Ideological differences were a major driving force in the conflict weapons of mass destruction made peaceful coexistence a necessity. In many respects, the Cold War fits the pattern of typical conflicts between Russia and the West. In the 19th century, the official aim of Russian interference in European affairs was to stop revolutionary chaos and violence in both the West and in Russia. Catherine the Great and the tsars who followed her regarded themselves as members of the European family of monarchs, guarding order and stability against revolutions. Muscovite tsars repeatedly declared their desire to stop the shedding of Christian blood during wars with their Western neighbours, notably Poland. Yet military conflicts between Russia and the West were usually accompanied by appeals for peace. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Russian tsars saw themselves as defenders of true Christianity, Orthodoxy, against Catholicism. Ideological disagreement was a major component in conflicts between Russia and the West. 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. Throughout its history Russia has shared many ideas with the West, from Christianity to socialism. There are historical reasons for this ambiguity. 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. Sergei Bogatyrev, Associate Professor of History at UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies ‘The Cold War fits the pattern of typical conflicts between Russia and the West’ Image: The National Archives and Records Administration. Richard Nixon (right) meets Leonid Brezhnev (left) on 19 June 1973 during the Soviet Leader’s visit to the US.
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