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1950s

From Bahaipedia
Centuries:
Decades:
Years: 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954
1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Categories: Births - Deaths - Declarations
Establishments - Publications
Media: c:Category:1950s 1950s (Events)

The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959, inclusive, of the standard Gregorian calendar. The entirety of the decade was within the Second Epoch of the Formative Age of the Bahá’í Faith and the First Epoch of the Divine Plan.

During the decade the Bahá’í Faith greatly expanded its geographic reach with Bahá’í communities being established across the world and the communities administration rapidly developed with many local, national, and international administrative bodies being established.

From 1950 to 1953 the formal activities of the Bahá’í community were undertaken according to national plans developed by Shoghi Effendi and given to National Spiritual Assemblies and in 1953 the international Bahá’í community was coordinated under one international teaching plan which remains the way Bahá’í activities are organized and coordinated to the present day.

Divine Plan[edit]

Bahá’ís who attended all four Intercontinental Teaching Conferences held to launch the Ten Year Crusade in 1953.

The efforts of the Bahá’í community in the decade were organized under several teaching plans inaugurated and overseen by Shoghi Effendi as part of the Divine Plan. From 1950 to 1953 the following teaching plans which began in the 1940s and coordinated efforts in their respective countries were completed:

In 1950 the Iraqi Three Year Plan was inaugurated by Shoghi Effendi and undertaken by the National Spiritual Assembly of Iraq and the same year the African Campaign was launched by Shoghi Effendi which aimed to establish Bahá’í communities on the continent and was the responsibility of the Bahá’í communities of Egypt, India, Iran, Sudan, the United Kingdom, and the United States with the responsibility of coordinating the campaign being given to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles.

In 1951 Shoghi Effendi launched the British Two Year Plan for the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles, the Indian Nineteen Month Plan for the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma, and the South American Two Year Plan for the National Spiritual Assembly of South America. In 1952 the Central American One Year Plan was launched in which the National Spiritual Assembly of Central America adopted its own goals based on general advice from Shoghi Effendi.

In 1953 Shoghi Effendi launched the Ten Year Crusade which was a single international teaching plan which aimed to establish the Bahá’í Faith across the globe. All National Spiritual Assemblies were given the responsibility of working towards the same goals and it was the first teaching plan which united the entire international Bahá’í community in one centrally coordinated effort. The Crusade was launched with four Intercontinental Conferences and another four Intercontinental Conferences were held at the midpoint of the Crusade in 1958.

Administrative Development[edit]

Major institutional developments during the 1950s began in 1951 when Shoghi Effendi established the International Bahá’í Council which he described as the forerunner of the Universal House of Justice and he also established the Institution of the Hands of the Cause of God the same year appointing the first contingent of living Hands of the Cause that year. The Institution of the Hands of the Cause was expanded in 1954 when Shoghi Effendi established the institution of the Auxiliary Board to assist the Hands and in 1957 he expanded the Auxiliary Board, introducing separate Boards designated to assisting the Hands with either protection or propagation of the Faith.

In 1957 Shoghi Effendi passed away with no successor to his position as Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, ending that institution, and the institution of the Custodians was established by the Hands of the Cause that year to serve as Head of the Faith temporarily.

The following National Spiritual Assemblies were established during the 1950s:

Teaching[edit]

During the decade the Bahá’í Faith was established in many countries by Bahá’í pioneers. When the Ten Year Crusade was launched many countries and territories were designated goal territories for pioneers and Bahá’ís who pioneered to those territories were named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh by Shoghi Effendi until 1957 and the Custodians after his passing.

Countries and territories opened in the early 1950s, prior to the Ten Year Crusade, include:

1950[edit]

1951[edit]

1952[edit]

1953[edit]

Countries and territories opened as part of the Ten Year Crusade were:

1953[edit]

1954[edit]

1955[edit]

1956[edit]

  • Tibet
  • Anticosti Island

1957[edit]

1958[edit]

  • Spitzbergen

1959[edit]

  • Gulf Islands
  • Hainan Island
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