At the New Delhi Conference held in March 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru highlighted upon the dangers posed by the hostility between the two power blocs and stressed upon the need for the Asian countries to work for maintaining world peace. Division of the world into two main blocs increased the race of armaments among Western and Eastern European countries which disturbed world peace several times. In this article we have discussed Role of Jawaharlal Nehru in Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
Objectives of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
- Not to join any power bloc or any military alliance
- To eliminate all those causes which may lead to a war
- To oppose colonialism, imperialism and racial discrimination
- To encourage countries to maintain friendly relations with each other
- To stress on peaceful settlement of international disputes
- To oppose the use of nuclear weapons in war
- To work towards strengthening UNO
- To protect human rights and to protect the environment
- To build a new international economic order based on equity, equality and justice
Role of Jawaharlal Nehru in Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
- India was the first country which initiated the non-aligned policy under the leadership of Nehru.
- Jawaharlal Nehru realised that one of the greatest dangers of India and other newly independent countries lie in joining any of the two power blocs. He advocated all the countries to stay away from the power blocs. Nehru with his leadership skills and far sightedness convinced the Asian and African nations to initiate a movement against the division of the world into two powerful blocs.
- Nehru, Nasser and Tito were the three main founder members of NAM.
- He along with Tito of Yugoslavia, Nasser of Egypt, Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam and Kwama Nkrumah of Ghana participated in the Bandung Conference where NAM was given a final shape.
- Nehru is considered the greatest spokesman for neutrality of Asian and African states in the era of Cold War.
- Nehru opposed the formation of military alliances as these were likely to produce race for armaments.
- Nehru rejected the communist state as ‘monolithic’ and described Marxism as an outdated philosophy. He did not favour capitalism and was tilted towards socialism.
- India played an important role in NAM and world affairs during the Cold War. It supported many countries in the efforts to attain independence.
Achievements of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
- NAM helped reduce the tension between two power blocs and played an important role in bringing the Cold War to an end.
- It opposed the race of armaments which existed among various countries during the Cold War.
- It supported and promoted international peace, justice and freedom.
- It advocated a new international economic order which was based on greater economic cooperation and justice.
Also Read The Rise of Assertive Nationalism
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