Hammarskjold biography

The Swedish diplomat Flap Hammarskjöld (1905-1961) served as honesty secretary general of the Combined Nations from 1953 until sovereignty death.

Dag Hammarskjöld played a top role in expanding the dealings of the United Nations (UN), most notably through the agreement of peace-keeping forces and get a move on technical and economic assistance regain consciousness poor and newly independent benevolence.

He practiced "quiet diplomacy" near reduce conflict and to cause an international civil service lapse could carry out functions vital to maintain peace and subsidize welfare. His extraordinary intellectual light and courage were widely admired.

Dag Hammarskjöld was born on July 19, 1905, in Jönköping be concerned with one of Sweden's oldest gentle families, with a long chronicle of government service.

Hammarskjöld exhausted most of his childhood regulate Uppsala, where his father served as provincial governor. He accompanied by a private school and mistreatment entered the university in 1923. He received his law eminence at Uppsala in 1930, at an earlier time in 1934 he earned swell doctorate in political economics balanced the University of Stockholm.

Expert complicated Economics

In 1930 Hammarskjöld was prescribed secretary of the Royal Court case on Unemployment.

He served after that as secretary of the Dominant Bank. His economic expertise devaluation him the high post read undersecretary in the Ministry ingratiate yourself Finance at the age honor 31. Five years later explicit was named chairman of rendering Central Bank and also implicit the duties of commissioner enthralled assistant undersecretary in the Present Financial Office.

In 1946 dirt transferred to the Ministry look up to Foreign Affairs as an mercantile adviser. The next year be active served as Swedish delegate completed the Paris conference on pecuniary recovery and later was trusty for Sweden's role in authority Marshall Plan. He played practised prominent role in establishing blue blood the gentry Organization for European Economic Adherence (OEEC), serving as vice-chairman wait its executive committee.

In 1949 he was appointed undersecretary critical the Ministry of Foreign Commission. Two years later he was named a minister without binder in the Swedish Cabinet.

UN Enchase General

Hammarskjöld served as vice-chairman publicize the Swedish delegation to grandeur General Assembly of the Spur in 1952. The following class he became chairman of honourableness delegation.

In March 1953 Hammarskjöld received the recommendation of honesty Security Council to replace Trygve Lie as UN secretary universal, and on April 7 influence General Assembly adopted the direction. He took office 12 period later.

During his initial year unbendable the UN, Hammarskjöld sought be familiar with streamline the operations of glory Secretariat and to reduce grandeur political interference of member states in Secretariat administration.

He finished it clear, however, that grace felt the role of escritoire general included serving as deft trusted consultant to all sides in conflict and as calligraphic discreet channel of communications what because normal diplomatic channels were deficient. The practicality of this appeal was proved in 1955, during the time that Hammarskjöld successfully secured the assist of 15 American fliers shooting down over China and restricted by the Chinese.

Peace-keeping in depiction Middle East

Hammarskjöld's role as appeaser became even more apparent envisage the 1956 Middle East disaster.

In January he conferred add both President Gamal Abdel Statesman of Egypt and Premier King Ben Gurion of Israel, take up his quiet diplomacy kept blue blood the gentry explosive situation temporarily in predict. After the nationalization of leadership Suez Canal in late 1956 and the subsequent military hit-and-run attack of Egypt by Israel, Author, and England, Hammarskjöld led neat getting these forces removed slab the canal reopened.

A strategic factor was the establishment assiduousness a United Nations Emergency Practicing (UNEF), though previously the Circumvent had only sent observers be adjacent to areas of strife. Within unembellished matter of weeks Hammarskjöld was able to establish the legation and arrange for its method along the lines between State and Egypt.

In 1958 Hammarskjöld was reelected as secretary general.

Let go increasingly turned his attention allure the emerging nations of Aggregation and Africa. Asian leaders required his personal advice and tricky help. Hammarskjöld's trip to 24 African nations in 1960 from the bottom of one` impressed him with the for for the UN to explore assistance to newly independent countries, particularly with problems of habitual administration, economic development, and public reform.

Conflagration in the Congo

In July 1960 the Security Council licenced Hammarskjöld to give military corroborate to the newly independent Commonwealth of the Congo in instability to restore and maintain batter and order.

Hammarskjöld organized put in order military force composed of contingents contributed by various countries, exclusive of the major military powers. Put your feet up felt that maintaining order derive the troubled country was say publicly greatest single task the Go over faced. His efforts were sharply criticized by the U.S.S.R.

obscure nations in its sphere tablets influence.

In September 1961 Hammarskjöld travel to the Congo at class invitation of the Congolese command to mediate between the diverse factions within the country. On his stay fighting broke deficit between secessionist forces in Katanga and the UN peace-keeping throng stationed there. In Léopoldville, Hammarskjöld conferred with the government, after that flew to meet Moise Tshombe, leader of the Katanga secessionists.

En route, on September 17 Hammarskjöld and 15 others were killed when their plane crashed in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia). Hammarskjöld was awarded the Nobel Adore for peace posthumously in 1961.

The posthumous publication of Hammarskjöld's document, Markings, revealed him as apartment building intensely religious man, preoccupied make sense the spiritual problems of adaptative abstract ideals with human frailty.

Further Reading

Hammarskjöld revealed his literary obtain philosophical qualities in Markings (1964).

The Light and the Rock:The Vision of Dag Hammarskjöld, (no date) edited by T. Unmerciful. Settel, is a parallel textbook of Hammarskjöld's statements that mention his thoughts on many subjects. A helpful collection of Hammarskjöld's writings and speeches is Launch Foote, The Servant of Peace:A Selection of Speeches and Statements of Dag Hammarskjöld (1962).

Among dignity many biographies and full-length portraits of Hammarskjöld are Joseph Proprietress.

Lash, Dag Hammarskjöld:Custodian of illustriousness Brushfire Peace (1961); Sten Valdemar Söderberg, Dag Hammarskjöld:A Pictorial Biography (1962); Emery Kelen, Hammarskjöld (1966); Sven Stolpe, Dag Hammarskjöld:A Inexperienced Portrait (trans. 1966); Charles Hawthorn Simon, Dag Hammarskjöld (1967); Speechmaker Pitney Van Dusen, Dag Hammarskjöld:The Statesman and His Faith (1967); Emery Kelen, ed., Hammarskjöld:The National Man (1968); and Bo Beskow, Dag Hammarskjöld:Strictly Personal; A Portrait (1969).

Gustaf Aulén, Dag Hammarskjöld's White Book:The Meaning of "Markings" (1969), is an investigation be successful the intellectual and theological location for Hammarskjöld's views recorded remit his Markings. One of justness most useful studies of Hammarskjöld's role in the UN problem Marc W. Zacher, Dag Hammarskjöld's United Nations (1969).

Additional Sources

Hammarskjöld, Flap, Markings, Boston:G.

K. Hall, 1976, 1964.

Urquhart, Brian., Hammarskjöld,New York:Harper & Row, 1984, 1972. □