The Cold War was the defining global conflict of the second half of the twentieth century. Fought across multiple terrains, the "soft power" of international broadcasting placed the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ on the frontline of the information war.
Explore the role the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ played in communicating our understanding and experience of the Cold War, with the help of unique oral history interviews with those involved – from World Service foreign language journalists and correspondents in the field to directors-general and strategic managers.
Curated by Emeritus Professor David Hendy and Dr Alban Webb, University of Sussex; and John Escolme, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ History.
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The Long War
Between 1939 and 1991, the experience of World War and Cold War helped shape the journalistic and diplomatic significance of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service. -
Iron Curtain
How did the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ’s response to the descending Iron Curtain shape its Cold War broadcasting style? -
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Monitoring in Wartime
Established at the outbreak of the Second World War, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Monitoring Service continued to be a vital component of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ’s journalistic work during the Cold War. -
Letters without Signatures
During the Cold War the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ German Service was a vital means of 'projecting Britain', and broadcast a nightly programme specially targeted at listeners behind the Iron Curtain. -
Uprisings
Within the space of one month in the autumn of 1956 flashpoints threatened to destabilise both Eastern and Western bloc alliances and threatened the future of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. -
The War Game
The threat of thermonuclear destruction placed Britain’s civil defence plans, and the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, at the heart of public debates about the Cold War. -
Cries for Peace in the Nuclear Age
The Cold War sparked multiple peace protests in the UK: from Bertrand Russell and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, to the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp. -
Solidarity
In the 1980s the Polish Solidarity movement gained global media attention. And it did so with a little help from its friends in the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service. -
Collapse
The fall of Soviet communism and the end of the Cold War was a seismic shift in global history. It also posed challenging questions about the future of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ services to Europe, once the Iron Curtain was gone. -
Music of a Revolution
Our video covers some of the key TV moments of the Cold War between 1947 and 1989, with music that inspired a generation. -
Share your memories
What role did the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ play in your life during the Cold War, and how did its broadcasts shape your perception of events at the time? Share your thoughts and ideas here. -
Background to the project
Bridget Kendall MBE, former ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Moscow Correspondent sets the scene for this collection, reflecting on her own career during a period of extraordinary change in the region.
Editorial Note
The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and the Cold War collection contains excerpts and programmes from ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ services at specific moments in time. The material should be viewed in this context and with the understanding that it reflects the attitudes and standards of its time – not those of today.