History: A Schoolgirl Against the Cold War – How Citizen Diplomacy Helped Change the World with Professor Matthias Neumann from University of East Anglia

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In this History session, Matthias Neumann, Professor of Modern History in the School of History and Art History at University of East Anglia, will consider the latest research into citizen diplomacy in an interactive talk for students entitled A Schoolgirl Against the Cold War – How Citizen Diplomacy Helped Change the World.

Samantha Smith came to fame by writing a letter to the Soviet leader, Yuri Andropov, in December 1982, expressing her fears about a potential nuclear war between the two superpowers. Her letter was quoted in the main Soviet newspaper Pravda in April 1983 and the Smith family was subsequently invited to visit the Soviet Union during the summer. Samantha’s trip captured the attention of the world media on both sides of the ideological divide. However, her trip has usually been dismissed as a quirky footnote in Cold War history. Scholarly interest has only just begun, sparked by the growing research into the significance of citizen diplomacy, which saw a real explosion in the late Cold War.

This talk will reveal that Samantha Smith’s trip was a pivotal moment in this broader process because it provided a very public challenge to the strong political discourse of the early Reagan administration, which promoted conflict. Based on an analysis of Soviet and American media reporting, and using hitherto unused archival evidence, as well as oral history interviews, the lecture will examine why and how Samantha Smith became an icon of citizen diplomacy in the early 1980s. It will shed fresh light on the role of children as soft power during the Cold War and highlight Samantha Smith’s role as a precursor of a rapidly expanding citizen diplomacy that played a largely ignored part in bringing the conflict to an end.

Lecturer Profile: Matthias Neumann

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. There is no charge to take part.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: 16+ pre-university students studying, or with a possible interest in studying, History, Politics and related disciplines. Student groups as well as students and teachers joining individually are very welcome.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students are encouraged to consider some of the issues and questions they may have. Students can also think about questions about studying at university level.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Zoom and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the speaker via typed comments and questions and/or via a microphone. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below:

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