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European Political Facts 1918–73 PDF

369 Pages·1975·28.312 MB·English
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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

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