The Concept of Neutrality in Stalin's Foreign Policy, 1945–1953

Peter Ruggenthaler

Jul 2015 · Lexington Books

About this ebook

Drawing on recently declassified Soviet archival sources, this book sheds new light on how the division of Europe came about in the aftermath of World War II. The book contravenes the notion that a neutral zone of states, including Germany, could have been set up between East and West. The Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin was determined to preserve control over its own sphere of German territory. By tracing Stalin's attitude toward neutrality in international politics, the book provides important insights into the origins of the Cold War.

About the author

Peter Ruggenthaler is senior research fellow at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on War´s Consequences and lecturer at the University of Graz.