Those countries were known as the "non-aligned nations." The Non-Aligned Movement was initiated by the leaders of Yugoslavia, India, Indonesia, Egypt and Ghana. Many other nations joined in their movement to keep free of commitments to the two superpowers, the USA and the USSR. At the Bandung Conference in 1955, twenty-nine nations were represented. The Belgrade Conference in 1961 was the first official summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. Member nations attending that conference were Afghanistan, Algeria, Burma, Cambodia, Ceylon, the Congo, Cuba, Cyprus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, the Sudan, Tunisia, Yemen, and Yugoslavia. <span>Bolivia, Brazil, and Ecuador attended as observer nations. (Note also that Cuba was an original participant in the movement, but then ended up aligning with the USSR.)</span>
The Great Western Schism was a split within the Catholic Church that lasted from 1378 to 1417. The schism was caused by a conflict between two papal claimants, one in Rome and the other in Avignon. The schism led to a decline in the authority of the papacy and a increase in the power of secular rulers.
The Great Western Schism also caused a decline in the power of the Catholic Church in Europe. The schism weakened the Church's authority and made it easier for secular rulers to challenge Church power. The schism also made it difficult for the Church to respond effectively to the problems of the time, such as the Hussite heresy.
The schism also had a negative impact on the Church's finances. The papacy was no longer able to collect revenues from all of Christendom, and this led to a decline in the Church's income. The schism also made it difficult for the Church to raise funds for its activities, such as missionary work.
The Great Western Schism was a significant threat to church power because it weakened the Church's authority, made it easier for secular rulers to challenge Church power, and had a negative impact on the Church's finances.
