To mundialize a commune means
a transfer of the individual gesture of registration
as Citizen of the World to the scale of the basic cell
of any human group.
In taking his card of World Citizen, every one
brings the proof that he has become aware of his share
of personal responsibility in to-day’s problems :
and thus the World citizen gives evidence that above
his belonging to a local group, and national
collectivity, he has felt and undestood that he
belongs to a larger community – composed by the
whole of humanity- and that he has duties and
obligations towards it in the same way as he has some
towards his native nation.
To register as World Citizen is to accept to
partake in the task common to everyman, it is a moral
engagement to transcend and transfer one’s
obligations as citizen to a planetary scale ; it is to
declare onself available for the fight to preserve the
survival of humanity now threatened, to ensure the
victory of the ideal of peace and justice for which
all the men of good will are longing.
The mundialisation of a commune is the acte through
which the commune, the basic cell of any social and
political national organization declares having become
aware of the problems which claim the attention of the
world community and takes the pledge to seek, in full
agreement with all the communes in the wolrd, a just
and fair solution for every one.
Through this act, symbolical still, la population,
either directly, either with a vote of its Town
Council, declares that it realizes the great dangers
which are threatening us and the realities which
encircle us, and that it is ready to assume – for
the share devolving on it – its responsabilities
in the organization of a coherent world from which
anguish and poverty would be banished.
- Danger – The threat of total destruction
hanging over humanity with the prospect of atomic
war.
- Danger – The unreasoned destruction of all
the great natural riches.
- Danger – Pollution of all sorts.
- Reality – The interdpendence, not only
political, but also technical, economic and moral
of all the peoples.
- Reality – The total interdependance of all
the human beings confronted with the problems of
peace and war, of underfeeding, of the distribution
of raw materials.
- Lastly, the reality of the need for a
supranational organization, alone capable of
proposing and iposing, if necessary, fair solutions
to the problems which claim our attention and which
the national governments are unable to solve.
Briefly, in deciding upon its mundialization, the
comnune proclaims its will, beyond its local concern,
to cooperate to the setting up of to-morrow's society,
to take part in the construction of a better world
where fear, poverty and hunger would disappear.
How was this idea of mundialization born and how
did it grow?
CAHORS
The idea of this new technique originated from the
"Mundialist Research and Study Centre" under the
leadership of SARRAZAC.
Witnessing the wave of enthusiasm which followed
GARRY DAVIS' gesture when he pitched his tent on the
U.N.O. quarters, at the Palais de Chaillot, meeting
with the very favorable reactions which ensued this
demonstration, and noting what a success the meeting
at the Palais des Sports had been, the Research Centre
with some friends from Cahors including Dr.
Sauvé put into shape the text of the
Mundialization Charter which was to be submitted for
approval to the CAHORS Town Council on July 3rd
1949.
On July 20 th, the newly elected Council voted for
the Charter with 20 ayes and 7 abstentions.
On the following day, a committee was already
starting a popular vote. 70 % of the voting population
answered, 59 % of the registered electors voted for,
11 % did not pronounce themselves.
On September 30th, the LOT General Council passed a
favourable motion and requested the LOT town councils
to consider the enlargement of the CAHORS gesture to
the whole department.
On February 15th 1950, 239 LOT communes had voted
the text of the Charter. At FIGEAC, where political
dissents were particularly serious, a popular vote was
organized : 82 % of the registered electors voted in
favour.
On June 24th and 25th 1950, ceremonies consecrating
the LOT mundialization took place in CAHORS.
All those who had the immense pleasure of attending
these celebrations keep unforgettable memories. The
ceremony at VALENTRE bridge reached undescribable
fervour and enthusiasm. The 5.000 inhabitants were in
the street.
OTHER
DEPARTMENTS
In a parallel direction similar testing took place
in HAUTE GARONNE and TARN & GARONNE. REVEL, the
native town of Vincent AURIOL, then President of the
Republic, voted for mundialization on February 10th
1950 and on that occasion her mayor was given audience
at the Elysee.
In the spring of 1950, 10 General Councils, from a
zone reaching from LANDES to HERAULT and representing
3.400.000 inhabitants, passed resolutions in favour of
the Charter.
In various regions of France, during the year 1950,
many communes followed the CAHORS example.
16 town councils in AUDE, 24 in HAUTE GARONNE, 13
in TARN & GARONNE 13 in PAS de CALAIS, ILE de
SEIN, and 2 communes in MEUSE declared themselves
world territory. In 1951 and 1952 others still
requested to be added on the list; in ISERE,
particularly, Marius POIZAT, the mayor of
MOUSTEROUX-MILIEU, taking advantage of the complete
change of the Town Council, organized a parallel
popular vote and about the Charter he obtained a more
important majority than the one he had got on his
proper list.
In DROME, by consulting individually each elector,
we obtained the mundialization of BOURDEAUX, country
chief-town and that of the two neighbouring communes ;
these Referendums were confirmed by the vote of the
Town Council.
