Show governments of many nations chan changed 9 ed As liberating armies advanced in 1944 common people get chance to establish democratic states governmental changes that shared world importance with the war news marked the year 1944 iceland became a republic five soviet socialist republics again took their places in the U S S R four nazi shackled countries were liberated and three axis satellites deserted A year end bulletin fro from m the national geographic society reviews these momentous events on june 17 iceland became a modern republic on that day the an 11 centuries old legislative body sometimes called the grandmother of parliaments elected the nations former regent sveinn bjornsson president in a national election held in may the people had voted to dissolve their union with denmark first settled in and organized as a republic 56 years later iceland was independent until 1263 when it joined with norway both iceland and norway came under danish rule in 1381 1331 norway was separated from denmark by cession to sweden in 1814 and the two countries formed a union which lasted until 1905 when the union was ended by mutual agreement iceland ers had long agitated for independence but it was not realized until 1918 iceland was then recognized as a separate kingdom with unlimited sovereignty germany tried in prewar years to get control of this strategic north atlantic island by establishing commercial routes british forces were stationed on the island shortly after the beginning of world war II 11 they were replaced in 1941 by american units re berer USSR five other republics 1500 miles or more to the east resumed their prewar status estonia latvia and lithuania freed from nazi occupation again became a part of the soviet union as estonian latvian and lithuanian soviet socialist republics all three had first entered the union in 1940 the barelo finnish republic farther 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 guards the western approach to the city of leningrad dussias Rus sias new arctic port of hecheng petsamo Pet samo acquired from finland in september extended russian boundaries westward to norway the fifth state restored to russia in 1944 is the soviet socialist republic a slice of territory lying between the ukrainian republic and romania once known as Bes sarabia this area has experienced a round of governmental changes before world war I 1 it was russian ground from 1918 to 1940 it belonged to romania it was turned back to russia in 1940 and set up as a republic of the union only to be re occupied by romania the next year jo four german dominated nations france belgium luxembourg and greece freedom came toward the close of the year france whose liberation was heralded by allied landings on the normandy coast june 6 was almost completely free by the middle of september general charles de gaelles Ga ulles committee of national liberation was recognized on october 23 by the U S state department as the de facto government of france on september 21 president roosevelt appoint RW il 1 01 1 N W Z WF ap J J U Z fl V rag 12 K 1111 1 11 j 3 S X av 1 t 0 the president of the newly established icelandic reau republic ic sveinn svein bjornsson addresses the nation by radio on june 17 1944 the day th the island dissolved its union with denmark ed jefferson caffery former united states ambassador to brazil as ambassador bas to the french gover government ment now established in paris on 0 armistice day france was forma formally ly in invited to become a full fledged member of the european advisory commission meeting in london regent belgium whose national liberation released its own governing agencies immediately took steps to restore its prewar standing in the ab M IV ral V S 0 1 X 7 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 in june 1944 sence of king leopold III held in germany 41 year old prince charles brother of the king became 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 patriots 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 11 II in london that E X 7 V t W p gy I 1 07 gen charles de head of the provisional government of france reviews the ISM 1944 armistice day parade in paris flanked by winston churchill and anthony eden of great britain france was formally invited to become a member of the european advisory committee by the british stat statesmen esmon tion of his powers was conditioned on popular will late in the year Nether netherlanders landers saw the beginning of the allied attempt to smash the western anchor of the german defense system prelude to liberation from the southwest pacific came more good news for the first time in more than four years the nations flag flew over hollandia yollandia Hol landia in netherlands new guinea axis satellites finland romania and bulgaria broke their ties with the nazi government ani and C moved toward agreements with the A allied powers shifts in italy king victor emanuel III stepped aside in favor of his 39 year old son umberto designated prince lieutenant general of the realm premier ivanoe bonomi and his italian alian cabinet contributed a novelty when they took office in june they did not take the customary oa oath th to the crown instead they pledged themselves to fulfill their duties according to the constitution the united states resumed diplomatic relations with italy in october when alexander G kirk was named ambassador on november 10 the presidency of the allied commission for italy was transferred from military to civilian direction the fledgling republic of syria liberated from the vichy french in 1941 added to its territory the independent mountain kingdom of je bel druz its people dwellers in southern syria voted to yield their administrative and financial independence pen dence and merge the management of their aff affairs airs with the government of syria president roosevelt appointed george wadsworth minister to the republics of syria and lebanon closer bonds between the united states and its african liberia were assured by the december 1943 treaty the provisions of which were made public on october 30 1944 the treaty stipulates that all naval military and air installations 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 of 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 and his cabinet with the invasion forces of gen douglas macarthur the presence of the official was only suggestive of the resumption of authority on home soil for it was understood that tha island affairs will continue to be adminis administered from washington the future status of the philippines was defined in two resolutions adopted by the U S congress and signed by president roosevelt on june 30 these resolutions grant independence to the islands as soon as the japs are ejected and provide for defense by the construction of united states military and naval I 1 haveis |