Was the Cold War the Biggest Change in Russia’s Relationship with the West?
Announced on 12 March 1947 with the intention of containing Soviet expansion, the Truman Doctrine is sometimes seen as the first declaration of the Cold War. Four experts ask whether the conflict’s legacy is a defining one.
‘The Cold War fits the pattern of typical conflicts between Russia and the West’
Sergei Bogatyrev, Associate Professor of History at UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies
Russia has had a love-hate relationship with the West since the 16th century, which saw the establishment of regular contact between Moscow and Europe. There are historical reasons for this ambiguity. Throughout its history Russia has shared many ideas with the West, from Christianity to socialism. But in Russia these ideas have always taken specific local forms, which Westerners have often seen as barbaric heresies or brutal aberrations, be it Orthodoxy, Peter I’s autocracy or the Soviet socialist experiment.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
