International Peace Congress, or International Congress of the Friends of Peace, was the name of a series of international meetings of representatives from peace societies from throughout the world held in various places in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

from 1843 to 1853. An initial congress at London in 1843 was followed by an annual series of congresses from 1848 until 1853.

London, 1843

The first International Congress was held in London at the suggestion of

Joseph Sturge Joseph Sturge (1793 – 14 May 1859) was an English Quaker, abolitionist and activist. He founded the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society (now Anti-Slavery International). He worked throughout his life in Radical political actions suppo ...

and on the initiative of the American Peace Society in 1843. The host was the

London Peace Society The Peace Society, International Peace Society or London Peace Society originally known as the Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace, was a pioneering British pacifist organisation that was active from 1816 until the 1930s. Hi ...

. 294 British, 37 American and 6 Continental delegates attended.

Brussels, 1848

Elihu Burritt Elihu Burritt (December 8, 1810March 6, 1879) was an American diplomat, philanthropist and social activist.Arthur Weinberg and Lila Shaffer Weinberg. ''Instead of Violence: Writings by the Great Advocates of Peace and Nonviolence Throughout Histo ...

organized the Congress of 1848, the first after the French Revolution of February 1848. It was chaired by Auguste Visschers, a Belgian lawyer and philanthropist. The participants met at

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

in September of that year. Among the delegates were Cobden,

Thierry Thierry is a French language, French male given name, derived from the Germanic languages, Germanic "Theodoric". It is the cognate of German language, German "Dietrich (disambiguation), Dietrich" and "Dieter (disambiguation), Dieter", English langu ...

, Girardin, and Bastiat. The congress adopted resolutions urging limitation of armaments and the placing of a ban upon foreign loans for war purposes.

Paris, 1849

One year after Brussels, the Peace Congress met in Paris from 22 to 24 August 1849, with

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

as president The proceedings were published by Charles Gilpin. Among the speakers were many of the chief philosophers and politicians of the time, including Frederic Bastiat, Charles Gilpin,

Richard Cobden Richard Cobden (3 June 1804 – 2 April 1865) was an English Radical and Liberal politician, manufacturer, and a campaigner for free trade and peace. He was associated with the Anti-Corn Law League and the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty. As a you ...

and Henry Richard

William Wells Brown William Wells Brown (c. 1814 – November 6, 1884) was a prominent abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, and historian in the United States. Born into slavery in Montgomery County, Kentucky, near the town of Mount Sterling, Brown escap ...

was invited to speak against slavery. Hugo introduced the concept of the

United States of Europe The United States of Europe (USE), the European State, the European Federation and Federal Europe, is the hypothetical scenario of the European integration leading to formation of a sovereign superstate (similar to the United States of Ameri ...

Later congresses

Through the next decades, more congresses were convened in various cities: * 4th congress: Frankfurt am Main (1850) * 5th congress: London (1851), co-inciding with

the Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took p ...

.The Congress was reported i
''The Advocate for Peace'' (Sept/Oct. 1851) pp. 125–128.
/ref> * 6th congress: Manchester (1852) Here Richard Cobden and

John Bright John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies. A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...

took part in the discussions. * 7th congress: Edinburgh (1853) The series was interrupted by an interval of wars during which the pacifists were unable to raise their voices.

References

{{Authority control Peace Congress, International 1843 conferences 1848 conferences 1849 conferences 1850 conferences 1851 conferences 1852 conferences 1853 conferences 1843 in international relations 1848 in international relations 1849 in international relations 1850 in international relations 1851 in international relations 1852 in international relations 1853 in international relations 1843 in England 1848 in Belgium 1849 in France 1850 in Germany 1851 in England 1852 in England 1853 in Scotland

London, 1843

Brussels, 1848

Paris, 1849

Later congresses

See also

References