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International Relations

Collage including a United Nations Day poster of a hand with all the nations flags on, another illustration of a NATO globe with the statement "Alliance for Peace" in the centre.

What's Inside

24 Collections
164 Volumes
3,220 Documents
976,087 Pages
Illustration titled "NATO why and how"

Introduction

A key theme in history, “International Relations” is a broad term encapsulating the typically complex strains of diplomacy, cooperation, and conflict that occur between states. The archival collections that are grouped under this theme are rich in documentation, enabling students and researchers to survey a wide range of historical events and trends.

For example, you can explore the development of British-American diplomacy during the later eighteenth century, the spread of British colonial influence throughout the Caribbean, the unification of Germany, the collapse of the Ottoman empire, and the emergence of Canadian governance and foreign policy. You can also examine one of the pivotal moments in twentieth century international diplomacy: the Paris Peace Conference that was convened in the wake of the First World War. Furthermore, the papers of the Labour Party evidence key aspects of British diplomacy and foreign policy throughout the twentieth century.

The collections grouped in this theme likewise demonstrate how the Allied nations, particularly America and Britain, co-operated during the Second World War. Indeed, they illustrate how the Allies co-operated in order to establish and maintain a watertight system of postal and telegraph censorship. You can also explore the influential experiments in international co-operation that emerged in the aftermath of both World Wars, such as the formation of the United Nations, the European Economic Community, and the World Trade Organization.

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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 Coming Soon

20th Century International Relations War, Security, and Intelligence Europe Culture and Society
Contributor The National Archives (TNA)
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

20th Century Modern History International Relations War, Security, and Intelligence Europe Culture and Society Germany United Kingdom
Contributor The National Archives Contents 1 Volumes, 46 Documents (3,701 Pages)
Beige background with red and black lettering. There is a letter header to the Ministry of Information, stamped with a red SECRET stamp. Underneath it reads U.S. Secret Equals British Secret Confidential. Over the top of the image are various symbols depicting a code language.

Licensed to access Censorship: Policy and Practice During the Second World War

20th Century Modern History International Relations War, Security, and Intelligence Europe Colonialism and Empire Media and Communications Germany United Kingdom
Contributor The National Archives Contents 1 Volumes, 96 Documents (17,397 Pages)
A cover of The Illustrated War News, including an illustration of a tank, the Union Jack flag, and the French flag.

Licensed to access Illustrated War News, 1914–1918 & 1939

20th Century Modern History International Relations War, Security, and Intelligence Europe Colonialism and Empire Media and Communications Politics and Social Movements Science and Technology Culture and Society
Contributor Illustrated London News Contents 6 Volumes, 195 Documents (9,176 Pages)
A black and white picture of the monument to Yuri Gagarin in Moscow. Yuri Gagarin was the first person to travel in space and the monument is a titanium statue on a 42.5-meter high pedestal.

Licensed to access Science and Marxism, 1956-1985

20th Century Modern History International Relations War, Security, and Intelligence Europe Politics and Social Movements Science and Technology
Contributor Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents 5 Volumes, 27 Documents (3,782 Pages)
First Lady Florence Harding with Girl Scouts at White House, Washington DC, April 1922.

Licensed to access Transatlantic Civil Society in Periodicals, 1768-1925

18th Century 19th Century 20th Century Modern History International Relations Europe Media and Communications Culture and Society The Americas
Contributor The British Library Contents 5 Volumes, 24 Documents (17,226 Pages)
Representatives from the Soviet Union, UK and US at the 1945 Potsdam Conference in Potsdam, Germany.

Licensed to access Establishing the Post-War International Order, 1944-1961

20th Century Modern History International Relations War, Security, and Intelligence Economics Europe Asia Africa The Americas
Contributor The National Archives Contents 14 Volumes, 1275 Documents (231,364 Pages)
Worker and Kolkhoz Woman monument, Moscow, modern-day Russia

Licensed to access Communisms and the Cold War, 1944-1986

20th Century Modern History International Relations War, Security, and Intelligence Europe Asia Politics and Social Movements Africa Oceania The Americas
Contributor Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents 10 Volumes, 178 Documents (14,393 Pages)

Contextual Essays

View all Contextual Essays  

Propaganda and the Mobilisation of Consent during the two World Wars

Catriona Pennell
Published 12th September, 2023 16 min read
A crowd of people holding up the Communist Party of India flags.

The Meerut Conspiracy Trial, 1929-1933; an Introduction

John Callaghan
Published 17th February, 2022 48 min read
A photo of a pile of books.

British Government Information and Propaganda, 1939-2009: Further Reading

Professor David Welch
Published 1st December, 2021 2 min read
Red background with yellow letters that read Government Communicates. The work of the Central Office of Information.

A Guide to British Government Information and Propaganda, 1939-2009

Professor David Welch
Published 26th November, 2021 27 min read
United Nations Emergency Force soldiers resting in Sinai during the Suez Crisis.

The Post-War International Order: Past, Present, Future?

Dr. Danielle Young
Published 16th August, 2021 12 min read
A black and white image of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin.

From the Archive: Prosecuting the Holocaust

Katherine Waite
Published 21st February, 2020 7 min read
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