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3 - Stalin in Europe

from Part I - Ambition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 May 2024

Sergey Radchenko
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe
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Summary

Understanding Stalin's foreign policy requires examining his shifting approach to the unfolding Cold War. Up until 1945, he sought great power cooperation in Europe, but later rejected compromise with the United States for fear of exposing Soviet weakness. Stalin’s failed gambit for influence in Iran and Turkey showed the limitations of heavy-handed bullying of neighboring countries: in both cases, he had to retreat and retrench. Meanwhile, in Greece, Stalin shifted opportunistically from a cautious noninvolvement to increasing support for the Communist insurgency. But his Balkan strategy was complicated by an unexpected quarrel with Yugoslavia’s Josip Broz Tito, fueled by Stalin’s jealousy and mistrust. Stalin’s realization in 1947 that left-leaning coalitions that he sponsored across Eastern Europe were not electable marked a turning point towards confrontation with the West. Stalin began to prioritize security over legitimacy. This logic led him towards an attempt to dislodge the Allies from divided Berlin, resulting, by 1949, in a complete division of Europe.

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Chapter
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To Run the World
The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power
, pp. 69 - 110
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Stalin in Europe
  • Sergey Radchenko, Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe
  • Book: To Run the World
  • Online publication: 30 May 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108769679.005
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  • Stalin in Europe
  • Sergey Radchenko, Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe
  • Book: To Run the World
  • Online publication: 30 May 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108769679.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Stalin in Europe
  • Sergey Radchenko, Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe
  • Book: To Run the World
  • Online publication: 30 May 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108769679.005
Available formats
×