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Establishing the Post-War International Order, 1944-1961

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A black and white image of the UN security council.

Global governance, geopolitics, and international political economy during the early Cold War

This resource will be of great use to researchers and students from different disciplines who wish to understand the treaties, institutions, and norms that led to the emergence and endurance of the post-war order and Cold War.
Dr. Bleddyn Bowen, University of Leicester

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Study the institutions, treaties, and events that shaped the post-war world, from Bretton Woods to the Berlin Wall

Representatives from the Soviet Union, UK and US at the 1945 Potsdam Conference in Potsdam, Germany.

This collection, curated in association with The National Archives (UK), provides an unparalleled insight into the political, economic, and military foundations of the post-war international order. The materials, which are diverse in nature, cover a wide range of subject matter, shedding light on the perspectives of various state and non-state actors during periods of both cooperation and conflict. The United Nations (UN), Marshall Plan, World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and European Economic Community (EEC), to name but a few examples, are all accounted for.  

In addition to diplomatic files relating to key organisations, agreements, and events, records of global commodity prices, including gold, oil, and food, feature heavily. Most of the documents are derived from the annals of the British Board of Trade (i.e. BT 64), Cabinet Office (i.e. CAB 128), Foreign Office (i.e. FO 371), and Treasury (i.e. T 274). Brought together here for the first time, these files are intended for use by academics working across the humanities and social sciences, from History and International Relations, to Economics and International Law. 

Contents

Establishing the Post-War International Order, 1944-1961...

Global governance, geopolitics, and international political economy during the early Cold War

Discover 
1945 5c US Stamp, "Toward United Nations".

Highlights

Black an white photograph of several men, including Jawaharlal Nehru and V. K. Krishna Menon.

Licensed to access Documents relating to the United Nations, 1944-1961

The United Nations was founded in the aftermath of the Second World War with the aim of maintaining international peace and security. These items shed light on its origins, structures, and functions.
Black and white photograph of stock brokers working at the New York Stock Exchange.

Licensed to access Documents relating to post-war commodities, 1945-1961

Commodity prices played an important role in the post-war economic boom. These materials place their fluctuations in context, highlighting the impact of both micro- and macroeconomic trends.
Black and white illustration of bombs and flies. Chinese characters feature on the bombs.

Licensed to access Materials on the alleged use of biological weapons during the Korean War, 1952

These records from 1952 detail Soviet and Chinese allegations that American forces used biological weapons in North Korea.
Black and white stamp featuring various European flags, dated 31 December 1966. The price 20 Helvetia is printed down the left side and an illegible ink stamp overlays the image.

Licensed to access UK negotiations with the EEC and EFTA, 1961

The UK first applied to join the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1961. This document reveals Britain’s position through its discussions with other members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Insights

  • In the aftermath of the Second World War, the triumphant Allied powers agreed to create a series of multilateral institutions and regimes to peacefully govern the emerging international system.
  • While some found support on either side of the so-called Iron Curtain, others were very much the product of the West and its particular interests.
  • The records in this collection illuminate the ideas, alliances, and antagonisms underpinning those interests, demonstrating how they influenced policymaking and ultimately shaped the post-war world.
  • Most of the documents come from the annals of the Government of the United Kingdom, and as such, provide a distinctly British and Commonwealth perspective on events.
  • This perspective includes civil society groups, such as industry bodies and labour unions, which had an important stake in the international situation, especially when it came to trade agreements and commodity markets.
  • That said, a significant proportion of the material was either produced by foreign governments and international organisations or deals directly with their concerns, influence, and behaviour.
  • The search function works best at volume level. For those requiring further information, this collection can be used in conjunction with the National Archives’ Discovery catalogue.

Coloured illustration of a British town being bombed. On the left a black and white soldier points to the sky.

Licensed to access Britain Under Threat: Civil Defence in the Era of Total War, 1914-1989

1914   1989
A black and white image of POWs at a re-education camp.

Licensed to access Building a New Germany: Denazification and Political Re-education, 1944–1948

1944   1948
A black and white image of US President John F. Kennedy and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) Nikita Khrushchev meeting and shaking hands in Vienna.

Licensed to access Democratic Centralism during the Cold War, 1943-1991

1943   1991
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