By Caroline Johnson–<\/p>\n
Michael David-Fox recently presented at Miami University for a lecture series organized as part of the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies.\u00a0 His lecture identified the Soviet Union during the Cold War as possessing a \u201csemi-permeable membrane\u201d rather than the famous Iron Curtain described by Churchill and discussed how the image of the west impacted the communist society.\u00a0 He focused on the link between international and domestic spheres, which he dubbed the \u201cinternal\/external\u201d nexus.\u00a0 His discussion brings ideas of the Soviet Union back in conversation with other histories around the world rather than secluding it as a completely disconnected entity.<\/p>\n
Often, the Stalin period is seen as a strict era of isolationism.\u00a0 David-Fox suggests that we can use the idea of a semi-permeable membrane to better understand the Soviet Union\u2019s interaction with the west both during and after the Stalin era.\u00a0 David-Fox\u2019s argument extends from some of his previous literature.\u00a0 In one of his articles entitled \u201cThe Implications of Transnationalism,\u201d he asserts, \u201cthe boundaries that need to be transcended are not those of the nation-state, but the Iron Curtain (887).\u201d\u00a0 Essentially, in order to best understand a discussion of communism and the Soviet Union, David-Fox argues in we must first understand the communist movement and Soviet experience in relation to the west.<\/p>\n
To support his argument, David-Fox presents three key subject areas through which to understand this interaction.\u00a0 First, it is necessary to understand the origins of what he termed the Soviet superiority complex.\u00a0 During this period, Stalin supported the notion that the Soviet Union would \u201ccatch up and overtake\u201d the west.\u00a0 The Bolshevik Revolution held out the promise to go \u201cbeyond the west\u201d in terms of social equality and economic prosperity. \u00a0\u00a0Stalinism supported the idea of outright Soviet superiority over the imagined west.\u00a0 The term imagined must be used, as what Soviet society thought to be the west and the realities of the west were two different ideas.<\/p>\n
David-Fox\u2019s second part of the lecture addressed what he called the western movement of the Soviet Union (1939-1945), when Soviet soldiers occupied European countries.\u00a0 This was seen as a contrast to isolationism, as it further allowed elements of western culture to penetrate Soviet society.\u00a0 During Stalin\u2019s era and the growth of the superiority complex, other nations were dubbed \u201cuncivilized\u201d in comparison.\u00a0 As the Soviets expanded westward and tension at the borders eased, this notion did not hold true for all Soviet citizens.<\/p>\n
Finally, David-Fox showed how the Thaw and decline of the Soviet superiority complex under Khrushchev increased western influence and clashed with previous ideas held under Stalin.\u00a0 Though Khrushchev was more optimistic in his approach than Stalin, he still believed the USSR was superior.\u00a0 By this time, the idea of \u201ccatch up and overtake\u201d no longer held value for Soviet Society.\u00a0 If the Soviet Union truly was \u201csuperior,\u201d then there would be no need to \u201ccatch up.\u201d\u00a0 This sense of over confidence in Soviet superiority played out through consumerism as the USSR became more open to the rest of the world.<\/p>\n
David Michael-Fox\u2019s interpretations are significant for understanding the Soviet experience as one in conjunction with the world it is so often set in opposition to.\u00a0 His arguments challenge previous notions of Soviet history, especially those under the so-called totalitarian model.\u00a0 He shows how the changes after Stalin\u2019s death (during western movement and the Thaw) and movement toward consumerism (both during and after Stalin) undermine the goal of a classless society by creating elite culture. Ultimately, Michael David-Fox shows that interaction with the western world had major influence on how the Soviet world functioned.\u00a0 \u00a0By looking at the USSR from a global perspective, it becomes obvious how \u201cideological overstretch,\u201d similar to that of imperial overstretch, can be detrimental to any society.<\/p>\n
Caroline Johnson is a senior at Miami University majoring in History<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Caroline Johnson– Michael David-Fox recently presented at Miami University for a lecture series organized as part of the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies.\u00a0 His lecture identified the Soviet Union during the Cold War as possessing a \u201csemi-permeable … Continue reading