Confédération Internationale des Étudiants

Confédération Internationale des Étudiants
English: International Confederation of Students
Established1919 (1919)
FoundersFrance Union Nationale des Étudiants de France
Founded atStrasbourg, France
Dissolved1946
TypeStudents union
Formerly called
Confédération Interalliée des Étudiants (English: Interallied Student Confederation), 1919-1921

The Confédération Internationale des Étudiants (International Confederation of Students)[1] was an international student organization that existed from 1919 to 1946.

History

The CIE was founded at the Strasbourg Congress of the Union nationale des étudiants de France (National Union of Students of France) in 1919, with representatives from 17 countries in attendance. It was initially established as "Confédération Interalliée des Étudiants - CIE" (English: Interallied Student Confederation) and was made up of the national students' union of seven countries: Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, and Spain. The confederation was renamed to Confédération Internationale des Étudiants (International Confederation of Students) at its 1921 congress held in Prague. By the end of the 1923 congress in The Hague, ten more nations had joined the confederation as full members: Denmark, England, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia), Norway, Scotland[note 1], Sweden, and Switzerland. They were by three free members (without voting rights): Greece, Ukraine, and the United States. At its peak in 1934, the confederation is made up of 26 full members, 1 associate member, and 10 free members.[2]

The confederation was the organiser of the World University Games between 1924 and 1947.[3] It also advocated on issues such as international recognition of university degrees, knowledge exchange, and student travel.[4] Some of their initiatives included the creation of International Student ID cards as well as student travel companies.[5]

The confederation was, however, not interested in "discussing religious and political questions",[6] such as mutual aids, gender inequality, as well as the representation of students from colonised nations.[4][7] This reluctance to be political led to criticisms from some members of the confederation. For example, in 1937, the CIE's refusal to condemn antisemitic attacks in Romania led to England's National Union of Students withdrawing from the confederation as a member.[8]

The activities of the confederation were heavily affected due to the start of the Second World War in 1939. Its headquarter in Brussels were destroyed by German troops in 1940, leading to the organisation becoming completely inactive. It was officially dissolved by 1946.[2]

Past presidents

Years in office[2]PresidentCountry
1919-1924Jean Gérard France
1924-1927Jan Billinski-Jundzill Poland
1927-1928Roberto Maltini Italy
1928-1929Gordon Bagnall England
1929-1931Paul Saurin France
1931-1933Jan Pozaryski Poland
1933-1934Denis Follows England
1934-1935Dino Gardini Italy
1936-1937Roberts Plūme Latvia
1937-1938Lincoln Ralphs England
1938-1939Claude Delorme France
1939-1940Jerzy Przezdziecki Poland
Armand Bernath (honorary)  Switzerland

Notes

  1. ↑ The Union of Scottish Students did not merge into NUS UK until 1972 and was therefore treated as a separate member within the confederation.

References

  1. ↑ "Confédération Internationale des Étudiants (CIE), 1919-1940". 7 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Gallien, Claude-Louis (2019), In Between Two Wars, 1919-1939 (PDF), International University Sports Federation
  3. ↑ "World Student Games (Pre-Universiade)". www.gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  4. 1 2 Laqua, Daniel (2017-06-01). "Activism in the 'Students' League of Nations': International Student Politics and the Confédération Internationale des Étudiants, 1919–1939". The English Historical Review. 132 (556): 605–637. doi:10.1093/ehr/cex153. ISSN 0013-8266.
  5. ↑ de Wit, J. W. M. (2001). Internationalisation of Higher Education in the United States of America and Europe (PhD thesis). University of Amsterdam.
  6. ↑ "Confederation Internationale Des Étudiants". Advocate of Peace through Justice. 85 (3): 89–90. 1923. ISSN 2155-7802. JSTOR 20660233.
  7. ↑ "Education: No Publicity". Time. 14 April 1923. Archived from the original on 2025-05-24. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  8. ↑ National Union of Students (United Kingdom) (2019), NUSUK and International Relations: A Short History of NUSUK’s International Work 1922 - 2019, archived from the original on 2026-04-14
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