Taras Shevchenko Kyiv State University’s international cooperation with scientific and educational institutions of Northern and Southern America countries in 1944–1975’s

Abstract

The world’s leading countries use international cooperation in the education and science field to influence and confirm their authority. The countries of North and South America and the USSR used scientific and educational relations as a means of communication. For Kyiv State University named after T. G. Shevchenko, this provided an opportunity to expand the geography of international relations. Therefore, the aim of the article is a comprehensive study of the connections of KSU named after T. G. Shevchenko with scientific and educational institutions of the countries of North and South America in 1944–1975’s. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that the scientific and educational ties of KSU named T. G. Shevchenko with scientific and educational institutions of the USA and Canada, as well as Latin American countries in 1944–1975’s, have been highlighted for the first time. The methodological basis of the research was the methods of historical retrospection and problem-chronological and analytical methods. The conclusions. It is noted that at the end of the Second World War (1944–1945), the establishment of ties by Kyiv University with educational and scientific institutions of the countries of North and South America was not possible due to the reconstruction of the city and the university itself. And during the period of post-war reconstruction (1946–1950), the Soviet-American confrontation was added to the mentioned problems, which then turned into the Cold War. It is indicated that some scientists from the countries of North America began to visit Kyiv State University named after Taras Shevchenko since the mid-1950s. The prerequisite for this was the liberal socio-political changes in the USSR associated with de-Stalinization (1953–1956) and the Khrushchev Thaw that began in 1956. It is noted that ties between American, Canadian and Soviet universities began to be established after Soviet leader M. Khrushchev visited the USA in 1959. Delegations from American universities visited Kyiv University to familiarize themselves with the organization of educational and scientific work. At the same time, guests from South American countries began to visit Kyiv University. It is indicated that with the establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and the Republic of Cuba in 1960, frequent guests at Kyiv State University named after Taras Shevchenko joined Cuban scientists and delegations. Furthermore, Kyiv University has established close cooperation with the Central University of Las Villas Province. From the same year, young people from Latin American countries began to enroll in the Preparatory Faculty for Foreign Citizens. It was clarified that in the mid-1960s Kyiv State University named after Taras Shevchenko’s most active international book exchange was with the Library of Congress in Washington. It was determined that despite the «international détente» in relations between the USA and the USSR in 1969, the ties of American universities with Kyiv State University named Taras Shevchenko in the first half of the 1970s did not go beyond isolated contacts.