ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the basic dynamics of change in the Soviet Union from the vantage point of early 1991 and assesses the implications of those dynamics for the study of Soviet foreign policy. The Stalinist model of economic and political development altered Soviet foreign policy as well. The goal of the Soviet Union was to build a revolutionary order, and traditional European geopolitics was to take a back seat to the new class character of Soviet foreign policy. Explicit Recognition of a Common "European" Civilization Mikhail Gorbachev adopted the common "European home" theme to underscore the notion of a common European civilization cutting across the ideological divide of East and West. Also, critical to deal with the Europeanization process was the continued pursuit of a policy of differentiated bilateralism. Gorbachev's initial policy toward the West and Europe in particular represented a mutation in the basic Soviet approach.
