League of Peace and Freedom facts for kids
The League of Peace and Freedom (its French name was Ligue internationale de la paix) was created to help stop a war. People were worried about a fight between France and Prussia over a small country called Luxembourg.
Luckily, the problem with Luxembourg was solved peacefully in 1867 by a special agreement called the Treaty of London. But later, in 1870, the Franco-Prussian War still happened. Because of this war, the League of Peace and Freedom closed down. However, it quickly started again under a new name: the 'Société française pour l'arbitrage entre nations' (which means 'French Society for Arbitration between Nations').
This new society was very important! It helped set the stage for future global peace groups. It was like an early version of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which was created in 1899 to help countries solve problems without fighting. It also led to the League of Nations (started in 1919) and then the United Nations, which still works for peace today. A person named Frédéric Passy helped create the Permanent Court of Arbitration along with William Randal Cremer in 1889.
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How the Idea of Peace Leagues Started
The very first "Society of Peace" was formed way back in 1830 by Jean-Jacques de Sellon. He gathered people from different countries near Geneva, Switzerland. Sellon believed that every person's life was important and should be protected. This idea led him to work against slavery and the death penalty. Then, he focused on promoting peace and helping countries settle their disagreements peacefully.
The idea of peace congresses, or big meetings about peace, grew. The first European Peace Congress happened in London in 1843. Later, other congresses were held in Brussels in 1848 and in Paris in 1849. Famous writer Victor Hugo even led the Paris meeting! More congresses followed in Frankfurt am Main in 1850 and London in 1851.
In 1867, there was a lot of tension between countries. Prussia had just won a war against Austria, and it looked like France and Prussia might go to war next. Frédéric Passy, a journalist, started a campaign to stop this war. On May 30, 1867, he officially founded the International League of Peace and Freedom in Paris.
The First Big Meeting: Geneva (1867)
The first major meeting of the League of Peace and Freedom was planned for September 5, 1867, in Geneva. A committee, led by Emile Acollas, organized the event. Many important thinkers and activists supported the meeting, including John Stuart Mill, Élisée Reclus, Victor Hugo, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Alexander Herzen. About ten thousand people from all over Europe signed petitions to show their support!
The organizers also invited the International Workingmen's Association (IWMA), a group that worked for the rights of working people. They even moved the meeting date to September 9 so that IWMA members could attend after their own meeting in Lausanne.
One of the IWMA's leaders, Karl Marx, said that the IWMA itself was a "peace congress." He believed that if working people from different countries united, it would make international wars impossible.
The anarchist Mikhail Bakunin also played a big part in the Geneva meeting. He even joined the League's main committee. About 6,000 people attended the founding conference. When Bakunin stood up to speak, the crowd cheered his name. Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was leading the meeting, stood up and hugged Bakunin. This special moment between two famous figures of change made a huge impression on everyone there.
The Bern Meeting (1868)
The second meeting of the League of Peace and Freedom happened in Bern, Switzerland, from September 21 to 25, 1868. The International Workingmen's Association (IWMA) was invited to send representatives, but they decided not to.
At the Bern meeting, there were many lively discussions. One big debate was about how economic and social fairness connected to peace and freedom. Some members, like Mikhail Bakunin, believed that true freedom and peace couldn't happen without everyone being equal in society. They proposed a resolution that said:
"The most urgent question for us is making classes and individuals equal in terms of money and society. Congress believes that without this equality, justice, freedom, and peace cannot be achieved. Therefore, Congress will study practical ways to solve this issue."
However, this idea was voted down by most of the people at the meeting. Because of this, the group of socialists, including Bakunin, decided to leave the League for Peace and Freedom. They then formed their own group called the International Alliance of Socialist Democracy.
The Lausanne Meeting (1869)
After the Bern meeting, it was hard to organize the next one. But the Geneva committee stepped up and planned the third Congress in Lausanne for July 11, 1869. A new main committee was chosen, led by Jules Barni.
They decided to discuss important topics like how to create a federal organization for Europe (like a united Europe). They also talked about the Eastern question (problems in the Ottoman Empire) and the Polish question (Poland's struggle for independence), and how these related to the League's principles.
The committee asked Victor Hugo to be the honorary president, and he happily agreed. At this meeting, a speaker named Ferdinand Buisson gave a famous speech. He said that children should be taught that a uniform is like a servant's uniform, and any uniform is shameful, whether it's for a priest, a soldier, a judge, or a servant. He meant that people should not blindly follow authority but think for themselves.
What Happened Next
The League of Peace and Freedom stopped existing when the Franco-Prussian war broke out in 1870. But it was soon restarted under a new name: the French Society of Friends of Peace. This group later became the French Society for Arbitration between Nations.
This society was very important because it was a direct ancestor of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. This court was created by the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 to help countries solve their disagreements peacefully. The society also published a magazine called United States of Europe.
See Also
- List of anti-war organizations
