Signing of the Atlantic Charter. Atlantic Charter: structure, history and consequences. USA and ideology

Three months after the London Declaration, a new step was taken towards the creation of an international organization. This move was the result of a historic meeting between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill.

In August 1941, the gains of the Axis powers were still developing. So, at least it seemed, the carefully staged meetings between Hitler and Mussolini, which inevitably led to “complete agreement,” gave the impression of formidable omens. Germany attacked the Soviet Union, but the power of this new ally had not yet emerged. At the same time, the United States of America, although it provided moral and material support to the allies, had not yet entered the war.

And so, one fine day it became known that President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill were conferring “somewhere at sea,” on that same Atlantic Ocean, for the possession of which there was then a desperate struggle, and on August 14 both statesman published a joint declaration, which was destined to go down in history under the name of the Atlantic Charter.

This document was not a treaty between the two powers. Nor was it a statement of any specific official program for the organization of the world. As stated in the document itself, it only confirmed “some general principles national policy named countries (USA and UK), the principles on which they based their hopes for a better future for the world."

Of the eight clauses of the Atlantic Charter, two were direct relation on the issue of international organization.

“After the final destruction of Nazi tyranny,” said paragraph six, the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom “hope to establish a peace that will enable all countries to live in security on their own soil, and to ensure that all people in all countries could live their whole lives without knowing either fear or want.”

Clause seven stated that such a world should provide everyone with the opportunity to navigate the seas and oceans freely, without any obstacles, and the final clause of the Charter, clause eight, contained the following plan for organizing the world:

“They” (the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) “believe that all states of the world should, for realistic and spiritual reasons, renounce the use of force, since no future world cannot be maintained if states that threaten or may threaten aggression beyond their borders continue to use land, sea and air weapons. Churchill and Roosevelt believe that pending the establishment of a broader and reliable system All general security such countries must be disarmed. England and the USA will also assist and encourage all other feasible measures that will make it easier for peace-loving peoples to get rid of the burden of armaments.”

The basic principles of international justice were expressed in other clauses of the Atlantic Charter: non-expansion; refusal of territorial changes, without the freely expressed desire of the peoples concerned; the right of every people to choose their own form of government; access for all countries, on equal terms, to global sources of raw materials.

Point five also outlined the constructive goal of the future international organization. In it, both statesmen declared their desire to achieve full cooperation between all countries in the economic field, with the aim of ensuring a higher standard of living for everyone, economic development And social security.

The Atlantic Charter was drafted by two outstanding representatives of modern democracy. It was obvious that she had full moral support from the United States. The Atlantic Charter therefore made a deep impression on the Allies. She was a harbinger of hope for the occupied countries. She pointed to real opportunity creation of a world organization based on the unshakable principles of international morality.

The fact that the Charter did not have much legal force did not detract from its importance. If, in the final analysis, the value of any treaty is determined by the degree of sincerity of the contracting parties, then any sincere confirmation of the principles common to all peace-loving peoples cannot but be considered a phenomenon of great importance.

Shortly after Churchill's meeting with Roosevelt, a meeting of representatives of ten governments took place in London. At this meeting a solemn commitment was made to strengthen the commonwealth and provide every possible support in the implementation of the basic principles of the Atlantic Charter. The corresponding declaration was signed on September 24 by representatives Soviet Union and the following nine occupied countries of Europe: Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Yugoslavia and representatives of the French General de Gaulle.

ATLANTIC CHARTER

(Extract)

The President of the United States of America, Roosevelt, and the Prime Minister Churchill, representing His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, after joint deliberation, thought it advisable to promulgate certain general principles of the national policy of their countries—principles on which they base their hopes for a better future for the world.

1) The US and UK are not seeking territorial or other acquisitions.

2) They will not agree to any territorial changes that are not in accordance with the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned.

3) They respect the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they want to live; they strive to restore the sovereign rights and self-government of those peoples who were deprived of this by force.

4) By due respect for their existing obligations, they will strive to ensure a situation in which all countries - great or small, victors or vanquished - will have access on an equal basis to trade and to the world's sources of raw materials necessary for the economic prosperity of their countries.

5) They strive to achieve full cooperation between all countries in the economic field with a view to ensuring more high level life, economic development and social welfare.

6) After the final destruction of Nazi tyranny, they hope to establish a peace that will enable all countries to live in security on their territory, and also to ensure a situation in which all people in all countries can live their entire lives without knowing any fear, no need.

7) Such a world should provide everyone with the opportunity to navigate the seas and oceans freely, without any obstacles.

8) They believe that all states of the world must, for realistic and spiritual reasons, renounce the use of force, since no future peace can be preserved if states that threaten or may threaten aggression beyond their borders continue to use land, sea and air weapons. Churchill and Roosevelt believe that, pending the establishment of a broader and more reliable system of universal security, such countries must be disarmed. England and the USA will also help and encourage all other feasible measures that will make it easier for peace-loving peoples to get rid of the burden of armaments.

