Since Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan opened its doors in April, the world has experienced a rare glimpse of unity among nations.
In what has so far been a turbulent year and polarising decade, the World Expo has, like the Olympic Games, emerged as a platform for global participation through spectacle and pageantry.
Unlike the Olympics or other sporting events, the World Expo is not a competition, but rather a showcase of nations united around a common theme, generally aimed at the improvement of humanity. For Osaka 2025, this theme is “Designing a Future Society for Our Lives”.
This is the first in a series of articles on Expo 2025. In this article, Diplomatic Network (Asia) looks at the origins of World Expos, beginning in the Nineteenth Century with the novelty of the World’s Fair.
Modern Times
While the common perception of these events is that they promote cultural globalisation, there is another equally important purpose of these fairs: to promote human progress and modernity.
In the midst of the Industrial Revolution, early World Expos were opportunities to showcase new technologies to the public. Among the inventions that debuted at World Expos were Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone in 1876 and the X-Ray machine in 1901.
A June 1872 advertisement in Scientific American even outlined a competition at the 1873 Vienna Expo for the most efficient harvesting machine, with a prize of USD$1000.
Heading into the Twenty-First Century, national pavilions are heavily focused on presenting cutting-edge technology and visionary design, aligning with the spirit of modernity that is embedded in these events.
For example, the 2017 Astana Expo had the theme of ‘Future Energy’, and therefore, pavilions were oriented around environmental and economic solutions towards energy development.
Rationale for Expos
Prior to 1928, the World Expos were not a unified body of events, but the result of localised initiatives from host cities. Considering the enormous costs that come with hosting these Expos, it raises the question of why any city would choose to sponsor a World Expo.
Firstly, these Expos, as previously mentioned, provide an opportunity for technological displays and innovation, which allows attendees to learn about new inventions.
Secondly, it is the very spectacle and grandeur of these Expos which attracted nations towards hosting them. Expos give their host nation a chance to positively reflect the cultural richness and economic strength.
France notably held ten separate Expos between 1855-1937. Among these include one in 1878, celebrated as a national comeback after France’s disastrous defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-1871. The 1889 Expo was also held on the centenary of the Storming of the Bastille, the event which has been identified as marking the beginning of the modern French nation.
Unfortunately, there is also a cynical element to the early Expos as they were often used to defend the images of exploitative empires.
In an article by academic Isabelle Flour, her study on the depiction of Cambodia during Expositions from 1867-1937 highlights the way colonial territories were depicted as ‘exotic’, and unchangeable from ancient practices. In the process, it allowed colonial powers to justify their ‘civilising mission’ of modernity and the export of Western culture.
Historian Patrick Young similarly argued the Nineteenth Century Expos helped to justify a racial and civilizational hierarchy through the spectacular appropriation of culture. The iconic Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 Paris Expo, was surrounded by cultural pavilions representing French colonies. This contrast was meant to emphasise the modern and cultural superiority of Western civilisation, which Young sees as “an early harbinger to our own media-saturated world”.
In 1928, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) was founded to oversee the bidding and organisation of Expos. The BIE would oversee the organisation of Specialised Expos, smaller-scale expositions that are focused around a core theme. Alongside the move towards decolonisation in the Twentieth Century, the BIE has helped future World Expo participants to be more fairly represented.
By returning focus towards presenting differing visions of modernity, the BIE has helped redirect the goals of World Expos towards a more altruistic one for the entire global community, all while smaller and newer nations have an opportunity to define their image at these events.
Structural legacies
Aside from the aforementioned Eiffel Tower, many other monuments from previous World Expos still stand as iconic landmarks on the planet.
The Unisphere in New York remains a lasting symbol of the 1964-1965 New York World Expo. Additionally, the Unisphere is located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, a public park that has retained the layout of two previous World Expos.
Another iconic landmark is the Seattle Space Needle, built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, which had a Space Age theme.
Furthermore, Habitat 67, now a housing complex, was constructed for the Montreal Expo in 1967 as the debut project of Moshe Safdie, who went on to design other visually striking buildings such as the Marina Bay Sands.
Not all legacies of the previous World Expos still remain. The plated glass Crystal Palace from London’s 1851 Expo may no longer exist, but its name has been adopted by the popular South London football team Crystal Palace F.C., winners of the prestigious FA Cup in 2025.
One of the most joyful products of a previous World Expo was Disneyland’s It’s a Small World! ride. Made specifically for the 1964 New York Expo in partnership with UNICEF, the boat ride with its message of world peace has since become one of the main attractions at Disneylands across the world.
Ultimately, World Expos have enjoyed a long and illustrious history and legacy. While early Expos are tainted with political and imperialist agendas, the blueprint for future Expos that promote genuine cultural celebration amongst nations was developed. With a shared goal at each Expo to present ideas for a better future for humanity, the World Expo has become a global event to be taken seriously.
