Hermann Hesse composed his essay “Shall There Be Peace?” in December of 1917—about a year before the conclusion of World War I. As Hesse’s essay makes clear, World War I was a lethal, horrific war. In the end, it would kill around 16 million people.

Hesse’s essay, as the title implies, hopes to bring peace. He juxtaposes the peace negotiations at Brest-Litovsk with the “bloodier” and “destructive” final battles. According to Hesse, everybody except “sanguine political orators and war profiteers” wants the war over and done with. The overwhelming majority of people don’t want to suffer any further.

Yet Hesse acknowledges the hopelessness of the people in Europe. He draws attention to the gap between the desire for peace and the feeling that there’s nothing that the common person can do to halt the violence. According to Hesse, no one is willing to shoulder the burden of bringing about peace, not even politicians and ministers who possess the official power to sign a peace treaty.

Hesse also seems to be under the impression that people want peace but only if it benefits the side that they’re on. They don’t want to do the purported enemy any favors. The allegiance to a specific country instead of humanity in general has created “obstacles” and “barriers.” Hesse wants these hurdles removed. He asks people to set aside “self-seeking national programs” and to act according to the “cry of mankind.”