ACCOUNT-RENDU – 49th ICHM Congress
The International Commission on Military History held its 49th Congress in Lisbon (POR), from 1 to 6 September 2024. The meeting was attended by 183 participants from 38 countries; Switzerland was represented by a delegation of 8 members of ASHSM, our association forming the National Commission of Military History.
The general theme of the congress was: « Military interventions and political transitions ». This thread worked well on the 50th anniversary of the Portuguese revolution – said « Carnations » – which marked in 1974 the fall of the dictatorial regime and the beginning of the return to democracy.
As many as 71 papers were presented, dealing with the topic over more than 300 years, in many parts of the world and in a wide variety of contexts. Considerations were thus heard about revolts, putschs or counter-insurgency, but also about their origins or consequences.
The large number of speakers prompted the organizers to limit the duration of interventions to 20 minutes; We can therefore only welcome the forthcoming publication, in 1-2 years, of the congressional proceedings for more detailed articles.
Our Association was not in retreat, since 4 members made contributions:
- Oreste Foppiani : The U.S. Military Intervention in Cuba and the Philippines : Humanitarian Motives Mixed with Geo-political and Geo-economic National Interests;
- Jean-Marc Hochstrasser: Reciprocal influence of political events in countries where Swiss regiments were present and the effects of the changes in circumstances of these troops;
- Derck Engelberts: Swiss revolution(s) and French armed forces in 1798: an unusual situation;
- Dominique Andrey: Influences of the militia system on the creation of modern Switzerland.
The congress also allowed (re)discovering the historical, architectural and cultural riches of Portugal and Lisbon, as well as caring for relations with other national delegations.
On balance: a meeting rich in contacts and information. The next congresses of the ICHM are already generated as follows:
- 31 August – 5 September 2025, Dakar (SEN), on the general theme: « Rebellions, secessions and sovereignty in contemporary times» ;
- 23 - 28 August 2026, in Foz do Iguaçu (BRA), on the general theme: « Borders as places of exchange more than conflicts».
CIHM information, acts and newsletters are available online on www.icmh-cihm.org .