Activities of the Volgograd department of the Union of Soviet Friendship Societies in the late 1950s–1980s: forms and directions

Вased on the introduction of previously unpublished archival sources of documentation, the article analyzes the main directions and forms of the Volgograd department of the Union of Soviet Friendship Societies and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries (USFS) activity in the late 1950s and 1980s. The article examines the socio – political factors that influenced the emergence of qualitatively new formats of interaction with foreign publics in the context of international tension. It shows the institutions of social cooperation and their functioning system through an extensive network of foreign missions, and the forms of cultural, humanitarian, and social cooperation, and the mechanisms for demonstrating the USSR achievements, which contributed to strengthening the country's international reputation. Following the principles of systematicity and historicism the authors consider the activities of regional friendship societies as an integral part of an all-Union organization that operated within the framework of the country's overall foreign policy objectives. The use of the structural – functional method allows us to reveal the mechanisms and areas of activity of the Volgograd department of the USSR Society of Friendship Societies by analyzing the activities conducted by party, state, and public organizations at various levels. The article concludes that the Volgograd department of the Society for International Cooperation is engaged in systematic activities, and it reveals the main areas of its work to establish dialogue with foreign communities, which include cultural and humanitarian cooperation, educational and ideological work, and social interaction. The article also introduces innovative event formats that have become effective tools for developing international public relations.