European Political Facts 1918–73

369 Pages·1975·28.312 MB·English

by  Chris Cook, John Paxton (auth.)

EUROPEAN POLITICAL FACTS
1918-73
By the same authors
By Chris Cook
(with David McKie)
ELECTION '70
THE DECADE OF DISILLUSION: BRITISH POLITICS IN THE SIXTIES
(with John Ramsden)
BY-ELECTIONS IN BRITISH POLITICS
By John Paxton
EVERYMAN'S DICTIONARY OF ABBREVIATIONS
THE STATESMAN'S YEAR-BoOK WORLD GAZETTEER
WORLD LEGISLATURES
(withA. E. Walsh)
TRADE IN THE COMMON MARKET COUNTRIES
THE STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMON MARKET
TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES OF THE COMMON MARKET AND EFTA
COUNTRIES
INTO EUROPE
COMPETITION POLICY: EURO PE AN AND INTERNATIONAL TRENDS AND
PRACTICES
(with John Wroughton)
SMUGGLING
EUROPEAN
POLITICAL FACTS
1918-73
Chris Cook and John Paxton
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN 978-1-349-01537-5 ISBN 978-1-349-01535-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-01535-1
Copyright© Chris Cook andJohn Paxton 1975
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1975
All rights reserved. F or information, write:
St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 73-76652
First published in the United States of America in 1975
AFFILIATED PUBLISHERS: Macmillan Limited, London
also at Bombay, Calcutta, Madras and Melbourne
CONTENTS
Preface vii
International Organizations
The United Nations 1
The League of Nations 9
International Labour Organization 13
European Trade Union Confederation 14
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions 14
World Federation ofTrade Unions 15
World Confederation of Labour 15
European Movement 15
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) 16
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 17
Western European Union 20
Council of Europe 21
European Communities 23
European Economic Community (EEC) 24
European Coal and Steel Community 26
European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) 27
European Free Trade Association (EFT A) 27
Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) 28
2 Heads of State 32
3 Parliaments 47
4 Ministers 76
5 Elections 107
6 Political Parties 168
7 lustice 190
8 Defence and Treaties 205
9 Dependencies 218
10 Population 233
11 Economics, Planning and Nationalization 242
12 Trade Unions 303
13 Education 319
14 Press 347
Index 359
PREFACE
As European countries move eloser together for political, economic, social
and cultural co-operation, there is an increasing need for readily accessible
facts concerning the recent history of these countries. We have made this our
prime aim in compiling European Political Facts, 1918-73.
Our coverage is from the Atlantic to the Urals and in adopting this broad,
outward-Iooking concept of Europe we have, naturally, encountered consider
able editorial difficulties. The general aim is comparability between countries.
This was not always easy to achieve and in some cases impossible, particu
larly for comparisons between 'East' and 'West' Europe.
Nineteen-eighteen is a watershed between an old and a new Europe and the
editors feit that this was a realistic starting point although so me facts are given
for earlier years where these are pertinent. Space naturally limits the data
which can be presented for 35 countries covering a span of 56 years.
We are grateful to many people and organizations for their help and advice.
In the first place we should like to acknowledge our debt to David Butler, who
was a pathfinder with his highly successful British Political Facts (Butler and
Freeman, Macmillan).
Gratitude also goes to Sheila Fairfield for hours of work digging for facts;
to Brian Hunter for tremendous help on eastern European countries; and to
Stephen Brooks for his meticulous work on defence matters.
We have to thank Eve Beadle and Virginia Walker for excellent typing and
sharp eyes für incünsistencies. We must also thank Mary Barker, Eve
Beadle and Alison lohnson for their very great help with proof reading.
But some error and inconsistency can still appear in a work of this kind and
the editors are solely responsible. We do ask readers to alert us if they spot
error, and constructive and informed criticism will be welcome for future
editions.
Chris Cook
July 1974 lohn Paxton
1 INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
THE UNITED NATIONS
The United Nations is an association of states which have pledged themselves,
through signing the Charter, to maintain international peace and security and
to co-operate in establishing political, economic and social conditions under
which this task can be securely achieved. Nothing contained in the Charter
authorizes the organization to intervene in matters which are essentially
within the domestic jurisdiction of any state.
The United Nations Charter originated from proposals agreed upon at
discussions held at Dumbarton Oaks (Washington, DC) between the USSR,
US and UK from 21 Aug to 28 Sep, and between US, UK and China from 29
Sep to 7 Oct 44. These proposals were laid before the United Nations
Conference on International Organization, held at San Francisco from 25
Apr to 26 lune 45, and (after amendments had been made to the original
proposals) the Charter of the United Nations was signed on 26 lune 45 by the
delegates of 50 countries. Ratification of all the signatures had been received
by 31 Dec 45.
The United Nations formally came into existence on 24 Oct 45, with the
deposit of the requisite number of ratifications of the Charter with the US
Department of State. The official languages of the United Nations are
Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish; the working languages are
English, French and (in the General Assembly) Spanish and Russian.
The headquarters ofthe United Nations is in New York City, USA.
Membership. Membership is open to all peace-Ioving states whose admission
will be effected by the General Assembly upon recommendation of the
Security Council.
The Principal Organs of the United Nations are: 1. The General Assembly
2. The Security Council 3. The Economic and Social Council 4. The
Trusteeship Council 5. The International Court of lustice 6. The Secretariat.
1. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY consists of all the members of the United
Nations. Each member is entitled to be represented at its meetings by five
EUROPEAN POLITICAL FACTS 1918--1973
delegates and five alternate delegates, but has only one vote. The General
Assembly meets regularly once a year, commencing on the 3rd Tuesday in
September; the session normally lasts until mid-December and is resumed for
some weeks in the new year if this is required. Special sessions may be
convoked by the Secretary-General if requested by the Security Council, by a
majority of the members of the United Nations or by one member concurred
with by the majority of the members. The General Assembly elects its
President for each session.
The first regular session was held in London from 10 Jan to 14 Feb and in
New York from 23 Oct to 16 Dec 46.
Special sessions have been held, on Palestine, in 1947, 1948, 1963 and
1967; emergency sessions on the Middle East and on Hungary in 1956, on
Lebanon in 1958, on the Congo in 1960, on South West Africa and the
Middle East in 1967.
The work of the General Assembly is divided between six Main Committees
and the Special Political Committee, on each of which every member has the
right to be represented by one delegate. I. Political Security. 11. Economic and
Financial. III. Social, Humanitarian and Cultural. IV. Trust and Non
Self-Governing Territories. V. Administrative and Budgetary. VI. Legal.
In addition there is a General Committee charged with the task of
co-ordinating the proceedings of the Assembly and its Committees; and a
Credentials Committee which verifies the credentials of the delegates. The
General Committee consists of 25 members, comprising the President of the
General Assembly, its 17 Vice-Presidents and the Chairmen ofthe seven Main
Committees. The Credentials Committee consists of nine members, elected
at the beginning of each session of the General Assembly. The Assembly has
two standing committees - an Advisory Committee on Administrative
and Budgetary Questions and a Committee on Contributions. The General
Assembly establishes subsidiary and ad hoc bodies when necessary to deal
with specific matters. These include: Special Committee on Peace-Keeping
Operations (33 members), Commission on Human Rights (32 members),
Advisory Committee on the UN Emergency Force (7 members), Commission
for the unification and rehabilitation of Korea (7 members), Committee on the
peaceful uses of outer space (28 members), Conciliation Commission for
Palestine (3 members), Conference of the Committee on Disarmament (26
members), International Law Commission (25 members), Scientific Com
mittee on the effects of atomic radiation (15 members), Special Committee on
the implementation of the declaration on the granting of independence to
colonial countries and peoples (24 members), Special Committee on the
policies of Apartheid of the Government of the Republic of South Africa (11
members), UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Peace Observation Com
mission (14 members), UN Commission on International Trade Law (29
2
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZAT IONS
members), UN Commission on International Trade Law (29 members) and
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Sea-bed and Ocean Floor Beyond the
Limits of National Jurisdiction (91 members), Preparatory Committee on the
Human Environment Conference, Stockholm, 1972 (27 members), Prepara
tory Committee on the Second Development Decade (27 members).
The General Assembly may discuss any matters within the scope of the
Charter, and, with the exception of any situation or dispute on the agenda of
the Security Council, may make recommendations on any such questions or
matters. For decisions on important questions a two-thirds majority is
required, on other questions a simple majority of members present and voting.
In addition, the Assembly at its fifth session, in 1950, decided that if the
Security Council, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent members,
fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international
peace and security in any case where there appears to be a threat to the peace,
breach of the peace or act of aggression, the General Assembly shall consider
the matter immediately with a view to making appropriate recommendations
to members for collective measures, including in the case of a breach of the
peace or act of aggression the use of armed force when necessary, to maintain
or restore international peace and security.
The General Assembly receives and considers reports from the other organs
of the United Nations, including the Security Council. The Secretary-General
makes an annual report to it on the work ofthe organization.
2. THE SECURITY COUNCIL consists of 15 members, each ofwhich has one
representative and one vote. There are five permanent and ten non-permanent
members elected for a two-year term by a two-thirds majority of the General
Assembly. Retiring members are not eligible for immediate re-election. Any
other member of the United Nations will be invited to participate without vote
in the discussion of questions specially affecting its interests.
The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance
of peace and security. It is also responsible for the functions ofthe UN in trust
territories classed as 'strategic areas'. Decisions on procedural questions are
made by an affirmative vote of nine members. On all other matters the
affirmative vote of nine members must include the concurring votes of all
permanent members (in practice, however, an abstention by a permanent
member is not considered a veto), subject to the provision that when the
Security Council is considering methods for the peaceful settlement of a
dispute, parties to the dispute abstain from voting.
For the maintenance of international pe ace and security the Security
Council can, in accordance with special agreements to be concluded, call on
armed forces, assistance and facilities of the member states. It is assisted by a
Military Staff Committee consisting of the Chiefs of Staff of the permanent
members of the Security Council or their representatives.
3