Abroad, the same encouraging results were obtained.
In GERMANY, KOENINGSWINTHER & OBERWINTER, BRANDE
in DENMAM became mundialized. In BELGIUM, at
CHASSEPIERE, FLORENVILLE, MONT SUR MARCHIENNE and
GRAND MANIL, in ITALY, at ROCCA SINIBALDA, wherever
the experiment was tried, there were similar
results.
In INDIA, KISAN PANCHAYAT's peasant union and the
two main universities LUCKNOW and ALLAHABAD accepted
the Charter.
JAPAN too, under the shock of the HIROSHIMA and
NAGASAKI apalling deeds, was gradually getting
interested in this action and thanks to the Oomoto
Association, in particular, numerous towns, then whole
prefectures joined the movement.
Then in the GARD department the action was being
worked at greater depths still by Renée et
Roger Volpelière.
On December 11th 1950, the General Council had
passed the following motion :
"Informed of the initiative of mundialization of
the French communes and towns which has been
undertaken in various departments by adopting the
Charter of Mundialization.
After aknowledging the full implication of this
Charter, calling individually and freely the
inhabitants of the French communes to proclaim their
will of peace by linking this will to that of all the
peoples in the world.
Considering that peace is the most sacred wish of
all the French people, that it is a treasure common to
the whole of humanity and that consequently the
privilege of defending it does not belong to such or
such party or movement only, but that it must be
organized unanimously by democratic ways and means
upon constructive proposals,
Considering that this formula of an individual
popular vote, without the participation of political
parties is not detrimental to any of them and that
instead of dividing men it brings them together in a
brotherly union,
The GARD General Council notes with pleasure the
initiative and adhesion of several French communes and
departments to the mundialization Charter which makes
this popular unanimous consent possible.
It strongly advises the communes of the GARD
department to study carefully the Charter of
Mundialization which will be submitted to them for
approval by the French provisional Council of the
mundialized communes and towns and it invites them to
subscribe, so that their gesture should prove to the
world the unanimous will of peace of the people of
France, without considering any party, belief or
ideology.
With the help of the Reverend MONTEIL and of Mr.
SOUBEYRAN, fortified by the support of the General
Council, an intensive campaign was launched by R. et
R. Volpelière, during all their free time
-visits to Mayors, to Town Councillors, to all
important people in the commune, information meetings,
articles in the press.
On July 1st 1951, a meeting at Nozière, made
a scrutiny of the first results possible. 91 communes
had been mundialized. in six months'time. The French
Council of the mundialized communes and towns was
created and Mr. PAGANELLI, honorary General Inspector,
honorary Prefect of the Gard department became
president while Mr. AMPHOUX, well known among
agricultural and vinegrowing circles became general
secretary.
The number of mundialized communes in the
department was rapidly growing : UZES, LE VIGAN, ALES,
then NIMES joined in this great wave of enthusiasm and
during the ceremonies celebrating the mundialization
of NIMES, on October 18th and 19th 1958, 260 communes
out of 355 had adopted the Charter. 31 had voted for
annual subsidies of 1000 to 15.000 (old francs) From
1955 the General Council, was giving a 25.000 (old
francs) subsidy, then voted an exceptional credit of
500.000 (old francs) for the international meeting at
PONT du Gard attended by various personalities in
particular Lord ATTLEE former English Prime Minister
and Lord BOYD ORR The town of NIMES voted a 1.000.000
old francs share, for the mundialization festivals.
Ceremonies to inaugurate the Rainbow Disk were
organized in many places, every time before as
numerous audiences and vivid enthusiasm.
Lastly, touching celebrations took place at VALLON
PONT d'ARC on May 14th 1956, before the more important
people of the Department presided by Mr. AGERON; the
unveiling of the mundiaIization stele was the occasion
for an unforgettable ceremony in front of a crowd
which claimed by its presence its hope in a more
harmonious organization of our planet.
Vallon Pont-d'Arc will be the first commune to give
the prompting to vote to the People's Congress, thanks
to the meeting held on July 12th 1970. In this
transnational vote, it will ask for Orval, mundialized
in 1971 and Chassepierre which will partake in the
second election for the People's Congress, to follow
in steps.
MUNDIALIZATION OUTSIDE
EUROPE
The mundialization technique, experimented in
Europe as early as 1949 (particularly in France, but
also in Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Germany etc.)
appeared soon afterwards under the influence of the
WAWF, on the American and Asiatic continents.
In Asia, after a few experiments in India, the
movement found a most favourable ground in Japan,
terribly hit materially and above all psychologically
by war and the atomic "try".
