A Brief History Of The Red Cross

The Red Cross

The Red Cross was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1863. The original idea for the organization was introduced by businessman, Jean-Henri Dunant, who later co-founded the Red Cross with the following individuals; Gustave Moynier, a prominent Swiss Jurist; Théodore Maunoir, a notable Swiss Surgeon, and Guillaume-Henri Defour, a structural engineer and Swiss army general (served under Napoleon I), and Louis Paul Amédée Appia, who was a Swiss Surgeon in the field of military medicine. The five men mentioned were the original members of the Geneva Committee of five, which was the precursor committee to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC was originally founded to provide impartial medical treatments and care to the victims of international or national armed conflicts within or between nations.

The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1919. The IFRC coordinates internationally between approximately 192 Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies globally, which are present within almost every nation in the world. The IFRC was originally established to deal with large-scale emergency relief assistance internationally and operates according to the principles of international humanitarian law. The IFRC (originally known as League of Red Cross Societies) and ICRC were jointly awarded the Noble Peace Prize, in 1963. Importantly, the IFRC coordinates with the Operating National Societies (ONS), which are organisations established within certain nations that jointly work with the IFRC to respond to any national emergencies within those nations that require their assistance. The IFRC also collaborates effectively with other types of National Societies within certain nations, which do not have established ONS organisations, nevertheless, those organisations are willing to offer assistance in such emergency situations, and they are officially called Participating National Societies (PNS).

Jean-Henri Dunant

Jean-Henri Dunant was a successful businessman and devout Christian, who had travelled to Italy, in June 1859, where he witnessed the great battle of Austro-Sardinia, which was the second Italian war of independence. The conflict was fought by the French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia, against the Austrian Empire, which was commanded by Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph I. Dunant's initial plan was to arrange a meeting with the French Emperor Napoleon III, in order to discuss certain business plans relating to his company which was based in Algiers, a French colony between 1830 to 1962. However, when Dunant arrived in the town of Solferino on 24 June 1859, he was shocked to witness at close quarters the aftermath on the infamous battlefield of Lombardy. The terrible scenes of devastation and immense human suffering had traumatized Dunant to such an extent that felt compelled to devote the rest of his stay to organizing and providing impartial help and treatment for the unfortunate casualties on both sides of the battlefield. Provided with assistance from local citizens, Dunant laboured for 3 days and 3 nights to treat the wounded.

When Dunant eventually returned to Geneva, in Switzerland, his mind continued to be haunted by the sea of blood on the battlefield in Austro-Sardinia. Dunant sought solace in writing about his feelings and experiences on the horrors of that war, as well as his ideas and proposed solutions to such future events. Eventually, Dunant published a book on that subject, in 1862, entitled 'A Memory of Solferino'. In his book, Dunant had advocated the creation of neutral voluntary relief organisations, for the purpose of providing impartial nursing for soldiers and civilian casualties on opposing sides of the war, and in addition, he called for the development of an international treaty for the safeguard of medics, and field hospitals for all soldiers wounded on the battlefields. Eager to promote his ideas to those individuals that he thought could make the necessary important changes, Dunant decided to send free copies of his book to important political and military figures across Europe, hoping that he might win some of their valuable time to discuss his plans.

The Committe Of Five

Gustave Moynier, a Swiss Jurist and president of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare, received a copy of Memory of Solferino in 1863, and it is said that Gustave Moynier was very impressed by the ideas presented within Dunant's book, therefore, he arranged a meeting at the Society for Public Welfare to conduct an in-depth discussion about the proposals advocated by Dunant. As a result, members of the society who were present at that meeting, collectively decided to establish an investigatory commission so that it could examine the viability of Dunant's proposals. The original members of the commission were referred to as the 'The Committee of Five' and they included; Jean Henri Dunant, Gustave Moynier, Guillaume-Henri Defour, Théodore Maunoir, and Louis Paul Amédée Appia. Then in February 1863, the Committee of Five was renamed 'The International Committee for Relief to the Wounded'.

The Geneva Conventions

After the committee had discussed and examined Dunant's ideas, the group then arranged an international conference, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland, between 26 - 29 October 1863. Important delegates from a several different nations across the globe had attended the conference to discuss details of how to create an international medical service for injured soldiers on the battlefield in a war situation. Several months later, the Swiss government sent an invitation to every European nation across the globe, as well as the United States, Mexico, and Brazil, earnestly imploring each nation to attend an official diplomatic conference for further discussions on the topic. The final documents produced at the Geneva conference, eventually founded the first Geneva Conventions which was signed on 22 August 1964.

