ABSTRACT
This chapter explains how Stalinist domestic institutions fostered Soviet expansionism, and discusses the effects of Mikhail Gorbachev's domestic innovations on Soviet foreign policy. It also discusses logical developments of institutions, policies, and ideas, given the assumption that Gorbachev will enjoy a significant degree of success in implementing his domestic reforms. The need for forced-draft industrialization in the face of intense threats from more advanced societies shaped the militant institutions and ideas of Stalin's revolution. Historical Soviet expansionism and zero-sum thinking about international politics have largely been caused by the nature of Soviet Stalinist domestic institutions, especially the militant Communist Party and the centralized command economy geared toward autarkic military production. Vyacheslav Molotov, one of Stalin's henchmen, argued that Soviet efforts to relax tensions with the West would not reduce the imperialists' hostility, but would only reduce vigilance within the socialist camp. The chapter concludes with policy implications for the West.
