Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past
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- 2022
- Diplomacy and Culture in Post-War Britain
IHR History Lab seminar
Posted on 31 October 2022
Diplomacy and Culture in Post-War Britain
, 5:30PM - 7:00PM
Please book to attend this free event through the IHR's website
Town Twinning: The Secret to Forging Unity between the U.K. and Germany in Post-War Discussions of Memory and Commemoration
Town twinning is integral to discussions of post-war reconciliation and cooperation. This paper argues for the consideration of, and use for, twinning in the field of public history. A public-facing phenomenon, twinning serves communities as cover agents of history in the materials they produce, the places they meet and the narrative that is repeated from generation to generation. This narrative is deeply tied to the Authorised Heritage Discourse, reinforcing the need for historians and public historians to consider what role twinning could have as we seek out history-makers in our communities. As we reflect on the evolution of twinning from the immediate post-war period to now, we learn about our identities on a local, national and supranational level, asking citizens of both countries who our neighbours really are. As we operate in a new post-Brexit arena in Europe, such grass-roots organisations like twinning, serve their communities in a refreshed way as they endure through the turmoil and recount history as they do so.
Maggie Crisp (University of York) is a 24 year old early career professional, entering the wide world of history and heritage. She just finished her Public History Masters at the University of York and now she will move to Berlin to begin her career in modern German history in practice. She is excited to use her skills from university and make a change in the field of history!
The Anglo-Soviet Cultural Agreement (1959): the diplomatic power of culture, science and the British Council
On 1 December 1959, the governments of the United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) signed an Agreement on ‘Relations in the Scientific, Technological, Educational and Cultural Fields’. This signified the official ratification of an agreement negotiated by the British Council and their Soviet counterpart, the Soviet State Committee for Cultural Relations, back in March 1959. The Anglo-Soviet Agreement set out a programme of exchanges between the two countries, covering a vast array of cultural activities, including exchanges of artists, Shakespearean actors, ballet dancers and teachers, with arguably the most high-value exchanges happening in scientific and technological fields. The Agreements set the stage for a long-lasting programme of cultural exchanges (which were renewed annually or biennially until the fall of the Soviet Union), which the British hoped would ‘promote the further improvements of relations between the two countries and thereby assist in reducing international tensions’. The British Council, the long-recognised and unofficial arm of British cultural diplomacy, had been trying to re-establish links with the Soviet Union for years - setting up a Soviet Relations Committee in 1955 - after Cold War tensions had disrupted their work. Despite representing a crucial moment in Anglo-Soviet relations, during a time in which successive British Prime Ministers were attempting to establish similar links (note particularly Harold Macmillan’s visit to the Soviet Union in February 1959), little is known about this programme of exchanges. This paper, using untapped British Council archive material, explores how this triumphant feat of cultural diplomacy at the height of the Cold War exemplifies the power of non-state agents in foreign affairs, and the ability of culture, and here particularly science, to transcend political tensions and provide alternative channels of communication. This paper argues that the Anglo-Soviet Cultural Agreements represent a hitherto overlooked element of British cultural diplomacy and science diplomacy and showcase the centrality of personnel exchange and transnational networks to British foreign relations.
Alice Naisbitt (University of Manchester) is at the end of the first year of my PhD project, working at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM) at the University of Manchester. Her thesis investigates the 'science diplomacy' potential of the British Council in the 20th century. Using untapped archive material to question the extent to which the British Council's science initiatives provided an alternative channel of communication to varying nations around the world and exploring the role of scientists as 'backchannel' agents of British diplomacy. The first year of her research has focused on the British Council in the USSR with plans to move on to looking at Anglo-Egyptian relations next.