Understanding Soviet Foreign Policy (1917-1991)

Until 1985, the USSR followed two schools of Soviet diplomacy: Stalinist and neo-Stalinist. Under the leadership of Mikail Gorbachov, radical changes in both the theory and practice of Soviet foreign policy resulted in a new concept based on a vision of the world in full evolution. In his self-proclaimed “new political thinking”, Gorbachov moved the emphasis from the importance of class struggle in international relations to “mutual security” and the role of politics in resolving disputes, and underlined the interdependency of the contemporary world. He called for mutual efforts to solve problems such as debt, hunger, pollution and disarmament in particular. The Soviets also referred to new political thinking to explain surprising policy moves, such as the withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan, the acceptance of on-site inspection in the 1986 Conference on Disarmament in Europe (CDE) and the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) agreements, and the payment of UN dues long in arrears. Although Gorbachev can be considered to be an innovator, there were other leaders who had initiated dramatic changes in foreign policy throughout Soviet history. For example, at the time of the revolution itself, in 1924, in 1953-1955, and, although to a lesser degree, in the first few years after Brezhnev’s rise in 1970. In all these periods, change was imposed in a top-down manner by referring to Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy and importing ideas and slogans from the outside world. This article aims to examine the tradition of change in Soviet foreign policy from the formation of the Soviet Union, with a specific focus on the antecedents to Gorbachev’s “new political thinking” and the ensuing.

Keywords:

Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, Soviet Union Foreign Policy,

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