THE INSTITUTE DURING THE COLD WAR
In the 1950s, the Institute embarked on a phase of expansion under the leadership of Jacques Freymond. Mirroring transformations in the international community, this enlargement took into account the history of communism and the Cold War, placing particular emphasis on multilateral diplomacy, strategic studies, trade and international monetary economics, as well as third-world and development issues.
Geographically, the Institute opened up to regions such as Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America. As its teaching and student body diversified, the Institute continued to welcome refugees, notably during the Hungarian and Czechoslovak crises. Furthermore, Jacques Freymond helped create the Geneva African Institute, as well as international relations institutes in Trinidad and Tobago, Nairobi, Yaoundé and later in Malta.
The Institute’s teaching and research adapted as the world evolved. As the Institute strengthened its links with the United Nations system, in particular the specialised UN agencies established in Geneva after 1945, strong links were also forged with the Bretton Woods institutions (International Monetary Fund and the World Bank), where many Institute graduates found employment.