| Biography | The SCRSS was founded in 1924 as the Society for Cultural Relations between the British Commonwealth and the USSR, following the establishment of diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the new Soviet state. It has continued its work uninterrupted until the present day.
The Society's founding members were a group of key British and Soviet artists and intellectuals of the day, including EM Forster, Julian Huxley, Maynard Keynes, Bertrand Russell, Sybil Thorndyke, Alexei Tolstoy, Virginia Woolf and Konstantin Yuon. They sought to collect and diffuse information in both countries on developments in science, education, philosophy, art, literature, and social and economic life.
In the 1920s-30s the Society actively promoted British-Soviet relations on a non-political basis through meetings, lectures, film shows and exhibitions. The SCR Sections were formed - special interest groups such as Education, Theatre, Writers, Architects and Planners, and Legal. Many branches outside London were established and the Society expanded its activities to include tours to the Soviet Union and the organisation of visits to the UK by key Soviet cultural and public figures. During World War II, when Britain and the Soviet Union were allies in the fight against Nazism, the Society organised exhibitions and other fund-raising events to support the war effort.
From the 1960s-90s seminars, scholarships, professional and educational exchanges were a key feature of the Society's activities. These included the popular annual Easter Russian Language Seminar (1969-96), scholarships to study Russian at the Pushkin Institute of Russian Language in Moscow (1970s-80s), and exchanges of architects, actors and young artists (1980s).
In 1992, following the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Society changed its name to its current title. The Society adheres to its founding aims of promoting co-operation between the peoples of the UK and Russia. It continues to preserve and provide access to its library and archive, it publishes a journal SCRSS Information Digest, and organises activities from film shows and lectures to exhibitions to seminars.
The society aims to promote knowledge of the culture, language and history of Russia and the former Soviet Union through its activities and unique library and archive. |