History of the British Council

The creator of the British Council is Sir Reginald Leeper. ^[1] . In 1920, he became a member of the UK Foreign Office (Foreign Office), and 9 years later he joined the Department of Information at the Department of Foreign Affairs, which was responsible for disseminating information activities abroad. Liper worked as an ambassador, and in the early thirties led the trips of British delegations to dozens of countries where he gave lectures, conducted cultural programs and brought in various English-language literature. On his initiative, the foundations of a cultural relations committee that later turned into the British Council were laid.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the need arose to spread British culture, the foundations of education, science and technology. To establish relations with other countries, the Foreign Office decided to create an organization that promotes British foundations and culture, using the examples of those existing in France , Italy and Germany . In 1934, the British Liaison Committee was established. Later, the organization was renamed the British Council for Establishing Relations with Other Countries, which over time has simplified to the now known British Council. ^[2]

Established by the Foreign Office, the council nonetheless has its own governing and coordination bodies. It has its own committee and chairman, who are fully responsible for their agendas and actions.

The objectives of the British Council are:

1. support for British educational institutions, social institutions, organizations and interest groups in other countries.
2. recruitment of teachers and personnel related to the promotion of the English language and culture in other countries
3. the provision of grants and foreign practices to English teachers and their students
4. providing libraries and educational institutions with literature in English and the latest information on the history, culture, language and life of the UK
5. the import of exhibitions, collections, musical and theatrical performances, film festivals, etc.

The first mission of the council was sent to Egypt in 1938 . Distributors and the main pillar of the British Council were the British embassies, commissions and diplomatic missions. In 1939, councils were also established in Poland , Romania , and Portugal .

During the Second World War, proposals were made to unite the British Council with the Ministry of Information to promote the ideas of anti-fascism, pacifism, and to agitate groups ready to oppose the Nazi forces. But the council managed to win the title of cultural enlightener and retain only the functions that were laid down during the creation of the organization. At the same time, the scope of coverage expanded, despite the war. The agenda was developed, new states were involved. Militaristic ideas bypassed the advice. When there was a threat of bombing the territory of the council and a danger to the lives of employees, most of the missions were dissolved, people were evacuated, and the activities of the Union were stopped. At the same time, educational centers of culture were built in many cities in the UK that de facto served as the British Council. They invited both citizens and refugees from allied countries. After the war, the activity of the councils was restored, programs to support teachers and students continued, while the percentage of exchange trips and business trips increased. A hindrance to the full functioning of the council was the decline in the state budget and the numerous problems of the restoration of states. ^[3]

The post-war system of international relations influenced the deployment of points of the British Council. Branches in countries subject to the influence of communism had to be closed or completely abolished. The exception was Poland, where the British Council continued to work on a common program. Conflict zones were also not supported by the council - work was stopped in Egypt (in connection with the conflict over the Suez Canal), in China, in Cyprus.

Against this background, special committees are created to consider the relevance of the establishment of the institution of the British Council in individual countries. The decision of the committees should have been influenced by factors such as public interest, the level of security of the political situation, and the potential level of benefit. The UK government was concerned about the compatibility of the council and the country's policies. It also began to study the possible tasks of the council, which included the spread of British culture, the strengthening of relations between countries and Great Britain. In the course of studying these problems, it was decided to expand the coverage of the council to the African mainland, establish representative offices in developing countries in Africa and Asia, and replace the system of providing the services of British teachers to combine them with numerous trainings and advanced training programs for personnel from other countries.

The development of training and continuing education programs included education in special technologies and techniques, the issuance of world-class diplomas, assistance in creating curricula for other countries, and attracting students and teachers to exchange systems. This was due to the creation in the 1960s of a new state Department for Technical Cooperation, which made a significant contribution to the budget of the council. His mission was to help developing countries and promote the popularity of education through the British Council. An important step was taken in the mid-1950s: the question of interaction with the countries of the Soviet bloc was raised. A special committee has been created that is working out a scheme for the functioning of the council on the territory of the Soviet Union in particular.

With the growing influence of the European Union, the importance of establishing deeper contacts with EU members and the promotion of imperialist ideas in Great Britain increased. In order to increase its prestige and show not a mistaken, but a special, justified position of the country, the British Council had to think over the schedule and direction of propaganda of state ideas through social activities.

Later, in the 1970s, the strengthening of contacts with European leaders, especially France, entailed the modification and updating of the council’s policy. Education and cultural cognitive programs were supplemented by regular exchange programs, contests, grants, prizes, and the possibility of taking courses in the UK. Cultural ties between states have also been fueled by increased investment and government interest. Integrated training programs were established, divided by direction, language level, and the final desired result.

The rapid growth in popularity of the British Council and its spread around the world led to the fact that their own budget was not enough. In this regard, training courses and certain programs were created for which the states in which the council is based must pay stable amounts. In the future, this turned into standard paid services for today (for example, preparation for passing exams and obtaining a certificate of English proficiency). The new financial aspect helped to reduce the dependence of the council on the British government, therefore, a freer expansion of its functions.

Nevertheless, the British Council remained dependent on politics: in the event of a conflict, military situation or domestic collapse, to which the British government expressed a negative attitude, the corps of the council in such countries was closed, its cultural activity was completely stopped.

The end of the Cold War, the fall of the bipolar system led to increased interest in Western culture, in particular in the English language. The expansion of the possible territory of influence and the desire of the post-communist countries to study a foreign language, to enter the system of international information exchange required an increase in the staff of teachers and working personnel of the British Council. In the mid-nineties, the Council began to actively promote its activities to the east, Russia became the main partner in this space.

The modernization of teaching approaches and the rapid development of technology have contributed to the emergence of online council portals that provide professional tutors services, as well as containing numerous information on the culture, social patterns, traditions of the UK and the opportunities provided by the council. ^[four]