Oxford Oath

Oxford Oath
The Oxford Union

The Oxford Oath was an oath by students of the Oxford Union on February 9, 1933 vowing never to "bear arms for king and country" in the United Kingdom.[1][2]

The students voted 275 to 153 for the proposal, 10 days after Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. Winston Churchill, later Prime minister of the United Kingdom, denounced it as "that abject, squalid, shameless avowal". He continued: “One can almost feel the curl of contempt upon the lips of the manhood of (the German, Italian and French) peoples when they read this message sent out by Oxford University in the name of young England.”[1]

Contents

Consequences

The oath "made a lot of noise in the world"[2] and "caused reverberations around the world".[1] In fact, it has been said that the Oxford Oath made a tremendous impression upon Hitler himself. He regularly cited the oath when his general staff protested his military decisions.[2]

US oath

In 1935, 60,000 college students signed the United States equivalent of the Oxford Oath, swearing never to take up arms in behalf of King or country.[3] At Columbia, 3,000 students took the Oath that day at a rally featuring Roger Baldwin, Reinhold Niebuhr and James Wechsler as speakers.[4]

Disappearance

The official framed copy of the oath was stolen in 2004.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Pierce, Andrew (May 7, 2004). "Oxford Union’s ‘squalid oath’ disappears". Times Online. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/student/news/article418158.ece. Retrieved 12 October 2008. 
  2. ^ a b c Alsop, Josheph (May 11, 1970). "Blundering in to War - By Being Anti-War". St. Petersburg Times. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SgYOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JXwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7379,157482&dq=oxford+oath. Retrieved 12 October 2008. 
  3. ^ http://www.jstor.org/pss/3641185
  4. ^ http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/nov99/nov99_letterseditor.html
v · d · eAnti-war topics
Opposition to wars
or aspects of war
Military action in Iran · 2011 military intervention in Libya · Iraq War · War in Afghanistan · War on Terrorism · Sri Lankan Civil War · Landmines · Vietnam War · Nuclear armament · World War I · World War II · Second Boer War · American Civil War · War of 1812
 Peace sign.svg
Agents of opposition
Related ideologies
Anti-imperialism · Antimilitarism · Anti-nuclear · Appeasement · Hippie · Nonviolence · Nonkilling · Pacificism · Pacifism · Satyagraha · Socialism · Soviet influence on the peace movement  · Peace punks
Media
Books · Films · Songs · Symbols

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Oxford, Provisions of — (1258) Plan of reform accepted by Henry III of England. On the verge of bankruptcy, Henry asked Parliament for a grant of revenue and agreed in return to a program of reform drafted by a royal commission. Regarded as England s first written… …   Universalium

  • Tennis Court Oath — Sketch by Jacques Louis David of the Tennis Court Oath. David later became a deputy in the National Convention in 1792 The Tennis Court Oath (French: serment du jeu de paume) was a pivotal event during the first days of the French Revolution. The …   Wikipedia

  • Minced oath — Freakin redirects here. For the dance move, see Freaking. A minced oath is an expression based on a profanity or a taboo term that has been altered to reduce the objectionable characteristics. Many languages have such expressions. In the English… …   Wikipedia

  • Coonan Cross Oath — Part of a series on Christianity in India …   Wikipedia

  • The Oxford Movement (1833-1845) —     The Oxford Movement (1833 1845)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Oxford Movement (1833 1845)     The Oxford Movement may be looked upon in two distinct lights. The conception which lay at its base, according to the Royal Commission on… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • St Edmund Hall, Oxford — Oxford College Infobox primary colour = #801213 name = St Edmund Hall name Latin = Aula Sancti Edmundi university = Oxford picture = shield = colours = cell|#801213cell|#801213cell|#801213cell|#F0DC82cell|#801213cell|#801213cell|#801213cell|#F0DC8… …   Wikipedia

  • United Kingdom — a kingdom in NW Europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland 1801 1922. 58,610,182; 94,242 sq. mi. (244,100 sq. km). Cap.: London. Abbr.: U.K. Official name, United Kingdom of Great… …   Universalium

  • Coronation of the British monarch — British coronations are held in Westminster Abbey. The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony (specifically, initiation rite) in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia. It corresponds to… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Ordinances and Acts of the Parliament of England, 1642 to 1660 — This is a list of Ordinances and Acts of the Parliament of England from 1642 to 1660, during the English Civil War and the Interregnum.As King Charles I of England would not assent to Bills from a Parliament at war with him, decrees of Parliament …   Wikipedia

  • England (Since the Reformation) —     England (Since the Reformation)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► England (Since the Reformation)     The Protestant Reformation is the great dividing line in the history of England, as of Europe generally. This momentous Revolution, the outcome… …   Catholic encyclopedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”