Lessons of 1895 Doukhobor Arms Burning

This year 2024 marks the 129th Anniversary of the Doukhobor Arms Burning in the area between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea on June 28-29, 1895 (Old Style; new style is 11-12 July). 

It was on that date that 7,000 Doukhobors in Transcaucasia in three settlements set ablaze piles of their own and government rifles, pistols and swords in the first mass protest in history against wars and militarism.

Arms Burning by Russian Doukhobors in 1895
by William Perehudoff, 1969. Click picture to enlarge.

The symbolic act was unique in its simplicity, officially proclaimed by leader Peter V. Verigin in exile, yet it attracted attention from Lev N. Tolstoy and the Quakers to take notice and come to their help. The government of the day generally reacted harshly resulting in one-third or 7,500 Russian Doukhobors migrating to Western Canada in 1899. 

Today, two lessons learned are worth remembering as providing hope to an ailing world community:

1. Getting rid of wars is a long-sought dream. This ought to be the Number One goal of our governments and peace movements to improve humanity, including health, education, climate change, poverty, etc. 
   
   
2. The arms burning transformed Doukhobors from a religious group to a social movement proclaiming that war must end. This was remarkable for those times. Today, World Beyond War and the Center for Global Nonkilling are two of a number of recent peace groups promoting similar sentiments.

Let’s remember that these two lessons are the essence of what it means to be a Doukhobor today.

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