In America, the movement was developped mainly in
Canada at the prompting of the particularly dynamic
leaders of the WAWF, A. and H. NEWCOMBE. We shall say
a few words, in turn, about the situation in both
countries
MUNDIALIZATION JAPANESE
STYLE
It is in 1950, just before the Corean war broke
out, that the town of AYABE declared itself
mundialized, having just been formed by the
amalgamation of several neighbouring towns and
villages.
The resolution of the Town Council refers to
article 9 of the Constitution of Japan which includes
a statement from this country renouncing any war
intention. The following "declaration" was passed :
"The town of AYABE hereby declares that it is in full
agreement with the aims of a world federation which is
to be created on the basis of maintaining world peace
as provided by the Japanese Constitution and that no
effort shall be spared toward establishing permanent
peace on earth in cooperation with the rest of the
world".
Some more towns and villages in Japan declared
themselves mundialized between 1950 and 1956,
including HIROSHIMA in 1954. But the movement really
grew in importance after 1956 (date of Japan's entry
in the U.N.) and above all 1957 (date of the
mundialization of OKAYAMA, a province of more than 2
million inhabitants, after a vote of her Provincial
Assembly) The (( declaration )) finally adopted yet
did not exactly include the word "mundialization" :
the Assembly declared "being in favour of the creation
of a world federal government. through increased
powers of the United Nations",
To-day (1970) almost half the provinces of Japan
have passed declarations of mundialization. In 1966, a
World Council for Mundialization was created by the
WAWF with headquarters in Japan, in HIROSHIMA.
MUNDIALIZATION : CANADIAN
STYLE
According to Alan and Hanna Newcombe, a resolution
passed by a Town Council (or another local authority)
may likely be forgotten if no other action reminds the
citizens of its permanent value.
With this in mind, they proposed in 1966 that each
vote should be accompanied by three other decisions
:
- to fly the U.N. flag, beside the national flag,
at City Hall.
- to raise each year, by voluntary subscription a
sum of money equal to 0,01 % of the total taxes
raised by the city, to be given to the U.N. special
Account.
- to twin with another community in another
country which is mundialized according to the
original concept.
The arguments they put forward in favour of this
"new style" mundialization are as follows :
- Flying the U.N. flag : in spite of all their
shortcomings, the U.N. own the only flag to be
recognized in the world as that of world
organization. Each day, it reminds the citizens of
the existence of a world beyond the local
boundaries.
- Voluntary subscription : not every one can read
Clark and Sohn or discuss with a member of the
Foreign Office, but every one, even a 13 year old
child may sell "tags for peace" while giving the
necessary explanations; thus people can buy these
tags as they listen to the explanations.
- "Twinning" : this is a popular operation.
Nearly everybody may become involved in the various
twinning activities : the exchange of children's
drawings, of photographs, of homemade movies, of
letters, of young people etc... The local
differences become less. The local press talks
about these activities, which constitutes excellent
propaganda.
A favourable chain reaction is thus started.
To-day (1970), 8 local governments representing
more than 2 million Canadians have voted for
mundialization, matched by the above mentioned
decisions. In particular, OTTAWA and TORONTO have been
mundialized. The programme has the support of the
Prime Minister, P. Trudeau.
TEXT
OF THE INSCRIPTION WRITTEN
ON THE STELE OF MUNDIALIZATION
(Disk - World Signal)
This commune is
French territory and has declared itself
world territory :
The world
collectivity, made up of villages and
towns must be protected against the atomic
threat, the regressions of civilization
brought about by cold war, and against the
havoc of war. It must set up the minimum
cooperations indispensable for its
development, for the benefit of all
men.
Only World Controls,
World Laws and Institutions, and a High
World Authority will guarantee every one
world minimum protections and
cooperations.
As it becomes
mundialized, this commune enlists to work
for the World Common Good. It calls on
each commune to assume a duty of
protection toward all the others and to be
entrusted with the Supreme Interests of
The World Collectivity.
As a small part of
this collectivity, it pledges itself to
contribute to its protection and to its
development. It will help found, through
voting, serving and respecting its laws,
the first civilization of world
coexistence.
Far more than war,
such undertaking of defence of the mother
country and of man requires loftiness and
sacrifice.
NIMES
|
CONCLUSION
:
Whatever the technique of mundialization used may
be, it becomes urgent that all the towns in the world
which have declared mundialization come together in an
International Council for mundialization, for speeding
up the mundialization process all over the planet and
for taking the opportunity, every time a world event
occurs, of showing the necessity of the setting up of
WORLD INSTITUTIONS, only solution to the conflicts and
economic problems of humanity.
The international council for mundialization could
for example :
- demand that places of strategic interest or
indispensable for the survival of humanity -such as
the Suez Canal, the forest of Brazil, Jerusalem, the
Panama Canal, oceans... - be mundialized and placed
under the control and management of supranational
institutions.
- have the communes partake in the transnational
elections to the People's Congress.
inquiries Renée et Roger
VOLPELIERE
Registry of World Citizens
"Booklet n°13". and "Mundialist Summa" vol.1
