The perils of building Cold War consensus at the 1957 Moscow World Festival of Youth and Students

This article examines the Cold War meanings of the Moscow Festival of Youth and Students that attracted thirty thousand attendees in June of 1957. It argues that this festival reflected a pivotal moment in the Cold War where the Soviet leadership embraced the rising importance of culture and youth i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cold war history 2012-08, Vol.12 (3), p.515-535
Main Author: Peacock, Margaret
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Audience
Audiences
Cold War
Culture
Delegates
Festivals
Leadership
Meaning
Peaceful co-existence
Russian Federation
Students
Youth
Youth Culture
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Summary:This article examines the Cold War meanings of the Moscow Festival of Youth and Students that attracted thirty thousand attendees in June of 1957. It argues that this festival reflected a pivotal moment in the Cold War where the Soviet leadership embraced the rising importance of culture and youth in their struggle for global consensus. It contends that while the Soviet leadership endeavored to use the festival as a vehicle for the projection of a revised, free, and peaceful Soviet populace, both the western press and the delegates themselves took actions that complicated the meanings of the festival and in turn, complicated the meanings of the cultural Cold War for domestic and international audiences alike.
ISSN:1468-2745
1743-7962
DOI:10.1080/14682745.2011.645809