| World Congress of Intellectuals in Defense of Peace (Światowy Kongres Intelektualistów w Obronie Pokoju) | |
|---|---|
 Session of the World Congress of Intellectuals in Defense of Peace inWrocław, 1948. | |
| Host country | Republic of Poland |
| Date | 25 August 1948 (1948-08-25)– 28 August 1948 (1948-08-28) |
| Venues | Wrocław University of Technology |
TheWorld Congress of Intellectuals in Defense of Peace (Polish:Światowy Kongres Intelektualistów w Obronie Pokoju) was an international conference held on 25 to 28 August 1948 at theWrocław University of Technology. It was organized in theaftermath of the Second World War by the authorities of theRepublic of Poland and theSoviet Union, and aimed against "American imperialism".
The Congress was part ofStalin's goal of slowing down thenuclear weapon program under development by theUnited States and itsNATO allies, by influencing the world public opinion through framing of thecommunist members of theEastern Bloc as supporters of world peace, and on the opposite side, portraying theWestern Bloc as a threat to world peace.[1] As early as the late 1940s, theCentral Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union issued decrees and orders to promoteanti-American sentiments within the Soviet Republics.[2]
The Congress was officially proposed by Polish communistJerzy Borejsza, member of thePolish Workers' Party, based inWarsaw,Republic of Poland, and conceptualized byAndrei Zhdanov,Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, based inMoscow,Soviet Russia.[3][4] It was held on 25 to 28 August 1948 at theWrocław University of Technology.[3] The number of national delegations was also determined: the most numerous was the 50-personSoviet delegation; the delegations fromFrance,Italy, andUnited Kingdom were to have 35-40 people each; theHungarian andCzechoslovak delegations were to have around 30 people; and theRomanian andBulgarian delegations had 15 people each. It cost the organizers about 100 millionPolish zloties.[5]
The topics of the speeches and the selection of speakers were carefully planned. In addition to the lectures condemningAmerican imperialism, a place was also found for the fightagainst fascism andclericalism. As early as the late 1940s, theCentral Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union issued decrees and orders to promoteanti-American sentiments within the Soviet Republics.[2] The plan was also for the Congress to establish a peace prize that would offset theNobel Peace Prize.[6]
The Congress was part ofStalin's goal of slowing down thenuclear weapon program under development by theUnited States and itsNATO allies, by influencing the world public opinion through framing of thecommunist members of theEastern Bloc as supporters of world peace, and on the opposite side, portraying theWestern Bloc as a threat to world peace.[7] At that time, the Soviet Union did not have nuclear weapons of its own, although it was engaged ina crash program to develop them.[3] Polish historianWojciech Tomasik claimed that the Congress was an example of the Soviet Union hijacking the concept of "defending peace", to justify its own policies.[4] The aim of the Congress was to influence world public opinion, portraying the Eastern Bloc countries as supporters of world peace and the Western Bloc countries as a threat to it.[3][4][8] Dąbrowska in her memoirs stated that "the Congress was not aimed at preventing the war in general, but atpreventing an American-Soviet War from taking placenow, at the moment in which the USSR is in the inferior position."[4]
Some Polish activists and politicians initially saw the congress as a neutral event that would boost Polish relations with the West.[3] However, in reaction to a stronglyanti-American speech where the Soviet delegation leader, Russian writerAlexander Fadeyev, comparedAmerican democracy tofascism and attacked authors, academics, philosophers, and intellectuals fromWestern countries, such asJohn Dos Passos,T. S. Eliot,André Malraux,Eugene O'Neill, andJean-Paul Sartre; some of them were reportedly offended by Fadeyev's speech.[5][3] As a result, some of the non-Soviet delegates, including English biologist and philosopherJulian Huxley (then director ofUNESCO), Léger, and Taylor left the conference in protest.[4] Huxley accused the Congress of intolerance towards non-communist viewpoints, and stated that "such behaviour cannot lead to peace, and may help to promote war".[9] Russian writerIlya Ehrenburg then gave a conciliatory speech on behalf of the Soviet delegation, and Borejsza convinced almost everyone to remain at the Congress.[10]
A number of other speeches shared much of theanti-American rhetoric proposed by the Soviet delegation.[5] French journalistFrançois Bondy noted that the Soviet delegation was particularly unfriendly and aggressive towards many of the Western delegates, and their actions sowed much discord into the conference, ruining the attempts by Polish delegates to salvage the neutral tone of the event.[4] The final act of the conference was a resolution to defendworld peace.[5] The resolution applaudeddemocracy while criticizing the national governments of theUnited States andUnited Kingdom, arguing that a small group of greed-motivated individuals inNorth America andWestern Europe "inherited" the evils offascism, and they are allegedly planning acoup d'état against world peace.[5] Only 11 delegates voted against (7 out of 32 from the US, and 4 out of 32 from the UK).[5] Another source notes that 371 out of 391 delegates voted in support.[4]
Simultaneously with the Congress, another event occurred in Wrocław: theExhibition of the Regained Territories, another international event, this one used by the Poles to explain theterritorial changes of Poland after World War II and the securing of the so-called "Regained Territories".[5] Together, the Conference and the Exhibition aimed to convince the world that the border change was beneficial to Europe and the world peace.[5] The Congress elected a permanent International Committee of Intellectuals in Defence of Peace (also known as the International Committee of Intellectuals for Peace and the International Liaison Committee of Intellectuals for Peace), with headquarters inParis,France. The Congress called for the establishment of national branches and the holding of national meetings similar to its own. In accordance with this policy, aCultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace was held inNew York City,United States in March 1949.[11]
A large number of notable individuals, primarily supportive ofleft-wing andprogressive policies, participated to the conference. They included:
Albert Einstein did not attend the conference but sent a letter which was read to the delegates, although only afterit had been censored to remove the call for aworld government that would safeguard the uses ofnuclear energy.[3][4]Henry A. Wallace, formerVice President of the United States underFranklin D. Roosevelt and theProgressive Party's candidate in the1948 U.S. presidential election, also sent a message of support.[13] Overall, the Congress was attended by about 600 individuals from 46 countries.[5]Julia Pirotte, a photojournalist known for her work in theFrench Resistance, covered the event.
The conference was one of the precursors to the Soviet-dominatedWorld Peace Council organization, which for decades would attempt to influence the world'speace movement to support a more pro-Soviet and anti-American stance.[8][18]
In reaction to the Congress, a pro-American and anti-SovietCultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace was held inNew York City,United States in March 1949.[19]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)