Rumours of war – word from the Cloisters

08 May 2025, The Tablet

In the 12 May 1945 issue of The Tablet, a few days after celebrations had erupted to mark the end of the Second World War in Europe, Ronald Knox contributed a memorable piece on “the responsibility of victory”.

Eighty years later, in a world seeing a resurgence of strong-men politics, it still carries a chilling charge. “The dreadful spectacle of the last six years,” Knox reminded readers, which saw “smaller nations bullied by their larger neighbours”, was the result of men “trying to substitute Might for Right”.

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