Wed28Oct
Germany · Lecture
Manifest Destiny's Myriad Influences: Native Americans and the Rise of 20th-century Totalitarianism
8:00 PM · GHI Washington
The Violent 1950s: Towards a New History of the Global “Postwar” Decade is a lecture event hosted by the Embassy of Germany in Washington, D.C. It takes place on Wednesday, February 24, 2027 at 7:00 PM at GHI Washington. RSVP is required.
The German Historical Institute (GHI) Washington invites you to "The Violent 1950s: Towards a New History of the Global 'Postwar' Decade," a conference reconceptualizing this pivotal era. Often remembered as a time of recovery and stability, especially in the West, the 1950s were, in fact, deeply marked by widespread violence.
This conference aims to challenge the narrative of the 1950s as a peaceful interlude. It will explore how conflict was reconfigured on all levels, from destructive wars in Korea, Algeria, and Indochina, to authoritarian repression in various nations, and the maintenance of racial order through brutality in places like the United States and South Africa. Beyond state-level conflicts, the conference will also delve into the violence perpetrated by crime syndicates and the intense domestic struggles within the private sphere.
Convened by Andreas Greiner (GHI Washington) and Robert Kramm (University of Tübingen), the event will assess reciprocal patterns of violence, compare local coercion to global power structures, and underscore how Cold War violence operated unevenly across global hierarchies. The discussions will highlight how the 1950s normalized counterinsurgency, expanded state surveillance, and globalized coercive practices, blurring the lines between wartime and peacetime.
Understanding the pervasive violence of the global 1950s offers crucial insights into how the "postwar" order was constructed through force, fear, and power imbalances, with lasting consequences that continue to shape our contemporary world. The conference takes place at GHI Washington, located at 1607 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009. Please RSVP via the provided link.
GHI Washington
1607 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
Open in Google Maps →8:00 PM · GHI Washington
7:30 PM · Goethe-Institut Washington
7:00 PM · Alliance Française de Washington DC
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