ABSTRACT

The rapid adjustment to the ways of international politics executed by Lenin in 1918 has been continued by Stalin down to the present day. So far, however, there are few if any signs of the development in the Soviet Union of an overt tradition that recognizes the role played by the balance of power in Soviet foreign policy. Even though the Soviet Union has been compelled by the structure of international power relations to adopt a diplomacy closely resembling that of any other modern state, there remain a number of individual characteristics attributable to the Marxist-Leninist tradition. During the postwar years the hostilities and tensions between East and West have increased, with but few and transient interruptions. Each measure taken by one of the contestants to strengthen its position has been rapidly followed by countermeasures on the other side in a continuing vicious circle.