Reader on modern history. T. II.- pp. 66-67.

The leaders of Great Britain and the United States signed a declaration aboard the British battleship Prince of Wales on August 14, 1941, which became known as the Atlantic Charter. This document was not an agreement or a statement of the official program for the organization of the world. As stated in the Atlantic Charter itself of 1941, it only contained some general principles of policy for the mentioned states, with which they pinned hopes for a better future.

Previous Events

The US government promoted the outbreak of a full-scale war in Europe, as it could help resolve internal difficulties. The United States leadership advised France and Great Britain to abandon appeasement as Germany prepared to attack Poland.

In February 1940, US representatives were sent to Berlin, Rome, Paris and London to consider the possibility of establishing peace. In the capital Nazi Germany the American ambassador was treated as if “they would have met the sale of a Bible in a brothel.” At the end of June 1941, the special assistant to the American president went to Moscow to confirm that the USSR would hold the front. Therefore, Roosevelt saw no need to intervene in the war.

The signing of the Atlantic Charter, which took place on August 14, 1941 in the Atlantic Ocean, was the result of the political strategies of the leaders of Great Britain and (primarily) the United States.

Joint statement

On the fourteenth of August, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill, after negotiations in the Atlantic Ocean, where the struggle was precisely for dominance, made a joint declaration available to the general public. This document was called the Atlantic Charter. The year 1941 - the very beginning of the war - was the right time to discuss the principles of interaction and cooperation.

The charter was discussed and adopted at the Riviera conference at the naval base in Newfoundland. State leaders spoke on board American and British ships. This is one of the founding documents of the Allies. At the same time, the Atlantic Charter, consisting of eight points, was very vague in content.

Historical context

The main provisions of the Atlantic Charter (August 14, 1941) boiled down to the principles of the post-war world order. The United States had not yet entered the war at that time, and victory over Hitler's Germany was not yet “looming on the horizon” to talk about actions after the establishment of peace, as it was at the Yalta Conference of the Allied Powers in February 1945. However, the document became the basis for the creation of the UN and, in general, laid the foundations for the future economic and political world order.

By the way, returning to the Yalta conference, we can note a common question in history, which is often found in test tests for 9th grade. So, you need to choose the correct option from the proposed ones: “An event that occurred later than others: the Atlantic Charter, the Potsdam Conference, the Tehran Conference, Yalta Conference". Correct answer: Potsdam Conference. The meeting in Potsdam was held on July 17 - August 2, 1945, the Yalta Conference - February 4-11, 1945, the Tehran Conference - November 28 - December 1, 1943.

The Atlantic Charter, signed on August 14, 1941, includes the following points:

Refusal of the US and UK territorial claims.
Refusal to support territorial changes that are not the free expression of the peoples concerned, but are made under pressure.
Preservation of the right of nations to freely choose their form of government. A promise to restore the sovereign rights of those peoples who lost their independence by force.
Declaration of free access of all states to raw materials and foreign trade, which are necessary for the prosperity of nations.
The promise of global economic cooperation. Both the US and UK have expressed a desire to cooperate with all countries anti-Hitler coalition in order to ensure a better standard of living for the population, social security and economic development. This point later became the goal of the creation of the UN.
The hope of establishing a peace that will allow citizens of all countries to live in security, and governments to ensure a situation in which everyone can live without knowing either need or fear. This was planned after the destruction of the tyranny of Nazi Germany.
Preserving the opportunity to freely sail the oceans and seas for all people of the world. This point was highlighted separately, since the struggle for the Atlantic had been going on since 1939. The passenger steamer Athenia (the first British casualty of the war) was sunk on September 3, 1939.
General disarmament after the end of the war, in particular the complete disarmament of the aggressors. The leaders of the United States and Great Britain believed that, for realistic and spiritual reasons, all countries must renounce the use of force, since no peace can be maintained if countries that could threaten the world order use air, land or sea weapons.

The fifth point (economic cooperation) was adopted on the proposal of J. G. Winant. The American politician did not participate in the conference; he proposed this principle to state leaders back in London.

Message of Hope

The Atlantic Charter was drafted by prominent democrats: Franklin Roosevelt, the only American president to serve more than two terms, and Winston Churchill, the greatest Briton in history, according to a BBC poll. The document was provided full support from the US side. The Charter made a deep impression on the allies and became hope for the occupied countries. The Atlantic Charter pointed to the possibility of forming an organization that would be based on the principles of international morality.

Commitment to Cooperation

At the next meeting in London, which took place on September 24 of the same year, the governments of the Netherlands, Greece, Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Norway, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia, Poland and Charles de Gaulle's France expressed agreement with the principles declared by the Atlantic Charter. At the same time, the USSR joined the charter, but with the caveat that its application must be consistent with the circumstances and historical characteristics of a particular state. The leadership remained faithful to Lenin's principles throughout foreign policy.

