Giuseppe Motta

Who was Giuseppe Motta?

Giuseppe Motta was a Swiss politician. He was a member of the Swiss Federal Council and President of the League of Nations.

He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on December 14, 1911. He was affiliated with the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland.

While in office he held the following departments:

Department of Finance

Political Department

He was President of the Confederation five times, in 1915, 1920, 1927, 1932 and 1937.

Giuseppe Motta has with 28 years in the Federal Council the third longest tenure to date.

Motta was involved with the Federal Council Felix Calonder in Switzerland's accession to the League of Nations. On 16 May 1920 Switzerland joined the League of Nations. He presided in 1924 the League of Nations Assembly. He was one of the most outspoken advocates of admission of Germany. In the interwar period, he pleaded for a partial departure from Swiss neutrality principle, but spoke out from 1938 in the face of the looming Second World War again for its strict observance.

The Catholic-conservative foreign minister was a staunch opponent of Stalinism.