Studies of post-war Europe have conventionally stressed the Cold War’s ideological divisions and competing economic models. This open access book brings together historians from across Europe to explore the ways in which these political differences were circumvented, subverted, or overcome, whether in the spirit of international collaboration, solidarity or for more pragmatic reasons of national interest.
Rethinking Cooperation in Cold War Europe examines the systemic divide not as an Iron Curtain but – borrowing the metaphor of the Hungarian historian György Péteri, as a ‘Nylon Curtain’ – a present and yet surmountable partition that was frequently breached in a variety of ways by ordinary citizens, artists, scientists, politicians, and other historical actors.
From environmental collaboration and medical ethics to academic exchanges and peace activism, this book brings to life a complex series of ambiguous allegiances and complicated collaborations. For all of the difficulties, the mistrust, the paranoia, and the ulterior motives, the contributors here demonstrate the myriad ways in which ‘Bloc thinking’ could be and often was overcome in the service of common interests and shared visions. With Europe today facing an array of military and political challenges unprecedented in the post-war era, the book offers a wide-ranging and timely overview of the ways in which channels of communication can be kept open even at times of heightened geopolitical tensions.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the European Research Council.
Table of Contents:
Illustrations
Tables
Contributors
Acknowledgements
Introduction
DIFFICULT FRIENDSHIPS ACROSS THE ‘NYLON CURTAIN’
Ulf Schmidt and Will Studdert
Part I
POLITICS & PROPAGANDA
Chapter 1
‘FOR UK EYES ONLY’: THE SECRET AFTERLIFE OF THE
INFORMATION RESEARCH DEPARTMENT, 1977–1985
Will Studdert
Chapter 2
AMERICAN WOMEN PEACE ACTIVISTS’ CONNECTIONS TO SOVIET
WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS DURING THE COLD WAR, 1962–1990
Lara Track
Chapter 3
MAPPING BRITISH CULTURAL TOURS: ACROSS, AROUND, AND
AVOIDING THE ‘NYLON CURTAIN’
Edward Corse
Part II
IDEAS & CONCEPTS
Chapter 4
DRAFTING DEONTOLOGY: TADEUSZ KIELANOWSKI AND HANS JONAS
ON THE ETHICS OF HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION, 1933–1979
Ulf Schmidt, David Peace, and Will Studdert
Chapter 5
‘NO LITTLE PRINCE DRUG’: THE NOOTROPIC CONCEPT AND
THE COLD WAR PURSUIT OF HUMAN ENHANCEMENT, 1949–1984
David Peace
Chapter 6
SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT: POLISH HUMANISTS IN THE ANNALES
COMMUNITY DURING THE COMMUNIST PERIOD
Patryk Pleskotand David Peace
Part III
SCIENCE & CULTURE
Chapter 7
MENTAL BLOCS: COLLABORATION WITHIN BRAIN RESEARCH
ORGANISATIONS ACROSS POST-WAR EUROPE, 1957–1991
Kate Docking
Chapter 8
THE AUSTRIAN CULTURAL MAGAZINE PANNONIA AND
DEBATES ON CENTRAL EUROPE, 1973–1990
Oliver Sterchi
Chapter 9
BEYOND CLASSIFICATION: HEAVY METAL AND PUNK IN
EAST GERMANY, 1980–1990
Mona Vollert and Will Studdert
Part IV
ENVIRONMENT & TECHNOLOGY
Chapter 10
PROTECTION PROFESSIONALS: A CASE STUDY OF THE
FERTÖ-NESIEDLER AREA IN HUNGARY AND AUSTRIA
Melinda Harlov-Csortán
Chapter 11
THE ROAD TO THE WEST: UKRAINIAN ENVRIONMENTAL ACTIVISTS
DURING THE LATE PERESTROIKA PERIOD
Tetiana Perga
Chapter 12
‘BIOTECH SAMURAI’: HOW BRITAIN AND HUNGARY LOOKED TO JAPAN
TO COMMERCIALISE BIOTECHNOLOGY, 1971–1989
James Farley and David Peace
Bibliography
Index
About the Author :
Ulf Schmidt is Senior Professor of Modern History at University of Hamburg, Germany. He is the author of Secret Science: A Century of Poison Warfare and Human Experiments (2015), Karl Brandt - The Nazi Doctor (Bloomsbury, 2007) and Justice at Nuremberg (2004).
Will Studdert is Research Fellow at University of Hamburg, Germany. He is the author of The Jazz War: Radio, Nazism and the Struggle for the Airwaves in World War II (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019).