Declaration of the USSR

The principles of the Atlantic Charter are rather vaguely formulated, which cannot be said about the declaration of the Soviet Union to this document. It was indicated that the USSR was guided by the principle of self-determination of nations in its foreign policy and defended the rights of peoples to independence and inviolability (territorial) of their territory.

The Soviet government directly stated that it does not support the colonial policies of the imperialist states. The Atlantic Charter established Anglo-American dominance not only in the Atlantic Ocean, but also in the world as a whole. And the USSR proposed basing relations on a system of actions against aggressor countries.

Consequences of signing the charter

The Atlantic Charter became the basis for the creation of the UN. The principles of activity were developed by the coalition participants, and this name was first mentioned in the United Nations Declaration of January 1, 1942. The Charter was developed during a conference in San Francisco, America in April-June 1945. It was a full-scale event with approximately 3,500 people attending the conference. 850 delegates, their advisers, secretaries and assistants took part in the negotiations. Additionally, more than 2,500 members of the press attended. It was one of the largest international gatherings in history.

The Declaration was signed during the First Washington Conference. The name was suggested by Franklin Roosevelt. During the military operations in Europe and on the oceans, the term “United Nations” became synonymous with the states of the anti-Hitler coalition. The document was signed by twenty-six states of the anti-Hitler coalition, nine countries of Central America and the Caribbean, British dominions, and eight European governments in exile. Twenty-one additional countries joined the declaration.

North Atlantic Treaty

Another consequence of cooperation between Great Britain and the United States, as well as the signing of the Atlantic Charter. The international agreement, which became the founding document of NATO, was concluded on April 4, 1949 in Washington for an indefinite period.

At the end of negotiations between US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, which took place on board warships in the Atlantic Ocean, near the island of Newfoundland, on August 14, 1941, a declaration called the Atlantic Charter was signed.
On September 24, 1941, the USSR announced its accession to this declaration, emphasizing that the application of the principles of the Charter “will have to be consistent with the circumstances, needs and historical characteristics of a particular country.” That statement also noted the importance of “concentrating all the economic and military resources of the freedom-loving peoples for the complete and fastest possible liberation of the peoples groaning under the yoke of Hitler’s hordes.” On January 1, 1942, representatives of governments that supported the Charter signed the Declaration of 26 States in Washington.

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston S. Churchill

The President of the United States of America and the Prime Minister, Mr. Churchill, representing His Majesty's Government in Great Britain, having met each other, consider it prudent to promulgate certain general principles of public policy for their respective countries, on the basis of which their hopes for a better future and for the whole world are based.
First: their countries do not seek territorial or other acquisitions.
Second, they express a desire not to witness territorial changes that do not correspond to the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned.
Third, they respect the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live, and they desire to see sovereign rights and self-government restored to those who have been forcibly deprived of them.
Fourth: They will strive, with due respect for their obligations, to help ensure that all nations, large or small, conqueror or vanquished, have equal access to the trade and raw materials of the world necessary for their economic prosperity.
Fifth, they express the desire to promote full cooperation between all states in the economic field with a view to ensuring generally improved working conditions, economic progress and social security.
Sixth: With the final elimination of Nazi tyranny, they hope to see the establishment of a peace that will enable all nations to live in security within their own borders and that will ensure that all people on earth can live in freedom from fear and deprivation.
Seventh: such a world would have to allow all people to cross the open seas and oceans without hindrance.
Eighth: They express the belief that all the states of the world, both from a sense of reality and from reasons of a sublime nature, will come to a decision to renounce the use of force.
Since the future peace cannot be maintained if States which threaten or may threaten aggression beyond their borders continue to use land, sea or air weapons, they express the belief that the disarmament of such States is necessary subject to the creation of a wider and permanent general security system. In like manner they will promote and encourage all other practicable measures which will relieve the heavy burden of armaments for all peace-loving peoples.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Winston S. Churchill

Previous Events

In February 1940, US representatives were sent to Berlin, Rome, Paris and London to consider the possibility of establishing peace. In the capital of Nazi Germany, the American ambassador was treated as if “they would have met the sale of a Bible in a brothel.” At the end of June 1941, the special assistant to the American president went to Moscow to confirm that the USSR would hold the front. Therefore, Roosevelt saw no need to intervene in the war.

Joint statement

On the fourteenth of August, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill, after negotiations in the Atlantic Ocean, where the struggle was precisely for dominance, made a joint declaration available to the general public. This document was called the Atlantic Charter. The year 1941 - the very beginning of the war - was a good time to discuss the principles of interaction and cooperation.

