Čapek’s renowned anti-war works include the novel War with the Newts and the plays Mother and The White Disease. Written in the 1930s, these texts anticipated the rise and consequences of Nazi and Communist dictatorships, as well as the impending global conflict. When contemporary critics described War with the Newts (1936) as a utopian novel, Čapek firmly disagreed, stating: “It is not a utopia—it is today. It is not a speculation about something to come, but a reflection of what is, and of the world we live in… […If any species other than humans reached the stage we call civilization, what do you think? Would they commit the same follies as mankind? They would have fought the same wars…”

In The White Disease (1937), Čapek revisits the theme of an intellectual’s moral responsibility to society. Through the character of Dr. Galen—who, at the cost of his own life, demands an immediate end to war in exchange for his cure for an deadly disease—Čapek presents a portrait of a modest yet courageous man.

Mother, which premiered at the National Theatre in Prague, portrays war from the perspective of a woman struggling to cope with the loss of her loved ones. As a mother, she cannot comprehend the willingness of men to sacrifice their lives for abstract ideals. Only when faced with violence against defenseless victims does she come to accept the need for self-defense and allows her last son go to war. The conclusion of the play serves as a powerful message from Čapek—acclaimed writer, playwright, journalist and, above all, humanist—urging active defense against evil and violence.