How were Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s views on war related to pacifism?

During the mid-1930s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s views on international affairs were closely aligned with pacifism. However, his perspective evolved as he became increasingly involved in the German resistance movement against the Nazi regime.1

Rather than maintaining a strict pacifist stance, Bonhoeffer felt a moral obligation to share in the suffering of his people during the war, leading him to return to Germany from the United States in 1939. His commitment to resisting the regime's atrocities—specifically the persecution of Jews—eventually drew him into a conspiracy to overthrow Adolf Hitler. By participating in this plot, Bonhoeffer moved beyond his earlier pacifist leanings, ultimately sacrificing his life for his conviction that the church could not remain silent in the face of state-sponsored evil.12