The Festival of Britain was launched in 1951 as a commemoration of the World War II dreads and a reminder of Britain’s superiority in Europe as well as its leading role in science, technology, and arts. This festival was of significant importance to the devastated population of London, who witnessed massive bombing operations during WW2. Initially, it was the exceptionality of the United Kingdom and the efficiency of the Royal Air Force that stimulated Hitler to bomb London.
This massive attack was referred to as the Blitz – a series of bombardments, which shifted the lives of more than 40,000 civilians. The specificity of this operation is that it was conducted all over the UK. However, London was the city, which suffered the most significant losses, as almost 30,000 of those killed lived there, not to mention thousands of injured, millions left homeless, and nearly destruction of the capital. As a result, Londoners went through more than 70 attacks, and almost 30,000 bombs dropped during 76 consecutive days (“WW2 – the Blitz Hits London” par. 4; “Germany Bombs London” par. 7; Prigg par. 15).
That is why even when the end of World War II was declared, the atrocities of the global conflict were not forgotten. So, a massive initiative for creating positive recollections, which would replace the nightmare of war, was critical.
The decision was seen in launching a festival, which would help people and the country recover from World War II and remind them of the superiority of Great Britain. That said, on the 4th of May, 1951, the Festival of Britain was declared open to celebrate the renewal of the country and its creative industries – art, science, and technological advances. The initiative was supported and promoted by King George VI. All senior members of the royal family did not ignore the event and attended it before it was declared open (“1951: King George Opens Festival of Britain” par. 3).
Moreover, famous architects were as well involved in planning the festival and constructing platforms for conducting it. St. Paul’s Cathedral was selected as a location for keeping the event. This choice is symbolic because the building was among those, which were not destroyed during the bombarding regardless of being located close to the epicenter of attacks. So, it had to serve as a reminder that even though Hitler wanted to destroy Britain, it managed to survive the attacks and should get inspired to create a better future for the country.
Before people started visiting it, a new edifice was constructed – the Skylon tower. The rationale behind it was to point to the reconstruction of London and the incorporation of futuristic buildings in the architecture of the city (“Festival of Britain Inspiration Behind Design” par. 8). That said, the primary goal of the Festival of Britain was to create the image of Britain as a modern country, which is ready to soar to new heights and foster its development after the war.
It is paramount to highlight that the scope of propaganda was astounding. As the exhibitions aimed at wakening the British consciousness, the focus was made on the works of famous scientists such as Newton and Darwin, artists, and the heritage of sailors, farmers, and poets, who worked hard to create the image of the modern country and determine its position in the international arena regardless of local conflicts and hardships (Sinclair par. 8). That is why it is imperative to make efforts and focus on further breakthroughs in different spheres of interest.
Moreover, the scales of preparations for the festival were astonishing, as there were several platforms for exhibitions. The biggest one was located and the South Bank of Thames close to the Skylon Tower. It was the most popular one due to offering numerous options for entertainment such as the exhibition of land traveling, festival ship, and pleasure gardens. Except for these platforms, there were book and science exhibitions at South Kensington, factory exhibition at Belfast, living traditions fest at Edinburgh, and industrial power platform at Glasgow. More than that, there were small local platforms scattered all across Britain.
They were launched not only in cities but also in the smallest villages. The emphasis was made on turning the project into a nationwide festival, which would reach even the most distant locations. However, not all of them were equally popular among visitors. It should be mentioned that the overall number of those, who attended the festival was around 9 million people during five months of the operation of the Festival of Britain. Nevertheless, almost all of them gave preference to the South Bank exhibitions, as the number of visitors reached almost 8,5 million (Hanna par. 3).
Bearing in mind the facts and figures mentioned above, it is complicated to speculate on the success of the Festival of Britain. However, it is essential to investigate the underlying reasons for conducting it. Of course, it was pointed to the necessity for motivating people to forget the atrocities of World War II and continue living and hoping for a better future. Nevertheless, this goal is just one of the real causes that helped to decide between spending vast resources for organizing and promoting the event. Because the country was in severe need of reconstruction and recovery, the initial idea of allocating funds for supporting massive exhibitions was harshly criticized.
However, it can be explained from the economic perspective. Great Britain required new sources of investment. Because Europe was destroyed after the war, there was no rescue package available. So, the only option for survival was to motivate the citizens to spend their money on the reconstruction of the country. Launching a massive entertainment project under the conditions of destruction after the war is a risky but still cost-efficient decision due to the psychological nature of people. That said, the festival was prepared and created by the government with the belief that financing fests across 17,000 cities and villages would benefit the country (Atkinson 8).
For me, the Festival of Britain was the story of success. Even though some platforms were less popular compared to others, the overall atmosphere of the project was positive. First and foremost, except for entertaining purposes, it had a significant educational outcome, as ordinary people obtained an opportunity to become familiar with the newest technologies and modern pieces of art and literature as well as recollect the most important breakthroughs achieved during the history of the country’s development. Moreover, I am strongly inclined to believe that the festival contributed to a sense of unity among ordinary Londoners.
The rationale behind this statement is the fact that finding oneself immersed in such an atmosphere cannot but help to become friendly and open as well as enhance communication between members of society. More than that, it was beneficial for creating the desired image of Britain in the international arena. The very idea of constructing futuristic edifices and pointing to all technological and scientific advances cannot but add to improving the country’s image, especially in eyes of foreigners and those living in destroyed and underdeveloped countries.
Finally, it was a source of economic profit because the initial plan of allocating turned out to be effective due to a large amount of sold souvenirs, entrance tickets, and other related expenditures (Johnson par. 9). Also, the 1951 Festival of Britain launched a tradition of commemorating festivals, thus granting an opportunity to local governments to arrange similar events and attract additional sources to local budgets.
To sum up, the Festival of Britain was one of the most spectacular events in post-war Britain. I am strongly inclined to believe that even though it was severely criticized both before and after it was opened, the significance of the exhibitions should not be underestimated. Of course, expenditures necessary for constructing exhibition platforms were astounding, but what is even more important is the influence it had on British society. That said, for me, the Festival of Britain is the symbol of renewal and the signal of overcoming the dreads of World War II. The idea was developed and supported to show the rest of the world that Britain was ready to leave that daunting experience behind and focus on its future.
Works Cited
1951: King George Opens Festival of Britain n.d. Web.
Atkinson, Harriet. The Festival of Britain: A Land and Its People. New York: Tauris and Gold, 2012. Print.
Festival of Britain Inspiration Behind Design . 2014. Web.
Germany Bombs London n.d. Web.
Hanna, Kat. From Albertopolis to the Olympic Park: How London’s Festival Quarters Have Shaped the City. 2016. Web.
Johnson, Ben. The Festival of Britain 1951. 2013. Web.
Prigg, Mark. “The Astonishing Interactive Map That Shows Every German Bomb Dropped on London During WW2 Blitz.” Daily Mail. 2012. Web.
Sinclair, Iain. “The Festival of Britain, 60 Years On.” The Guardian. 2011. Web.
WW2 – the Blitz Hits London n.d. Web.