Der Hintergrund - die sowjetische Europa-Politik
The Background - The European Policy of the USSR

Summary/Abstract: The Soviet Unions tries to convince the West that peaceful coexistence is to be had only on Moscow's conditions. The Kremlin expects the West to agree to the continuation of a merciless struggle between East and West on the societal level, a struggle which, furthermore, is to be carried out only in the Western sphere of influence. Simultaneously the USSR, on the level of state relations, develops its military potential, hoping to win an irresistable superiority over the West. If, in Geneva, Moscow succeeds in pushing through the collective security system which it has proposed for Europe, there will be a chance for the expansion of Soviet influence in Europe. Without careful preparation about what to do in case of conflict, peace is not feasible with the USSR in view of its ideological and institutional structure. Military balance, which the USSR tries to replace by its own superiority, is absolutely necessary in order to guarantee the non-use of direct or indirect force. In addition, the USSR must be denied onesided advantages and chances in the struggle on the societal level, because these would encourage Moscow to display continuous anti-Western militancy.

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