World council of peace

The World council of peace is the international organization who aims at the fight for the Paix and general disarmament. The Council, which was a long time under obedience Communiste, is the emanation of national managements of the movements of peace of all the countries.

History

The World congress of the intellectuals for the peace of Wroclaw (from August 25th to 28th 1948)

Ordered by the growing fear of the atomic Weapon and by the toughening of the context of Cold war between the two ex-allies, this gathering had as an ambition to bring together the intellectuals of the two blocks in the fight against the forces warmongers.

The initiative seems a success when a number impressing of personalities and intellectuals of all horizons arises. However, the virulence and the intransigence of the Soviet Communists (attacks of the writer Alexandre Fadeiev against its Western fellow-members) impose a centring towards the theses of Moscow, with a proclamation adopted at the end of the congress which denounces the responsibility warmonger for the western powers.

At the summer 1948, is thus from now on places from there the committee of connection of the intellectuals, resulting from the congress of Wroclaw, with an orientation international and resulting already directly from the action of the Kominform.

The World congress of the partisans of the peace of Paris (1949)

At the beginning of 1949, the political office of the Communist party of the Soviet Union adopts a directive envisaging the organization of a congress, in order to mobilize the opinions on the fight for peace. This event was held with Paris and Prague (problems of visas for Soviet members) of the from April 20th to 25th 1949 and marks to some extent the true birth of the World council of peace (CMP).

Popularized by the “dove of Picasso”, the Council appoints the communist physicist French Frederic Joliot-Curie to hold the presidency of it. The CMP is supported by many other organizations of communist obedience, like the world Trade union federation, the international democratic Fédération of the women (of Eugenie Cotton) or the world Fédération of democratic youth.

The call of Stockholm

The March 18th 1950, the World council of peace launches “the Appel of Stockholm” which in particular requires “the absolute prohibition of the atomic weapon”. This initiative is ordered by the fear of the atomic war, in a context of cold war. The countryside gains one big hit popular, probably collecting ten million signatures in France (of which that of the young person Jacques Chirac), while Cominform announces the figure (rocambolesque) of 560 million signatures in Europe. The disproportionate number signatories came from socialist countries.

The World congress of the people for peace in Vienna (1952)

Organized from December 12th to 19th 1952 by the CMP with Vienna, IIIe Congrès of the people for peace reflects the strategic reorientation (desired by Stalin) of the Peaceful coexistence, by proposing an oecumenical congress, where new personalities like Sartre are invited, Herve Bazin…

From 1956 to our days

1956 mark the beginning of the Destalinization and a new era for the World council of the peace, which is erased little by little. Becoming more autonomous and less politicized, the CMP engages punctually of the actions according to the international events: in favor of the Decolonization, against the War of Vietnam, for the Disarmament generalized…

List World congresses of peace

World congress of the intellectuals for peace, with Wroclaw, in 1948
World congress of the partisans of peace, with Paris, in 1949
World congress of the partisans of peace, with Warsaw, in 1950
Congress of the people for peace, with Vienna, in 1952
World congress for disarmament and the international cooperation, with Stockholm, in 1958
World congress for general disarmament and peace, with Moscow, in 1962
World congress for peace, national independence and general disarmament, with Helsinki, in 1965
World congress of the peaceful forces, in Moscow, in 1973
World congress for peace, with Copenhagen, in 1986

Presidents

Frederic Joliot-Curie (1950-1959) (Jean Laffitte, general secretary)
John Desmond Bernal (1959-1965)
Isabelle Blume (1965-1969)
Romesh Chandra (General secretary of 1966 to 1977, President of 1977 to 1990, honorary president then)
Evangelos Maheras (1990-1993)
Albertina Sisulu (1993-)

Current operation

After sithaving sat a long time at Helsinki, the World council of peace lays out since 2000 of a new seat with Athens and often collaborates with UNO. Between 1996 and 2000 when the Mouvement of French Peace assumed the executive secretariat, the seat was transferred a few years to Paris. Its most recent actions related to the war in Yugoslavia (Années 1990) and the Guerre in Iraq.

The CMP created international prizes of the peaces, decreed since 1950 for the best artistic productions contributing to consolidate peace between the people.

See too

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