() is a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

adage A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...

translated as "If you want peace, prepare for war." The phrase is adapted from a statement found in Roman author

Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus Publius (or Flavius) Vegetius Renatus, known as Vegetius (), was a writer of the Later Roman Empire (late 4th century). Nothing is known of his life or station beyond what is contained in his two surviving works: ''Epitoma rei militaris'' (also re ...

's tract '' Dē Rē Mīlitārī'' (fourth or fifth century AD), in which the actual phrasing is ''Igitur quī dēsīderat pācem, præparet bellum'' ("Therefore let him who desires peace prepare for war"). The idea which it conveys also appears in earlier works such as

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

's ''Nomoi'' (''

Laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

''). The phrase presents the insight that the conditions of peace are often preserved by a readiness to make war to defend said peace when the need arises.

Derived uses

Whatever the source, the adage has become a living vocabulary item itself, used in the production of different ideas in a number of languages. For example, in 1790 during his first annual address to a joint session of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

stated "To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace."

''Si vis bellum para pacem''

For example, historian Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne made reference to the foreign policy of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

: :Everyone knows the adage... Had Bonaparte been a Latin scholar he would probably have reversed it and said, ''Si vis bellum para pacem''.

''Si vis pacem para pactum''

In the United States, the National Arbitration and Peace Congress of 1907, presided over by

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

said: :These vast armaments on land and water are being defended as a means, not to wage war, but to prevent war... there is a safer way ... it requires only the consent and the good-will of the governments. Today they say ... If you want peace, prepare for war. This Congress says in behalf of the people: ''Si vis pacem, para pactum'', if you want peace, agree to keep the peace.

''Si vis pacem fac bellum''

"If you want peace, make war." The solution does not cover the case of the nation that does not desire peace. Imperial Germany went to war in 1914 and was castigated by Richard Grelling, a German-Jewish pacifist, in ''J'Accuse'' (1915). In 1918 Grelling wrote again, this time as an expatriate in Switzerland. Citing

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

's "The world must be safe for democracy" speech before

on April 2, 1917, Grelling says: :When all other means fail, ... the liberation of the world from military domination can in the extreme case only take place by battle. ... in place of ''si vis pacem para bellum'' a similarly sounding principle ... may become a necessity: ''Si vis pacem, fac bellum.''

''Si vis pacem para pacem''

"If you want peace, prepare for peace." The great wars of the 19th and 20th centuries were opposed by the philosophy of

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ...

, which in the 19th century was associated with early

socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

, even though the socialism of the 20th century often lacked pacifistic tendencies, preaching violent revolution instead. The pacifism that opposed the world wars traced its lineage to Barthélemy Prosper Enfantin, an early French socialist and one of the founders of

Saint-Simonianism Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon (; ; 17 October 1760 – 19 May 1825), better known as Henri de Saint-Simon (), was a French political, economic and socialist theorist and businessman whose thought had a substantial influence on po ...

. As early as April 2, 1841, he had said in a letter to General Saint-Cyr Nugues: :Le fameux dicton ... me semble beaucoup moins vrai, pour le XIX^e siècle, que ''Si vis pacem, para pacem.'' :The famous dictum ... seems to me much less true, for the 19th century, than ''Si vis pacem, para pacem.'' with reference to

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. By way of elucidation Enfantin goes on to say that war could have been avoided if a proper study of Algeria had been made.

The parabellum

The main clause of the adage was used as a motto by German arms maker

Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken ''Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken Aktiengesellschaft'' (German Weapons and Munitions public limited company), known as DWM, was an arms company in Imperial Germany The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book diction ...

(DWM), and is the source of the term ''Parabellum'' as applied to firearms and ammunition (especially the 7.65mm Parabellum and the

9mm Parabellum This is a list of firearm cartridges that have bullets in the to caliber range. *''Case length'' refers to the round case Case or CASE may refer to: Instances * Instantiation (disambiguation), a realization of a concept, theme, or design ...

cartridges). "Parabellum" was the telegraphic address of DWM.

References

External links

* {{commons category-inline Latin words and phrases Military strategy Peace War Proverbs