Historical context

The main provisions of the Atlantic Charter (August 14, 1941) boiled down to the principles of the post-war world order. The United States had not yet entered the war at that time, and victory over Nazi Germany was not yet “looming on the horizon” to talk about actions after the establishment of peace, as was the case at the Yalta Conference of the Allied Powers in February 1945. However, the document became the basis for the creation of the UN and, in general, laid the foundations for the future economic and political world order.

By the way, returning to the Yalta conference, we can note a common question in history, which is often found in test papers for grade 9. So, you need to choose the correct option from the proposed ones: “An event that occurred later than others: the Atlantic Charter, the Potsdam Conference, the Tehran Conference, the Yalta Conference.” Correct answer: Potsdam Conference. The meeting in Potsdam was held from July 17 to August 2, 1945, the Yalta Conference from February 4 to 11, 1945, and the Tehran Conference from November 28 to December 1, 1943.

The Atlantic Charter, signed on August 14, 1941, includes the following points:

Refusal of the US and UK territorial claims.
Refusal to support territorial changes that are not the free expression of the peoples concerned, but are made under pressure.
Preservation of the right of nations to freely choose their form of government. A promise to restore the sovereign rights of those peoples who lost their independence by force.
Declaration of free access of all states to raw materials and foreign trade, which are necessary for the prosperity of peoples.
The promise of global economic cooperation. Both the United States and Great Britain expressed a desire to cooperate with all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition in order to ensure a better standard of living for the population, social security and economic development. This point later became the goal of the creation of the UN.
The hope of establishing a peace that will allow citizens of all countries to live in security, and governments to ensure a situation in which everyone can live without knowing either need or fear. This was planned after the destruction of the tyranny of Nazi Germany.
Preserving the opportunity to freely sail the oceans and seas for all people of the world. This point was highlighted separately, since the struggle for the Atlantic had been going on since 1939. The passenger steamer Athenia (the first British casualty of the war) was sunk on September 3, 1939.
General disarmament after the end of the war, in particular the complete disarmament of the aggressors. The leaders of the United States and Great Britain believed that, for realistic and spiritual reasons, all countries must renounce the use of force, since no peace can be maintained if countries that could threaten the world order use air, land or sea weapons.

Message of Hope

The Atlantic Charter was drafted by prominent democrats: Franklin Roosevelt, the only American president to serve more than two terms, and Winston Churchill, the greatest Briton in history, according to a BBC poll. The document received full support from the United States. The Charter made a deep impression on the allies and became hope for the occupied countries. The Atlantic Charter pointed to the possibility of forming an organization that would be based on the principles of international morality.

Commitment to Cooperation

Declaration of the USSR

Consequences of signing the charter

North Atlantic Treaty

August 14, 1941 American President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on board the English battleship Prince of Wales in Argentia Bay (Newfoundland) signed a joint declaration, which was named "Atlantic Charter". The document was supposed to define the structure of the world after the victory of the Allied powers in World War II, despite the fact that the United States had not yet entered the war. Atlantic Charter became the basis for the creation of the UN, as well as the formation of the economic and political world order.

Atlantic Charter

Basic principles future world justice were expressed in the following paragraphs of the joint declaration:

renunciation of territorial claims on the part of the United States and England (point one);
the refusal of the two powers to support territorial changes that are not “in agreement with the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned” (point two);
the right of nations to choose their form of government, restoration of “sovereign rights and self-government of those peoples who were deprived of this by force” (point three).
free access of all countries, great or small, to world trade and raw materials necessary for the economic prosperity of states (point four).
The fifth point outlined the goal of the world organization being created: global economic cooperation, which was supposed to lead to increased well-being, economic development, and increased social security.
paragraph six spoke of the hope of establishing peace, where all countries would have the opportunity to live in safety on their territory, to ensure a situation in which people will live “knowing neither fear nor need”.
in paragraph seven of the Atlantic Charter it was reported that in the post-war world the right would be granted freely, without any obstacles or barriers, to navigate the seas and oceans ( freedom of the seas principle).
the final, eighth paragraph of the document contained plan for general post-war disarmament. For reasons of “realistic and spiritual order,” it was proposed to abandon the use of force, since peace cannot be maintained if countries have the ability to use land, sea and air weapons. It was proposed to disarm the aggressor states. The United States and England promised to encourage and help peace-loving peoples to “get rid of the burden of armaments.”

Both sides agreed with that What in the interests of the USA and England it is necessary to provide assistance to the USSR with weapons and equipment. The British chiefs of staff, like Churchill himself, were against the use of their own large armed contingents. They believed that they could completely limit themselves to naval and air war, strengthening the blockade and secret supplies to equip the Resistance forces in occupied Europe.

At the inter-union conference held September 24, 1941 in London, Soviet Ambassador Maisky announced declaration on the inclusion of the Soviet Union in the charter.