Probably, only the desire of mankind for self-expression and heroic deeds contributes to the emergence of unusually tenacious initiatives. So a gentleman by the name of Nobel took it and decided to leave his money to his descendants in order to reward the gentlemen who distinguished themselves in one area or another. He has long rested in the damp earth, and the people remember him. The population is waiting (some impatiently) when the next lucky ones will be announced. And the candidates try, set goals, even intrigue, trying to climb this Olympus of glory. And if everything is clear with scientists and researchers - they receive their awards for real achievements or discoveries, then how do the Nobel Peace Prize winners stand out? Interesting? Let's find out.
Who awards the award and for what?
There is a special committee whose main task is to select and approve
candidates for the highest award in this field. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to people who have distinguished themselves in promoting security and stability on the planet. She isissued annually. The procedure takes place in Oslo, the tenth of December. At the same time, both international organizations and national governments can propose a candidate who will become a laureate. They are listed in the Charter of the Committee. Any person who has been or is a member of the Nobel Committee is also eligible to participate in the nomination process. In addition, the Charter gives such privileges to university professors involved in politics or history.
The Nobel Peace Prize winners themselves also have the opportunity to offer outstanding figures to replenish their ranks. The procedure is quite democratic. It is important to justify your proposal. Naturally, forgeries or tricks are inappropriate here. The nominee should know the whole world. The activity of such a person cannot be a secret. Only open and meaningful for humanity.
A bit of history
I must say that the Nobel Peace Prize was born as a kind of "expiation of sins." Alfred Nobel was a scientist, a passionate and non-belligerent person. He invented and created dynamite. The inventor was driven by the desire to help mankind explore natural spaces, extract minerals. He did not imagine what a terrible "serpent" he was releasing into the world. His discovery, of course, was used for its intended purpose. Only it became more famous (in a negative sense) in the war. At that time, dynamite was a terrible and destructive weapon. Not only did the inventor suffer from such an unexpected turn of events, but he was also “rinsed” in the press in full. A person who wants to give the world a convenient and usefultool, was called almost a killer.
It hurt Nobel. In his will, he ordered that the fortune be placed in a bank. The accumulated funds are divided into five parts, one of which is annually issued to a person who has distinguished himself in the establishment of peace. The remaining four were intended for scientists who achieved outstanding results in physics, chemistry, medicine and art (literature).
Who came first?
Nobel died in 1896. His will began to be carried out some time later. Naturally, it was necessary to carry out organizational measures, to develop "rules" and "criteria". The first Nobel Peace Prize winners were announced in 1901. There were two of them. This is allowed. It is not necessary to give the entire amount to one candidate. If the Committee considers that several people have shown equal abilities, achieved comparable results in terms of significance, then they are awarded one prize. In 1901 they were Frédéric Passy and Jean Henri Dunant. They have made a significant contribution to the creation of mechanisms designed to resolve conflicts. Passy worked at the inter-parliamentary level. Through his efforts, the International Peace League was created. Dunant became famous for the idea of creating the International Committee of the Red Cross. This organization is still considered one of the largest, carrying out a humanitarian mission. Since then, one hundred and two people have received the same award. The Nobel Peace Prize was also awarded to collective bodies. Twenty-five organizations received it.
Who won the Nobel Peace Prize and why?
Winners, the list of which is not hidden from the general public, evoke different responses in the souls of people. Some are considered real "doves of peace", others are condemned for one reason or another. Some members of the public say they have been undeservedly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The winners (the list varies in different countries) are criticized mainly for political reasons.
There is a list of the most scandalous personalities with this award. At the same time, one part of humanity believes that they received the award quite deservedly, the other denies this fact. It's all about how you treat the results of their activities. After all, for example, Gorbachev, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990, is perceived quite ambiguously in Russia and abroad. In the West, his activities to destroy the "evil empire" (USSR) are considered outstanding, and in the vastness of this former great country - a great misfortune. The President of Russia has repeatedly called this event a tragedy, referring to the troubles that suddenly fell on the heads of ordinary people. By the way, Vladimir Putin has been repeatedly nominated for the award. The Nobel Peace Prize is not yet on the list of his achievements, unfortunately. Most likely, this is not an indicator of the attitude of the world to its work, but a political game.
Most Deserved Laureates
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to various figures. Among them, Martin Luther King stands out for his unambiguous attitude to his merits. This great man fought against racialdiscrimination. He was a pastor and believed that it was possible to overcome negative phenomena absolutely peacefully, without resorting to aggressive methods. His contribution to the democratization of US society is still considered unsurpassed.
The same assessment of the achievements of Nelson Mandela. He received the award in 1993. His life was devoted to the struggle for the equality of citizens, regardless of skin color. For his anti-racist ideas, he was isolated in prison for thirty years, but did not give up. It should be noted that Mandela enjoyed the incredible respect of his fellow citizens. Less than four years after his release, he was elected president of South Africa.
When they study who won the Nobel Peace Prize, they are sure to come across the name of another political figure whose work does not cause criticism. Such a person is Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama. This is an absolutely outstanding personality. From an early age, he was forced to take on spiritual leadership. Buddhists recognized the boy as the incarnation of the deceased lama. Subsequently, he had to shoulder the political responsibility for Tibet (at the age of sixteen). All his work is based on kindness, tolerance and love (from the wording of the Nobel Committee). It should be added that he was unable to reach an agreement with the Chinese government. Now lives and pursues his ideas in exile.
It turns out it's not that simple
There are also very controversial winners of this high award. The committee is often criticized for being too politicized. Residents of the post-SovietMikhail Gorbachev seems to be such a figure. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to such a controversial person from the point of view of the world community as Yasser Arafat.
