Ideology as a Factor of Soviet Foreign Policy (1950s — 1980s)

Abstract

The article overviews infl uences of ideology as a factor of Soviet foreign policy after Joseph Stalin’s death. It concludes that Soviet leadership made several pragmatic foreign policy decisions in the mid- 1950s, thus easing tensions between the East and the West. The decision of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which recognised the possibility of peaceful coexistence of different social systems, played an important role. De-Stalinization of Soviet foreign policy proceeded in a controversial manner, however. The role of ideology as a factor of Soviet foreign policy started growing again from the late 1950s. As a result, the Soviet Union committed itself to excessive international obligations the fulfi llment of which posed a serious burden on its economy. The foreign policy of ‘New Thinking’, which again attempted to reduce the role of ideology as a factor of Soviet foreign policy, resulted in negative consequences for both the Soviet Union and contemporary Russia. Refs 5.