G.E. Modigliani in the Zimmerwald Movement: 'War against War' and the United States of America

In 1914 the choice between patriotism and pacifism was dramatic, both for pacifist and socialist activists: the call of their own State defeated the pacifist and anti-militarist positions rooted in previous European history. As the Second International collapsed, G.E. Modigliani (Italian anti-revolutionary leader and brother of the famous painter) played an important role in the war against war. In 1915-16, he was deeply involved in the Zimmerwald Movement, with the aim of summoning the proletariat to a common peace action. Modigliani opposed Lenin who envisaged a revolutionary exit; led the majority, which confirmed the imperialist character of the war; he drafted the final Manifesto together with Trotsky and Rakowsky. He subsequently reiterated his request for a peace without annexations and indemnities, asking for an immediate armistice. As a fundamental step he promoted the European Federation, bound to the interests of bourgeoisie and governments but also a guarantee of disarmament and therefore of peace. The United States of Europe remained a decisive reference point for Modigliani until the Second World War, placing him among the major "defenseurs de la paix".