The USSR Opens Up to the West

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In 1957, just four years after Stalin's death, 30,000 students from 130 countries attended the 6th International Youth Festival in Moscow, a two week celebration of 'Peace and Freedom' with music, dance, theatre and sports. British student Kitty Hunter-Blair remembers a unique moment for young Russians, who were allowed, for the first time, to talk freely to foreigners. Picture: Participants in the 6th International Youth Festival in Mayakovsky Square, on their way to Lenin stadium for the opening ceremony, July 28, 1957. Credit: Sovfoto/UIG via Getty Images.