| Description |
In the past, Russia has used military, diplomatic, political, and economic means to annex and dominate its neighbors. It created an insular zone from these conquered regions for protection, thereby constructing a massive empire. This pattern has been the basis of Russian foreign policy, regardless of its rulers' ideology, since its birth as a nation. Russia, under tsarist rule, subjugated vast areas of land and united them. The Communist ascendancy to power after the Bolshevik Revolution did little to change the modus operandi. In the twentieth century, the majority of Eastern Europe fell within the grasp of the Soviet leviathan and decisions were no longer made in the ancient capitals of Budapest, Prague, and Warsaw. When subjugated people rebelled in 1956 and 1968 against Soviet rule and the governments it imposed, they were crushed with little hesitation. The buffer zone protecting Russia from its enemies was maintained. Like empires throughout history, the Soviet Union sought to create a world in its own image. This pattern, which dominated Russia's foreign policy for many years, was seemingly set aside as Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev pursued his "new thinking"reform policies of glasnost (political "openness"), perestroika (economic"restructuring"), and democratization. The countries of Eastern Europe were allowed to follow whatever path their people chose to take. Gorbachev withheld financial and military assistance; from the very dictators the Soviet Union had installed. It seemed as though the oldpattern had been broken and a new Russian foreign policy had emerged. Or had it? Taking advantage of opportunities, the Baltic nation of Lithuania, annexed as part of an agreement between Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, attempted; to declare its independence. But, the leadership of the Soviet Union was not prepared to relinquish regions deemed part of "Mother Russia." It attempted to tighten Russia's hold. Lithuania's ensuing struggle demonstrated that the pattern may have been subdued, but not completely discarded. Yet, the struggle for Lithuania was relatively mild compared to that concerning Hungary in 1956 and the leaders of the Kremlin acknowledged defeat. This demonstrated a definite departure from past Russian policy. Although Lithuania and the other republics of the former Soviet Union eventually achieved independence, Russia's unwillingness to continue its pattern and empire resulted from a series of constraints placed upon it. Temporary necessity demanded a change in policy. Once Russia is able to achieve economic and political stability, it will again look beyond its borders for the protection it craves. |
