1950s key dates - British Council

Exhibition of models and handicrafts by Mr A. N. Lisk Carew, 1950, Nigeria

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	1950s key dates

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

Read the rest of the story of the 1950s and 1960s

1950

Withdrawal from Eastern Europe continues, with closures in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria

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1951

British Council takes over responsibility for cultural relations with West Germany from the British Embassy

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1952

Withdrawal from China

Closure in Persia (Iran) following the Abadan crisis

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1953

British Council opens in Japan

Marshall Scholarships Programme set up

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1954

Drogheda Report recommends prioritisation of educational work in developing countries and withdrawal from Europe

Closures in Australia and New Zealand

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1955

Soviet Relations Committee set up to develop cultural relations with the USSR

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1956

Sequestration of British Institutes in Egypt and evacuation of British staff and lecturers Read more....

British Institutes in Greece closed following troubles in Cyprus

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1957

Hill Report recommends switch from direct teaching of English in British Institutes to training of local English teachers

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1958

Commonwealth Scholarships & Fellowships Programme set up

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1959

Government White Paper recommends expansion of activity in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East

British Council helps set up training programmes for English teachers at Edinburgh and London Universities

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