Peter Ritchie Calder, Baron Ritchie-Calder

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Peter Ritchie Calder, Baron Ritchie-Calder (born July 1, 1906 in Forfar , Angus , † January 31, 1982 in Edinburgh ) was a Scottish author, journalist and university professor.

Peter Calder received his education at the Forfar Academy . He first worked as a journalist in Dundee and Glasgow , where he was a well-known socialist and peace activist . As a science editor for the News Chronicle , he wrote articles under the name Ritchie Calder . He was also extremely productive as a book author.

During World War II , Calder was appointed Director of Plans and Campaigns for the Political Warfare Executive , a secret British agency during the war for disseminating propaganda . He has written texts for propaganda posters, texts for the BBC and brochures as well as speeches for high-ranking politicians. His boss, also a Scot, was Sir Robert Bruce , who described him as " one of the best brains in the organization " (Eng .: one of the best minds in the organization ). Commenting on his understanding of the term propaganda, Calder said :

" The object is to destroy the morale of the enemy and to sustain the morale of our allies within enemy and enemy-occupied countries, we must be creating and sustaining the will to victory under whatever pressures the enemy may exert. That is the function of the much abused word "propaganda" [...] "

- Peter Calder : Propaganda as a Weapon of War

In 1941 he became a member of the 1941 Committee , a group of liberal politicians, writers, and other influential figures in the country, including HG Wells and Tom Driberg . In the same year he became famous for his book Carry on London , in which he described the consequences of the German bombing on London, Coventry and other cities in Great Britain.

After the war, Calder reverted to his previous activities as a writer, specializing in internationalism , the peace movement, and popular science topics . He worked with the United Nations and was President of the National Peace Movement and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament . He was also involved in the World Health Organization , Oxfam and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . He was also a science editor for the News Chronicle and has written numerous books.

Calder was a passionate peace activist and humanist . In 1980 he was one of the signatories of the A Secular Humanist Declaration , a commitment to secular humanism , published by the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism . He was also a signatory to the Humanist Manifesto II .

From 1961 to 1967 Calder taught international relations at the University of Edinburgh . In 1960 he received the Kalinga Prize for Popularizing Science and in 1966 he was promoted to Life Peer .

Lord Ritchie-Calder was the father of science writer Nigel Calder and writer and historian Angus Calder . He was also the grandfather of travel writer Simon Calder .

Fonts (selection)

  • Roving Commission , 1937
  • Carry On London , 1941
  • Profile of Science , 1951
  • Dawn over Asia , 1952
  • West Meets East , 1952
  • Man and the soil , 1952
  • From Magic to Medicine , 1952
  • Men against the jungle , 1954
  • Science makes sense , 1955
  • Men Against the Desert , 1958
  • Medicine and man: The story of the art and science of healing , 1958
  • The land of life: The story of the Weizmann Institute , 1959
  • Agony of the Congo , 1961
  • The life savers , 1961
  • Common Sense about a Starving World , 1962
  • Living with the Atom , 1962
  • Hell Upon Earth , 1968
  • On Human Rights , 1968
  • The evolution of the machine , 1968
  • Man and the cosmos: The nature of science today , 1968
  • Wonderful of Medicine , 1969
  • Leonardo: The Age of the Eye , 1970
  • Man and the Cosmos , 1970
  • The pollution of the Mediterranean Sea , 1972
  • How long have we got? , 1972
  • Internationalist in the World of Nationalism , 1973
  • Future of a Troubled World , 1983

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Propaganda - a weapon for: Peter Ritchie Calder - propaganda director on digital.nls.uk
  2. ↑ Translation: The goal is to destroy the morale of the enemy and to support that of our allies in hostile or hostile-occupied countries. We must create and support the will to victory whatever pressure the enemy may exert. That is the task of the often misused word "propaganda" .
  3. ↑ American Humanist Association: Humanist Manifesto II , accessed September 15, 2012 (English)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Calder, Peter Ritchie, Baron Ritchie-Calder
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British journalist and peace activist
DATE OF BIRTH July 1, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Forfar , Angus
DATE OF DEATH January 31, 1982
Place of death Edinburgh