История/1. Отечественная История

S. A. Timoshina, Associate Professor, V. O. Shpakovsky, Ph. D. in History

Penza State University, Russia

AMERICAN POLITOLOGISTS, POLITICAL ANALYSTS AND SOVIET MASS MEDIA ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE USA AND THE USSR DURING THE FIRST STAGE OF THE “COLD WAR” (1946-1953)

The period of 1946-1953 is considered to be the first stage of the notorious “Cold War”. Russian historians consider W. Churchill’s speech in Fulton as the turning point of worsening Soviet-American political relations [1, P. 1116]. Two states were called “superpowers”. That means that they had a strong influence on the development of the international policy. The USA and the USSR had their own goals in the foreign policy which they tried to reach. Analyzing the perspective of the political and economical development of the USSR, American politologists made prognosis of changes in international political situation in 1950-ies. W. Lippmann wrote in his book “The Communist World and Ours” that “the Soviet Union is now entering upon the climatic years – the next seven or ten years - in which it means to surpass the United States, not in the material comforts of ordinary life but in productivity per capita” [2, P. 36]. He pointed out the effectiveness of the Soviet propaganda which might lead to dramatic changes in the international policy: “The Communist leaders are certain that they achieve this goal, the great mass of the poorer and undeveloped peoples will rally to them. No doubt, wherever they can, they will promote this rally by propaganda and by infiltration and by subversion. But we delude ourselves if we do not realize that the main power of the Communist states lies not in their clandestine activity but in the force of their example, in the visible demonstration of what the Soviet Union has achieved in forty years, of what Red China has achieved in about ten years” [2, P. 36].

As has been said, the countries had their own geopolitical, economical and other interests, which contradicted to the goals of the other state. Describing the main reasons of changes in the international situation W. Lippmann wrote that «the cause of the bad relations is the suspicion, felt on each side of the Iron Curtain, that the other side intends to commit aggression. The suspicion arises from a belief that in the long run neither side can tolerate the other» [2, P. 36].

As well-known American political analysts believed the war conflict between the countries was impossible during that period. In 1945 W. Lippmann in his book [3] declared that the so-called “Hot War” between two states could not begin in the foreseeable future. He used a very impressive comparison of the states describing the role of the USA and the USSR in the international affairs: “In the foreseeable future, which is all that statesmen can deal with, a war waged directly between Russia and the United States is very nearly impossible as a battle between an elephant and a whale…” [3, P. 134]. He wrote that “only by means of allies can Russia and the United States come to grips; and by a conflict begun among their allies they can be entangled in a war” [3, P. 135]. However, having analyzed the international current developments and affairs Harold D. Lasswell wrote that conflicts between different states might happen: “Much as we condemn war, we must recognize that future wars are likely, unless we control in the future the factors that have produced war in the past… Whether we like it or not, future wars are likely” [4, P. 6]. He draw the conclusion that the future wars might be total, they might have a world scale: “future wars will be total wars, or at least that they will involve immediate danger of totalization. Today, when Western civilization with its power system has expanded around the globe, there is great danger that any clash, however small, will involve everyone. And, in the electro-chemical age, war means total war” [4, P. 5]. However, the political controversies between former allies grew fast that had compelling reasons. The USA had their own goals which meant the elimination of the rival countries from political arena. American political analysts declared that in their papers. For example, W. Lippmann formulated the goal which had been dominating in the US foreign policy for a long time: “the highest interest of the United States, which is to live in a world environment which contains no dangerous and alien powers” [3, P. 154].

Considering the fact that after the World War II the USSR became one of the most influential states in the international policy one may draw the conclusion that the above-mentioned goals might be against the USSR. That is why the Soviet mass media had to change the image of the USA in the article drastically. They transformed the image of the foreign state from an ally [5] into an enemy [6].

To reach their goals in the process of propaganda the Soviet mass media used the wide range of propagandistic means which were formulated by Harold D. Lasswell in 1927 [7]. He pointed out that “the general form of propaganda organization is a variable one, which the propagandist may adapt to his purposes” [7, P. 195]. Lasswell defined four main objectives of propaganda: “1) to mobilize hatred against the enemy; 2) to preserve the friendship of allies; 3) to preserve the friendship and, if possible, to procure the cooperation of neutrals; 4) to demoralize the enemy. Represent the enemy as an obstacle to the realization of the cherished ideals and dreams of the nation as a whole, and of each constituent unit” [7, P. 195].

So, having analyzed the articles in the Soviet newspapers and investigations of the American politologists one can make a conclusion that mutual criticism and controversy of political interests prevented the development of partnerships between the former allies.

Notes:

1. История России. С древнейших времен до начала ХХI в. / А. Н. Сахаров, Л. Е. Морозова, М. А. Рахматуллин и др.; под ред. А. Н. Сахарова. – М.: АСТ: Астрель: Хранитель, 2007. – 1262 с.

2. Lippmann W. The Communist World and Ours. - Boston; Toronto: An Atlantic Monthly Press Book; Little, Brown and Company, 1958. - 56 p.

3. Lippmann W. U.S. War Aims. – Boston: An Atlantic Monthly Press Book; Little, Brown and co., 1944. - 235 p.

4. Lasswell H. D. World Politics Faces Economics. With Special Reference to the Future Relations of the United States and Russia. – N.Y.; London: McGraw-Hill book, co., 1945. - 108 p.

5. Правда. Ежедневн. – М., 1944-1945.

6. Сталинское Знамя. Ежедневн. – Пенза, 1946-1952.

7. Lasswell H. D. Propaganda Technique in the World War. – N.Y.: Knopf, 1927. - 233 p.