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Beyond Solidarity: Revisiting Socialist Aid in the Global South

Fri, November 21, 3:30 to 5:15pm EST (3:30 to 5:15pm EST), -

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

After 1945, socialist foreign assistance prioritized ideological alliances and international solidarity. Under the banner of "socialist solidarity," developed socialist nations provided developmental aid, frequently in the form of industrial projects and cultural exchanges, to less technologically advanced countries in the Global South during the Cold War. High-tech, heavy industrial factories from the developed Soviet bloc, along with hundreds of thousands of specialists, writers, and workers, crossed borders to contribute to the modernization of recipient countries, effectively implementing socialist technology and knowledge transfer. However, this assistance operated within a hierarchical framework of socialist internationalism, consistently reflecting a blend of commercial, solidarity, and strategic-political motives. This panel will examine socialist assistance from a global perspective. By utilizing multilateral archival documents from the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, and the Global South, it will delve into the complex rationales of various actors, including policymakers, mid-level government officials, state-owned enterprises, specialists, writers, and workers. By exploring the dilemmas inherent in socialist assistance, this panel aims to contribute to the evolving scholarly discussion of socialist globalism and its limitations.

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