COLD WAR AT THE PERIPHERY AND THE LEGACY OF THE COLD WAR

This group explores the Soviet Union’s relations with their allies, how the Cold War was perceived on the peripheries and the role played by medium and small countries and by various regions in shaping Cold War events (1945-1991). It brings together scholars and students with a range of expertise and research interests covering East-Central Europe and Central Asia Studies, History, International Relations, and Political Science. The findings can illuminate current theoretical debates about international and domestic politics and help provide recommendations to policymakers about how to prevent and manage conflicts and cope with nuclear proliferation in the post-Cold War era. 

THEMES

  • The interactions between powerful states and small states
  • Soviet relations with neutral and nonaligned countries in Europe
  • The interactions between smaller NATO and Warsaw Pact countries with small neutral states in Europe (Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Ireland)
  • The relations between smaller European countries and newly independent countries in the Third World during the Cold War 
  • The role played by East European countries, Cuba, Vietnam, and Mongolia in CMEA
  • The position of medium and small Warsaw Pact countries towards the U.S. and Soviet nuclear weapons policies
  • The impact of religious and nationalist sentiments upon the interactions between the smaller Warsaw Pact and NATO countries
  • Gender, Militarism and Political Violence during the Cold War

PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITY

  • Knowledge exchange events: regular online and face-to-face talks on works-in-progress
  • Peer support for developing publications
  • Joint research initiatives: workshops; seminars; conference panels

MEMBERS 

Wladyslaw Bulhak, the Institute of National Remembrance, Poland

Mark Kramer, Director Cold War Studies, Harvard University 

Noela Mahmutaj, University of Tirana 

Alexander Marshall, University of Glasgow 

Mikulas Pesta, Institute of World History/ Cold War Research Group, Charles University in Prague 

Andrea Peto, Central European University  

Corina Snitar (Convenor) – Central and East European Studies, University of Glasgow

Geoffrey Swain, Professor Emeritus, University of Glasgow

Natalia Telepneva, University of Strathclyde

Barnabas Vajda, University of J. Selye 

Ksenia Wesolowska, University of Strathclyde

Cees Wiebes, Netherlands

Aleksandar Zivotic, University of Belgrade

Anna Calori, University of Glasgow

ASSOCIATED PROJECTS

Soviet Union and Cold War Neutrality and Nonalignment in Europe: Mark Kramer, University of Harvard

Soviet-Albanian Relations: from ‘Monolithic’ Unity to Break: Noela Mahmutaj, University of Tirana  

History of Sexual Violence during WWII: ‘Taboo-ed’ Connections: Andrea Peto, CEU 

The Romanian Years of the Cominform: Corina Snitar, University of Glasgow

Czechoslovak Relations to the Third World Countries: Natalia Telepneva, University of Strathclyde & Mikulas Pesta, Charles University in Prague

Cold War Turkey Through Polish Intelligence and KGB’s Eyes: Ksenia Wesolowska, University of Strathclyde

Managing the International Communist Movement: M.A. Suslov and Boris Ponomarov, 1948-1969: Alexander Marshall, University of Glasgow 

The State Offices for Church/Religious Affairs of communist countries. International cooperation within the East Central European bloc from the 1960s with main stress on Czecho-Slovakia and Hungary: Barnabas Vajda, University of J. Selye