Echoes of 1957

The EU celebrated 50 officially on 25 March 2007. Here we feature a range of articles which highlight preoccupations, themes and trends from that year. What did it feel like to be alive in 1957 in the UK? There are also echoes and parallels with today. We have also invited reflections upon the anniversary of the EU, the first from distinguished former UK ambassador to the EU, Sir Michael Butler.

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Glossy ideas by Caroline Boyle
Magazines are a weathervane for what is happening in society. They tell us a great deal about the moment in which they are made. Not just their look and feel but the themes they choose, the popular crazes and obsessions they embody. They are ephemeral and of the moment. >>

The EU: the first 50 years
A personal view from Sir Michael Butler
This article is written from the perspective of someone who has followed EU affairs closely for more than 40 years and who has been and remains convinced that it is in the interests of Britain that the EU should be successful. >>

On this day... by Anthony Gardner
As the founders of the European Community gathered to sign the Treaty of Rome on 25th March 1957, many of the concerns of the day mirrored our own. The Middle East dominated the headlines >>



New beginnings: the 1957 House
Few things are more central to our lives than how and where we live. In the 1950s miserable housing conditions were taking a shocking toll on the health, education and well-being of thousands throughout the UK. >>


The Space race: Life on Mars by Irina Kalashnikova
One of the most significant developments in 1957 was the beginning of the Superpower Space Race (1957-75). In October and November 1957 Sputniks 1 and 2 were launched by the U.S.S.R.. Astronomy more generally received a popular boost in April 1957 when BBC television launched "The Sky at Night", now the Corporation's longest-running programme. >>