| 5th World Festival of Youth and Students | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host country |  Polish People's Republic |
| Dates | 31 July - 15 August 1955 |
| Motto | For Peace and Friendship – Against the Aggressive Imperialist Pacts |
| Cities | Warsaw |
| Participants | 30,000+ people from 114 countries |
| Follows | 6th World Festival of Youth and Students |
| Precedes | 4th World Festival of Youth and Students |
The 5th World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) was held from 31 July to 15 August 1955 in Warsaw, capital city of the then Polish People's Republic.[1]
The World Federation of Democratic Youth organized this festival during the rise of the peaceful coexistence concept introduced by Nikita Khrushchev among the socialist bloc. At the end of the 1950s, the colonialism was in its last years, and in the same year, the Bandung Conference was held. The conference strongly criticized the western powers for keeping their colonial possessions. The need for a struggle against the danger of nuclear annihilation and for the end of colonialism dominated the festival.
More than 30,000 young people from 114 countries participated in this edition of the festival.
The motto of the festival was For Peace and Friendship – Against the Aggressive Imperialist Pacts.
The festival's sports programme featured an athletics competition.[2] The Arsenał art exhibition opened at the festival, featuring striking works by young Polish painters. This exhibition was the subject of debate among art critics over its use of expressionist styles.[3]
- ^ "Chronology of World Festivals of Youth and Students". Archived from the original on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
- ^ World Student Games (UIE). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-12-09.
- ^ Balisz, Justyna (2020). "Foreign Relatives: How German is Polish Post-War Expressionism". In Stolarska-Fronia, Małgorzata (ed.). Polish avant-garde in Berlin. pp. 233–262. ISBN 3631780532.