The first Geneva Convention was called 'Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field'. Following that event the 'Hague Convention' treaties regarding the laws of war and war crimes was founded between 1899 and 1907. In 1929, there was a revision and upgrade of the Geneva Convention, with the addition of 'Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea'. Further revisions and upgrades to the Geneva Convention occurred in 1949, and another Geneva Convention upgrade was established in 1950, namely, humanitarian protection of civilians within a war zone, which was called 'Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War'.

The American Red Cross

The American Red Cross (ARC) was founded in 1881, in Washington D.C, United States, by Clarissa Harlowe Barton (born 1821- died 1912), who was a famous American nurse. The establishment of the American Red Cross had significantly advanced the promotion of the Red Cross Movement worldwide. The United States became one of the great ambassadors for the Red Cross due to its rapidly growing power, dominance and influence around the globe, at that time in history. In 1919, the American, Henry Davison, who was then president of the American Red Cross, together with the National Societies of Britain, Italy, France, and Japan, co-founded 'The League of Red Cross Societies'. The League of Red Cross Societies was an organization set up to work alongside the ICRC, and it was created for the specific purpose of undertaking work relating to large-scale man-made, or natural disasters as well as emergency relief missions which are not necessarily caused by a war situation. In 1983, the League of Red Cross Societies was renamed 'League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' in order to reflect the growing number of National Red Cross Societies, which were functioning under the Red Crescent symbol. Then in 1991, the 'League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' was renamed to 'International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' which eventually became the world's largest humanitarian network.

The Red Cross Emblems

The Red Cross emblems symbolize impartial care for every individual person in need of medical assistance, regardless of race, religion or nationality. The Red Cross emblem was officially created in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1863. As the Red Cross is a neutral and impartial organisation, the idea for a symbol to represent the Red Cross was ideally intended to be non-political, non-religious and non-representative of any particular nation. The Red Cross symbol is in fact the Switzerland flag, reversed, in other words, a red cross and white background, instead of a white cross and red background. The Red Crescent emblem was first introduced by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) volunteers between 1876 - 1878, during the war between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire. However, the emblem was officially created and widely accepted and recognised, in 1929. The crescent symbol (non-religious symbol) is a reversal of the national flag of the Ottoman Empire, in other words, a red crescent and white background, instead of white crescent and red background. Then in 2005, an additional distinctive emblem which was called the Red Crystal was created for the purpose of increasing protection within those regions or situations where the existing emblems may not be recognised with adequate respect.

Dunant's Fall From Grace

In 1867, Jean-Henri Dunant was forced to declare bankruptcy for his business, which was based in Algeria. It was rumoured that one of the reasons for the failure of his business was due to the considerable time Dunant had devoted to the International Committee. There was found to be disrepute surrounding Dunant's business affairs, which impacted upon his reputation and position within the International Committee. In particular, the business relationship between Dunant and Gustave Moynier, gradually deteriorated over time, because of ongoing contentious issues between the two of them, which eventually culminated in Dunant's expulsion from the International Committee. Matters deteriorated even further for Dunant, when he was also charged with fraudulence regarding his retired business, as a result, a warrant was issued for Dunant's arrest, following which he fled Switzerland and never returned. However, when the first Noble Peace Prize was awarded by the Norwegian Noble Committee in 1901, the award was jointly presented to Jean-Henri Dunant and Frédéric Passy, who were seen as highly respected international pacifists. More importantly, the award served to honour Dunant for his exceptional contribution to the foundation of the Red Cross Movement, and therefore, this notable award was widely perceived as a redemption for Dunant's tarnished reputation and character.

The Red Cross Ethos

Over a short space of time the Red Cross has achieved rapid recognition and great success, and it has gained international respect around the world for its principles of universality, equality, and impartiality, in terms of providing comprehensive humanitarian work for the sick and the injured. Currently there are national Red Cross Societies that exist in almost every nation in the world. Also, the Red Cross has gained a reputation for being a remarkable recruitment body, which enlists millions of enthusiastic voluntary workers, who are considered its lifeblood. This organisation possesses an army of people ready to express selfless acts of kindness and compassion towards other human beings, without prejudice or judgement. The Red Cross is an independent, neutral, and non-political movement, which aims to provide a free service for nursing and alleviating human suffering in a war or large-scale disaster. The Red Cross Movement continues to flourish to this day, emitting a glorious radiance from within the darkness of those who are forlorn.

Written by Star_gazer

Published 15 November 2020