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Show Governments of Many Nations Changed As Liberating Armies Advanced in 1944 CommonPeopleGet Chance to Establish Democratic States Governmental changes that shared world importance with the war news marked the year 1944. Iceland became a republic; repub-lic; five Soviet Socialist republics repub-lics again took their places in the U. S. S. R.; four Nazi-shackled Nazi-shackled countries were liberated; liber-ated; and three Axis satellites deserted. A year-end bulletin from the National Geographic society reviews these momentous momen-tous events. On June 17 Iceland became a modern republic. On that day the Althing an 11-centuries-old legisla-, legisla-, tive body sometimes called the j "Grandmother of Parliaments" : elected the nation's former regent, : Sveinn Bjornsson, president. In a national election held in May the people had voted to dissolve their j union with Denmark, j First settled in 874 and organized ; as a republic 56 years later, Iceland ! was Independent until 1263 when it Joined with Norway. Both Iceland nd Norway came under Danish rule in 1381. Norway was separated sepa-rated from Denmark by cession to Sweden In 1814, and the two countries coun-tries formed a union which lasted until 1905 when the union was ended end-ed by mutual agreement. Icelanders Iceland-ers had long agitated for independence, independ-ence, but it was not realized until 1918. Iceland was then recognized s a separate kingdom with unlimited unlim-ited sovereignty. ! Germany tried in prewar years to get control of this strategic North Atlantic Islond by establishing commercial com-mercial routes. British forces were stationed on the island shortly after the beginning of World War II. They ; were replaced in 1941 by American units. Re-enter U.S.S.R. Five other republics, 1.500 miles or more to the east, resumed their prewar status. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, freed from Nazi occupation, occupa-tion, again became a part of the Soviet Union as Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republics. Re-publics. All three had first entered the Union in 1940. The Karelo-Finnish Republic, farther far-ther to the north, was the fourth to be added to the Soviet family. It also had first entered the Union in 1940. Its border city of Vilpurl guards the western approach to the city of Leningrad. Russia's new Arctic port of Pecheng (Petsamo), acquired from Finland in September, Septem-ber, extended Russian boundaries westward to Norway. The fifth state restored to Russia In 1914 Is the Moldavian Soviet Socialist So-cialist Republic, a slice of territory lying between the Ukrainian Republic Repub-lic and Romania. Once known as Bessarabia, this area has experienced experi-enced a round of governmental changes. Before World War I it was Russian ground; from 1918 to 1940 it belong to Romania. It was turned back to Russia in 1940 and set up as a republic of the Union, only to be reoccupied by Romania the next year. To four German dominated nations na-tions France, Belgium, Luxembourg Luxem-bourg and Greece freedom came toward the close of the year. France, whose liberation was heralded her-alded by Allied landings on the Normandy Nor-mandy coast, June 6. was almost completely free by the middle of September. General Charles de Gaulle's Committee Com-mittee of National Liberation was recognized on October 23 by the U. S. state department as the de facto I government of France. On Scptcm-! Scptcm-! bcr 21 President Roosevelt appoint-I W : """" hp, , iH;f f 4f. ' dm 1 t J 111 The president of the newly established Icelandic republic, Sveinn Bjornsson, addresses the nation by radio on June 17, 1944, the day the Island dissolved its union with Denmark. ed Jefferson Caffery, former United States ambassador to Brazil, as ambassador am-bassador to the French government now established in Paris. On Armistice Ar-mistice day France was formally Invited In-vited to become a full-fledged member mem-ber of the European advisory commission com-mission meeting in London. Belgium's Regent. Belgium, whose national liberation released its own governing agencies, immediately took steps to restore its prewar standing. In the ob- rv f i-v;; mi :V - ( ' .i mr gii i'Til Crown Prince Umberto was named Prince Lieutenant General of the Realm of Italy by his father, King Victor Emanuel, who abdicated when Allied troops entered the capital capi-tal In June, 1944. sence of King Leopold III, held in Germany, 41 year old Prince Charles, brother of the king, became be-came "Regent of the Realm," to act until the king returns. In September, the tiny Duchy of Luxembourg, neighbor of France, Belgium and Germany, celebrated its freedom from four years of Nazi tyranny. Allied fighting men landing In Greece In October helped Greek pa-triots pa-triots to oust the Germans. Internal political problems had divided the people into factions, some opposing the return of the monarchy. The cabinet decided to Inform King George II, in London, that resump- ' vfi vr4 r-; I b pr,. w o 4 it ?-&,. I? c ii ; j Gen. Charles De Gaulle, head of the provisional government of France, reviews the 1944 Armlntlce day parade In Paris, flanked by Win-ton Win-ton Churchill and Anthony Eden of Great Britain. France was formally Invited to become a member of the European Advisory committee by the British statesmen. tion of his powers was conditioned on popular will. Late in the year, Netherlander saw the beginning of the Allied attempt at-tempt to smash the western anchor of the German defense system, prelude pre-lude to liberation. From the southwest south-west Pacific came more good news for the first time In more than four years the nation's flag flew over Hollandia in Netherlands New Guinea. Axis-satellites Finland, Romania and Bulgaria broke their ties with the Nazi government, and moved toward agreements with the Allied powers. Shifts in Italy King Victor Emanuel III stepped aside in favor of his 39-year-old son, Umberto, designated "Prince Lieutenant Lieu-tenant General of the Realm." Premier Pre-mier Ivanoe Bonomi and his Italian cabinet contributed a novelty when they took office in June. They did not take the customary oath to the crown; instead they pledged themselves them-selves to fulfill their duties according accord-ing to the constitution. The United States resumed diplomatic relations with Italy in October when Alexander Alexan-der G. Kirk was named ambassador. ambassa-dor. On November 10 the presidency presiden-cy of the Allied Commission for Italy It-aly was transferred from military to civilian direction. I The fledgling republic of Syria, liberated from the Vichy-French in 1941, added to its territory the independent in-dependent mountain-kingdom of Je-bel Je-bel Druz. Its people, dwellers in southern Syria, voted to yield their administrative and financial independence, inde-pendence, and merge the management manage-ment of their affairs with the government gov-ernment of Syria. President Roosevelt Roose-velt appointed George Wadsworth minister to the republics of Syria and Lebanon. Closer bonds between the United States and its African protege Liberia Li-beria were assured by the December, Decem-ber, 1943, treaty, the provisions of which were made public on October 30, 1944. The treaty stipulates that all naval, military and air installations installa-tions will be supervised by the U. S. Significant changes took place in 1944 in the New world. Argentina abolished all political parties and Instituted strict censorship of the press. The tiny Atlantic island ol Bermuda modernized some of Its ancient laws. For the first time In the three centuries of its history women were given the same voting privileges as men. Philippines to Be Free. Events in the Pacific area were highlighted by the return to the Philippines of President Sergio Os-mcna Os-mcna and his cabinet with the invasion in-vasion forces of Gen. Douglas Mac-Arthur. Mac-Arthur. The presence of the official offi-cial was only suggestive of the resumption re-sumption of authority on home soil, for it was understood that island affairs af-fairs will continue to be admini tercd from Washington. The future status of the Philippines Philip-pines was defined in two resolutions resolu-tions adopted by the U S. congress, and signed by President Roosevelt on June 30. These resolutions grant independence to Die islands as soon as the Japs are ejected, and provide pro-vide for defense by the construction of United States military and naval bases. |