This decision of the Committee is considered scandalous on the grounds that this laureate did not deny the military ways to achieve their goals. On his account not only battles, but also terrorist acts. He himself proclaimed the destruction of an entire sovereign state (Israel) as his goal. That is, despite the fact that Arafat fought for the well-being of the inhabitants of the Middle East, it is difficult to assign the title of peacemaker to him. Another scandalous figure is Barack Obama. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to him in 2009. It must be said that the Committee had to put up with a flurry of criticism of this decision.
More about Obama
In the world press, the opinion is still flickering that the President of the States was awarded the award "in advance". At that time, he had just taken office, he had not yet distinguished himself in anything significant. And the initiatives and decisions that he subsequently took do not at all explain why he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Obama is considered the president who unleashed the largest number of military conflicts. Their victims are incalculable due to the "hybrid nature" of these collisions (the term appeared quite recently). He had to make decisions about bombing and ground operations. He is criticized for the invasion of Syria, unrest in Iraq and Ukraine. Howeverless Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize and is listed among its laureates.
This "advance reward" leads to more and more scandals. As hotspots emerge, some politicians are speaking out in favor of removing the award. There is an opinion that such non-peaceful behavior dishonors a high premium. In the Russian Federation, of course, they believe that V. V. Putin is a more worthy candidate. The Nobel Peace Prize may yet be awarded for his true tenacity in conflict resolution.
About money
People are often interested not so much in the achievements of individuals awarded this award, but in its amount. The Nobel Peace Prize really can amaze the imagination. The fact is that all the funds of the Committee do not just lie in financial institutions. They "work", increasing in size. According to the will, the profit is divided into five parts. They are not the same and become more and more impressive from year to year. So, the very first amount, handed in 1901, was equal to forty-two thousand dollars. In 2003, the amount was already 1.35 million. Its size is influenced by the state of the world economy. Dividends that go to payments can not only increase, but also decrease. For example, in 2007 the amount of the premium was 1.542 million, and by 2008 it "melted" (1.4 million dollars).
These funds are distributed in five equal shares by nominations, and then by the number of laureates, in accordance with those rules, according towho are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. How much money will go to awards in each year is determined by the Committee, having carried out the appropriate calculations of earnings from securities and other assets.
Russian laureates
Our fellow citizens only received such an award twice. In addition to Gorbachev, the scientist Andrei Sakharov was awarded such an honor. At the same time, it was not his scientific works that became the reason for awarding the prize. Sakharov was considered a human rights activist and a fighter against the regime. In Soviet times, he was subjected to sharp criticism and persecution. The scientist worked on the creation of hydrogen weapons. Despite this, he openly advocated a ban on testing weapons of mass destruction, against the arms race. His ideas were very popular in society and did not like the ruling elite at all.
Sakharov is considered to be a passionate champion of peace, who suffered for his views. The Nobel Committee used the wording: "for courage in the fight against abuse of power …". Nevertheless, he was rather an idealist, a kind and non-aggressive person (according to the recollections of his colleagues). More Russians did not receive high awards, which does not mean that worthy personalities do not live in our country. Rather, this fact can be perceived as a political partisanship of the Committee, the use of the award in geopolitical competition.
Who did not receive an award, but deserves it?
Many politicians believe that Mahatma Gandhi, more than all other figures, deserved a high award. This man de alt with the organization of the struggle of the Indians against the colonialists. Gandhi had to not only come up with ways towith which the weak and unarmed population could resist the British army, but they also had to be correlated with the characteristics of the local religion. This method was invented by him. It has been called non-violent resistance and is often used today. Mahatma Gandhi was proposed to the Committee five times. Only there were "more worthy" candidates (which again can be explained by the politicization of this organization). Subsequently, the officials responsible for awarding the Nobel Prize expressed their regret that Gandhi never became a laureate.
The Incidents of the Nobel Committee
There are such incredible things in the history of this organization that can now be perceived only anecdotally. So, as you know, none other than Adolf Hitler was nominated for this award in 1939. Fortunately, he did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize. And it's not about the money. What would be the prestige of an organization that would call a peacemaker a person guilty of the death of millions of inhabitants of our planet? The Nobel Committee refused to award it, explaining its decision by the attitude of the Nazis towards the Jews.
Nevertheless, at the time of the nomination, Hitler's activities looked quite progressive for the German intelligentsia. He had just concluded two large peace agreements, raised industry, took care of the development of science and art. Nowadays, people understand how absurd and unfounded Hitler's claims for the award were. But at thattime, the inhabitants of Germany perceived him as a real leader, leading them to a bright life. Yes, it was true to some extent. He really cared about the Germans, only at the expense of people of other nationalities. To the credit of the members of the Nobel Committee, they understood this and refused his candidacy for the award.
Collective Laureates
This award has been awarded three times to organizations connected in one way or another with the Red Cross. If we take into account the first laureate - its organizer, then four. It should be noted that this international organization undoubtedly deserves such a high appraisal. Its representatives always find a field for activity. Whether in areas of bloody conflict or epidemics, they are often at the center of the action, lending a much-needed hand of support to unfortunate people in distress. By the way, once the UN became the laureate of the award (2001), earlier its peacekeeping forces (1988) and the refugee service (1981) were noted. Of the not very well-known organizations-winners, the International Labor Organization (1969) can be mentioned. We probably don't hear about Wave because it's been a long time since her influence in the world was so great that she won an award.
There are many winners of this serious award. The names of some went down in history with courage and courage, others - with scandals and intrigues. The third is not remembered at all. Nevertheless, people want this award to fall into the hands of truly worthy individuals, regardless of the political situation.
