifists who felt morally incapable of cooperating with a violent conflict, no matter how worthy the cause. 

All lived with the scorn of a nation, and often family and friends as well. While it has been more than half a century since WWII , this particular war story has been almost entirely lost to history until now.

"'A fascinating compelling look at WWII conscientious objectors...Highly Recommended. Editor's Choice." * * * * Video Librarian

Tags
20th century, american studies, americas, asa watkins, bill sutherland, bullfrog films, carlos cortez, citizenship, conflict resolution, conscientious objectors, cos, critical thinking and ethics, dave dellinger, doc, ethics, exclusive1, expository, george houser, good war, history, human rights, ovid, ovid_ca, philosophy, psychology and mental health, s_0041, s_0099, s_0150, s_0260, s_0286, s_0306, s_0425, s_0445, social issues, social movements and activism, social psychology, steve cary, the, the good war and those who refused to fight it, title_defgh, title_g, united states, war and peace, world regions, world war ii

Up Next in Bullfrog Films

  • The Great Vacation Squeeze
    26:36
    The Great Vacation Squeeze

    The Great Vacation Squeeze

    Directed by John de Graaf • Documentary • 2014 • 27 minutes

    Americans have the shortest vacations of any rich country. And they are actually getting even shorter. The US is one of only five countries in the world—the others are Burma, Nepal, Suriname and Guyana—which have no law guaranteeing any...

  • The Hand That Feeds
    1:23:35
    The Hand That Feeds

    The Hand That Feeds

    Directed by Rachel Lears, Robin Blotnick • Documentary • 2015 • 84 minutes

    At a popular bakery cafe, residents of New York's Upper East Side get bagels and coffee served with a smile 24 hours a day. But behind the scenes, undocumented immigrant workers face sub-legal wages, dangerous machinery, ...

  • The Kill Team
    1:19:14
    The Kill Team

    The Kill Team

    Directed by Dan Krauss • Documentary • 2015 • 79 minutes

    THE KILL TEAM goes behind closed doors to tell the riveting story of Specialist Adam Winfield, a 21-year-old infantryman in Afghanistan who attempted with the help of his father to alert the military to heinous war crimes his platoon was c...

×