The History Of The Red Cross
Jean-Henri Dunant
Jean-Henri Dunant was a successful business man, 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, 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 some business affairs relating to his company which was based in Algiers, a country that was a French colony between 1830 and 1962. However, when Dunant arrived in the town of Solferino on 24 June, 1859, he felt driven to witness at close quarters the aftermath on the infamous battlefield of Lombardy. On arrival he was confronted by terrible scenes of utter devastation and human sacrifice. Dunant was greatly distressed, as he surveyed the human carnage of slaughtered soldiers, many of whom were indiscriminately strewn across the land, far into the distance, and, as he traversed the bodies of the sick and the injured, their cries of pain and suffering threatened to torment his very soul. The immense suffering and misery on both sides evoked within him great compassion. The traumatic experience had left Dunant feeling compelled to devote the rest of his stay, to organizing and providing impartial help and treatment, for the casualties on both sides of the battlefield. Assisted by local women, Dunant help to treat the wounded for 3 days and 3 nights.
When Dunant returned to Geneva, in Switzerland, his mind continued to be haunted by the sea of blood that stained the land, during the war at Austro-Sardinia. Dunant decided to seek refuge in writing a book. He wrote with great urgency about his feelings and experiences of the Austro-Sardinia war, as well as his ideas and proposed solutions to such future events. And eventually, his book was published in 1862, entitled 'A Memory of Solferino'. Some of Dunant's proposals advocated the creation of neutral voluntary relief organisations, for the purpose of providing impartial nursing for soldiers 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 whom he thought could make important changes, Dunant decided to send free copies of his book to leading political and military figures throughout Europe in the hope that he might win some of their valuable time and attention.
The Co-founders Of The Red Cross
In 1863, Gustave Moynier, a Swiss Jurist, and president of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare, received and read a copy of 'Memory of Solferino'. Moynier was so impressed by the ideas presented within Dunant's book that he set up a meeting at the Society for Public Welfare, in order to conduct a detailed discussion about the proposals advocated within the book. Following this initial meeting and debate, the society took the decision to establish an investigatory commission, in order to examine the viability of Dunant's proposals. The original members of the commission, referred to as the 'Committee of the Five', included, Jean Henri Dunant, Gustave Moynier, Guillaume-Henri Defour, Théodore Maunoir, and Louis Paul Amédée Appia. The 'committee of the five' was later renamed 'The International Committee for Relief to the Wounded', in February 1863.The Geneva Conventions
The committee discussed and examined Dunant's ideas in great detail, then arranged an international conference, which was held between 26 and 29 October, 1863, in Geneva, Switzerland. Important delegates from a number of different nations attended the conference, in order to discuss details of the proposals for the foundation of an international medical service, for injured soldiers on the battlefield during a war situation. The proposals inscribed in the final resolutions of the conference, became legally accepted on 29 October, 1863. Then almost a year later, the Swiss government sent an invitation to the governments of all the European countries, including the USA, Mexico, and Brazil, to attend an official diplomatic conference for further discussions.
The global conference concluded on 22 August, 1864, with the ratification of the first Geneva Convention, 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 very first, 1864, Geneva Convention, which provided the addition of 'Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea'. After further revisions of the Geneva Convention, there were additional upgrades in 1949. And a forth Geneva Convention was established in 1950, for humanitarian protection of civilians within a war zone called 'Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War'.
The American Red Cross
The Red Cross Emblems
The Red Cross emblems symbolize impartial care for every 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 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. There is an additional distinctive emblem, The Red Crystal, created in 2005, for the purpose of increasing protection within those 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 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 in regards to his retired business, and a warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest, as a result, Dunant fled Switzerland and never returned. However, when the first Noble Peace Prize was awarded, in 1901, by the Norwegian Noble Committee, the award was jointly presented to Jean-Henri Dunant and Frédéric Passy, they 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 the redemption for Dunant's tarnished reputation and character.
The Red Cross Ethos
From its incipiency the Red Cross has achieved rapid recognition and great success over a relatively short period of time, and it has gained international respect around the world, for its principles of universality, equality, and impartiality, in terms of its 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, in addition, the Red Cross has gained a reputation for being a remarkable recruitment body, for millions of enthusiastic voluntary workers, of whom are its lifeblood. Enthusiastic individuals ready to express selfless acts of kindness and compassion towards their fellow human beings, without prejudice or judgement. The Red Cross is an independent, neutral, and non-political movement, which aims to provide a free service to nurse and alleviate human suffering, in times of war or large scale disasters. The Red Cross Movement continues to flourish to this day, offering a shining beacon of radiance from within the darkness of the forlorn.
Written by Frederick Star_gazer
Published 15 November 2020